The Autism Society of Central Virginia (ASCV) hosted our fourth year of Summer Camps from June 17, 2024 to July 11, 2024. Over these four weeks, we hosted 115 campers through 4 camp sessions for both our elementary age participants and teen participants. We are incredibly grateful for the hard work and dedication of our summer camp staff, volunteers, and community partners. Their commitment to the ASCV and our mission enabled us to provide an inclusive camp experience for our participants, who created new fun memories during their experience.
Participants joined us for week-long themed camp sessions filled with a dynamic blend of STEAM, movement, social skills activities, and most importantly… FUN! Weekly themes included Dino Discovery, Eras of Fun, Olympic Games, and more. Each program was intentionally structured to embrace the diverse needs and strengths of each unique participant, while fostering creativity and self-expression through learning. From free play and sensory exploration, to guided movement experiences, science experiments, crafts, cooking, and more — there was truly something for every participant to engage in!
✅ Summer Camp Week #1
Our Elementary Campers had a roaring good time with this week’s theme – Dino Discovery! We kicked off each morning by moving and grooving to the beat during music time. Throughout the week we created fossil-themed sensory bags, discovered fossils during our archaeological dig, searched through an exciting dinosaur scavenger hunt, enjoyed exercise both outdoors and indoors, and got crafty, printing our own camp t-shirts on the printing press! We capped off the dino-mite fun by devouring some delicious dino parfaits and escaping the summer heat with fun water play!
Our Teen Campers found their fun times in a new decade with this week’s theme — Eras of Fun! Together we explored the last four decades, trying out new creative workshops and activities each day. We decorated CDs, learned how to make origami fortune tellers, printed our own camp t-shirts on the printing press, tried cooking popular foods from different decades, competed with a trivia blitz and popular games from each era, and discovered new music and dance moves from decades past!
✅ Summer Camp Week #2
This week, our Elementary Campers kept their hands busy and minds moving with our “Busy Builders” theme! We began each day with music time to help start our day and inspire our creativity for the day’s activities. Then, we dived into the fun, experimenting with Legos, watching robotics demonstrations, trying out coding and movement activities, and more!
Our Teen Campers dove into a world of strategy and fun this week with our “Games Galore” theme. Each day brought new adventures with board games, video games, card games, outdoor lawn games, a nerf battle, science experiments, and even game-themed snacks like game-controller rice krispies, domino brownies, and checker piece crackers! Our favorite games this week were Ping pong, Monopoly Empire, and Apples to Apples.
✅ Summer Camp Week #3
This week, our Elementary Campers began each day with music therapy, then dove into Olympic-sized fun, making slime, Olympic ring bracelets, and Olympic ring bags! They explored different countries at the Children’s Museum of Richmond and learned about electricity and energy from the Dominion Energy Program. From playground fun to gym activities, art projects, and refreshing water play, it was a week of non-stop excitement!
Our Teen Campers toured history around the globe this week as they learned new facts each day about the history of the Olympics! From there, we explored our creative side, by coloring, making beaded bracelets, coloring, crafting Olympic medals out of clay, and baking Olympic-themed cookies. The fun continued with squirt gun races, a human hungry-hippo relay, and various water activities to keep cool in the summer heat!
✅ Summer Camp Week #4
Our Elementary Campers explored their dreams for the future with this week’s theme — When I Grow Up! We started each day with musical fun before launching into new activities including creating career-day watercolor self-portraits, learning new ways to move our bodies with Kidokinetics, exploring artistic expression with Art on Wheels, cooling off with outdoor water play, and meeting new animal friends like horses, ponies, and goats with the Richmond Mounted Police and Pony Rides by June Meadows.
Our Teen Campers stepped into the spotlight with this week’s theme — Camp Hollywood! 🌟🎬 Together we strutted the red carpet, designed our own stars for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, relaxed with movie nights and popcorn, learned special effects make-up techniques, tried out movie trivia, mad libs, charades, and improv, and launched an epic game of nerf tag with Richmond Nerf Club!
We would like to extend a special thanks to our amazing community partners — your support helped make this a truly unforgettable experience for our campers. Thank you!
Community Partners: River Road Church, Baptist, Children’s Museum of Richmond, Kidokinetics, Art on Wheels, Occupational Therapist, Jessica Lee, and Music Therapist, Annie Rutledge, Richmond Mounted Police, Pony Rides by June Meadows, Bridge 9 Theater, Richmond Nerf Club, Dominion Energy Program, Building Buddies, the Maggie Walker’s Robotics Team: The Mech Tech Dragons.
View ASCV’s upcoming programs and events HERE.
Find an event in the community HERE.
Learn about volunteer opportunities with the ASCV HERE.