Camp Nottingham – Nottingham For

Camp Nottingham is NFC’s signature event each summer. For three weeks in June, campers from Kindergarten to 5^th Grade will swim in our 300,000 gallon pool, play in the park, shoot hoops on the sport court, play tennis and do crafts. Campers will be placed into age-appropriate groups, where they will make new friends, play, grow and tire themselves out. Counselors and Junior Counselors will guide, teach and play with your camper in team activities and sports.

Once again, NFC is proud to present “Naturally Nottingham,” an interactive activity sponsored by the Houston Audubon Society. Each week, the Houston Audubon Society will expose each camper to the "Naturally Nottingham" world by providing a general introduction to the topic of the day, an expanded "up-close" session, and an outdoor activity/game and craft.

Camp Nottingham is offered during June 10^th-13^th, 17^th-20^th and 24^th-27^th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

If you want your camper to be grouped with friends, then please list them on the back of the registration form. Every effort will be made to accommodate your requests; however, the placement of your camper with his/her friends cannot be guaranteed.

Week 1: June 10-13^th, 10am – 2pm (includes 1 half-day of Naturally Nottingham & 1 pizza day option)

Week 2: June 17-20^th, 10am – 2pm (includes 1 half-day of Naturally Nottingham & 1 pizza day option)

Week 3: June 24-27^th, 10am – 2pm (includes 1 half-day of Naturally Nottingham & 1 pizza day option)

Daily Itinerary
	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D	Group E	Group F

10:00-10:10	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In
10:10-10:45	Sport	Sport	Tennis	Tennis	Park	Park
10:45-11:20	Park	Park	Sport	Sport	Tennis	Tennis
11:20-11:55	Tennis	Tennis	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
11:55-12:30	Lunch	Lunch	Swim	Swim	Art	Art
12:30-1:05	Swim	Swim	Art	Art	Sport	Sport
1:05-1:40	Art	Art	Park	Park	Swim	Swim
1:40-2:00	Awards	Awards	Awards	Awards	Awards	Awards

**The sports activities, park activities, arts and crafts will vary from day to day.


Itinerary for “Naturally Nottingham” Days
	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D	Group E	Group F

10:00-10:10	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In	Check- In
10:10-10:45	Audubon	Audubon	Audubon	Sport	Sport	Sport
10:45-11:30	Audubon	Audubon	Audubon	Swim	Swim	Swim
11:30-12:00	Audubon	Audubon	Audubon	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
12:00-12:30	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Audubon	Audubon	Audubon
12:30-1:15	Swim	Swim	Swim	Audubon	Audubon	Audubon
1:15-1:50	Sport	Sport	Sport	Audubon	Audubon	Audubon
1:50-2:00	Awards	Awards	Awards	Awards	Awards	Awards

The safety of all campers is our primary concern. Based on feedback from last year’s camp season, the following changes will be implemented to ensure that all campers remain safe while having fun and growing as individuals:

- Each camper will be assign a camp buddy within his/her group to ensure that all campers are accounted for during the transitional period between activities

- Two additional counselors will be utilized to assist with all pool activities as well as the drop-off and pick-up process

- The camp size has been reduced to 78 campers (13 per group) in order to provide a more appropriate camper/counselor ratio

Early Bird Drop-off - $6/hour between 7:00 and 10:00 AM (no Extended Day available)

Make payable to Nottingham Forest Club with “Camp Nottingham” in memo section

Mail to or drop off at NFC office (in a dated, sealed envelope) with a copy of the registration form(s)

Registration and payment is not available for individual days at a prorated rate.

If your camper is on a NFC swim team and will be attending practice in the mornings, you must make other arrangements for your child to be picked up. No child may be left unsupervised between swim team practice and Camp Nottingham.

All campers must be picked up at 2:00 by a parent or adult designee. No campers will be left to their own devices after camp.

In consideration for all campers, Camp Nottingham strictly enforces a no-Nit policy.

ü Camp T-shirt – wear everyday for identification (T-shirts will be handed out on the first day of camp)

“Naturally Nottingham” is a highlight of Camp Nottingham. In addition to the swimming in NFC’s 300,000 gallon pool, playing in the park, shooting hoops on the sport court, playing tennis and doing crafts, we wanted to offer an educational aspect to our Camp to exercise the young minds as well.

The Houston Audubon Society once again is sponsoring “Naturally Nottingham” by providing separate themes during four days throughout Camp Nottingham. Mary Anne Weber will expose your camper to the "Naturally Nottingham" world by providing a general introduction to the topic of the day listed below, an expanded "up-close" session, and an outdoor activity/game and craft.

Week 1: Creatures of the Night - Campers view a short PowerPoint show about native Texas nocturnal animals and discover which senses are heighten to help them survive. The groups of campers are then split and play predator/prey games and participate in hands-on activities and crafts. Each group will meet some live nocturnal creatures such as snakes, owls, etc...

Week 2: Endangered Species and Eco-Action - Campers learn about endangered species and how they came to be endangered via a PowerPoint show, focusing on Texas endangered species list. The group is then split to meet the Audubon Society’s Peregrine Falcon, who has recently made it off the list, and learn about our local hero the Red-cockaded woodpecker and how it became endangered. The groups will also make homemade paper and learn how to make a difference everyday in our homes and at school…”What can you do?”

Week 3: Plant Power - Campers discover amazing Texas plants, from the desert to the prairies to the Piney Woods, with this fun PowerPoint show. Campers will also learn about the world of medicinal and edible plants and how they helped native American Indians and the first Europeans to survive. The group is then split to paint your own war ponies with paint made from plants, tell a story using only symbols on bark paper, and learn how important the greener side of life is.

The Houston Audubon Society provides over 3,000 acres of critically important habitat, sponsors education programs for adults and children, sponsor bird alerts and bird counts and watch out for the general welfare of birds. For more information, visit the Houston Audubon Society website.

Jennifer Vacek is returning as the Camp Director for Camp Nottingham. Jennifer did an excellent job last summer not only managing the camp but also developing the camper’s minds and bodies while creating a fun and healthy environment. She has considerable experience attending and working for various camps and will leverage last year’s Camp Nottingham experience to make this summer the best camp yet.

She started attending Camp Good News, an overnight Christian camp in Huntsville, when she was 9 years old. At the age of 13, Jennifer became a counselor-in-training, which was a program that lasted 2 years. At the ages of 16 and 17, she was a junior counselor and then a senior counselor at the age of 18.

Jennifer worked at Camp Good News during a few summers before doing her internship at Camp Ozark in Arkansas where she was an office assistant. She was the assistant to the camp director making sure registrations went well at the beginning of the week, awards were correct at the end of the week and everything in between.

After Jennifer graduated Texas A&M with a Recreation, Park and Tourism degree, she was the Girls Assistant Director at the YMCA Camp Grady Spruce in Graford, TX. She assisted the director in all aspects of the camp: registration, check-in, communications with staff and parents, activities, and much more.

After that summer, Jennifer came back to Houston to earn her teaching degree. She began as a long term substitute tutoring small groups of struggling students. In August 2005, she had her own class of 4th graders where she continues to teach math, science, and social studies. She still enjoys guiding and impacting children’s lives on daily basis.

"Camp Nottingham is so enjoyable because I love watching the kids having such a good time in the outdoors." Jennifer Vacek

- Email downloaded forms to: nfcampregistration@nfclub.com (if paying by check, mail or drop off payment check at address below)

- Members can submit downloaded forms in person at NFC on April 12^th (same day as Swim Team registration)

- Anyone can drop off downloaded forms at the NFC address above (with payment in a dated, sealed envelope)

Camp Nottingham is also serving middle and high school students by offering a great opportunity to earn community hours and a letter of reference by working as a Counselor (high school students) or Jr. Counselor (middle school students).

Download applications below and email or mail completed forms to the addresses listed above in the Registration section. Note: June 9^th will be a mandatory work day for all Counselors and Jr. Counselors.

Please contact Camp Nottingham Director Jennifer Vacek, NFC Office Manager Susan Boessling or NFC Board Member Mike Suerth at the following points of contact with any questions or comments that you might have.