From The Cat in the Hat to Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, every American child has grown up with the silly and beloved rhymes of Dr. Seuss. Each year in March we celebrate this wonderful writer’s birthday with Read Across America Day. Here at Frogbridge, we foster children’s life-long love of reading, and believe that it should be appreciated all days of the year, not just on one special day. We encourage the parents of our campers to continue the practice at home, reading with their children each night. Studies show that reading with your children not only improves the bond between parent and child, but also supports cognitive development, language skills, and prepares them for academic success. When children read, they are taken on a magical adventure that excites their imaginations, and also teaches them valuable life lessons in ways they can understand. Books may be giving way to tablets and screens, but the importance of reading stories is still more important than ever.
Need inspiration for your next bedtime story? Here is a quick list of favorite books, perfect for your child’s age:
Preschoolers
1. CAPS FOR SALE, BY ESPHYR SLOBODKINA
This tale of a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity and also teaches children about problem and resolution.
2. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, BY MAURICE SENDAK
One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him ‘Wild Thing’ and sends him to bed without his supper. That night a forest begins to grow in Max’s room and an ocean rushes by with a boat to take Max to the place where the wild things are. Max tames the wild things and crowns himself as their king, and then the wild rumpus begins. But when Max has sent the monsters to bed, and everything is quiet, he starts to feel lonely and realizes it is time to sail home to the place where someone loves him best of all.
3. SWIMMY, BY LEO LIONNI
Deep in the sea lives a happy school of fish. Their watery world is full of wonders, but there is also danger, and the little fish are afraid to come out of hiding…until Swimmy comes along. Swimmy shows his friends how—with ingenuity and teamwork—they can overcome any danger.
Kindergarten & First Grade
1. THE COMPLETE TALES AND POEMS OF WINNIE-THE-POOH, BY A.A. MILNE, ERNEST H. SHEPHARD (Illustrator)
From the energetic Tigger to the dismal Eeyore, A. A. Milne created a charming bunch, both entertaining and inspirational. These simple creatures often reflected a small piece of all of us: humble, silly, wise, cautious, creative, and full of life.
2. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BY ROALD DAHL
Charlie Bucket’s wonderful adventure begins when he finds one of Mr. Willy Wonka’s precious Golden Tickets and wins a whole day inside the mysterious chocolate factory. Little does he know the surprises that are in store for him! A classic morality tale!
3. WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, BY SHEL SILVERSTEIN
This classic poetry collection, which is both outrageously funny and profound, has been the most beloved of Shel Silverstein’s poetry books for generations.
Elementary Kids
1. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, BY J.K. ROWLING
Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.
2. I AM MALALA: HOW ONE GIRL STOOD UP FOR EDUCATION AND CHANGED THE WORLD, BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI
I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.
3. WONDER, BY J.R. PALACIO
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
These are just a few suggestions for you and your child to enjoy. Want more ideas? Check out this Goodreads list: The Must-Have Series for Children Ages 6 to 12
Most of our camp counselors are professional teachers, meaning that they understand the value of reading and proper childcare.
Click below to learn more!
Open House Season is Here: See Frogbridge For Yourself!
An Inside Look at Frogbridge Open House
Are you thinking about sending your kids to a summer day camp in NJ this year? There’s a lot to consider when choosing the right camp for your child. Since seeing is believing, we are confident that s tour or a visit to our camp with a tour of our facilities will leave you thoroughly impressed. Its important to spend time getting to know the summer camps you are considering and understanding exactly who will be caring for your children. We feel that a visit will answer all your questions and more.. The best way to see all that Frogbridge has to offer is to come to one of our open houses. We understand that hard working parents have busy schedules, which is why we host several open houses throughout the winter and spring. Families love coming to our open houses, and we guarantee that yours will, too! Of course, if any of our open house dates don’t work with your schedule, you can call our office to schedule a personal tour. Here is a sneak peak of what you will experience…A Tour of Our Facilities
You’ll be escorted around our campus to view our amazing camper amenities. You’ll pass through some of our outdoor amenities, like Gaga Courts, our Pool Complex, and many more of our fields and courts. We also have a number of exciting indoor activities you’ll sneak peak, including our creative arts and performing arts spaces, as well as exciting signature destinations at Frogbridge like Frogarita’s and Ribbits Ice Cream parlor.Here are just some of the places you’ll get to visit when you come to an open house:
- Arts n’ Crafts
- Miss Lily’s Salon
- Silly Science
- Hippity Hops Chocolate Shoppe
- Chef Harry’s
- Computer Lab
- House of Clues Game Show Set
- Dance Club
- Webs World
- Harrison Square Garden – Our indoor gymnasium
- Spin-zone bumper cars
- Go-kart Raceway
- Leapfrog Ally Inflatable Fun
- … and many more!
A Sampling of Foods & Beverages
A healthy diet is important for growing children, and we keep this in mind when preparing every lunch at Frogbridge. You’ll get to sample a couple of our summer food items at Windows on the Water, our indoor air-conditioned dining facility. This is where campers eat lunch every day during the summer. Children and their parents will also check out one of our most popular buildings, Ribbit’s Ice Cream Parlor & Arcade. Don’t forget to taste our delicious ice cream and see some arcade games! Open houses are a great time to learn about special perks Frogbridge campers can access. This is also a time where we can address other questions you have about our camp. If you’re interested in registering your child, you can register your child on site.Want to enroll? Register for camp now!
Don’t Frogret: Private tours can also be scheduled if you cannot make it to the open house. Call us at (609) 208-9050 to schedule your tour today!2018 Year In Review: Look At All The Fun We Had At Frogbridge Daycamp
Frogbridge Celebrates 20 Years Of Hoppin’ Fun In 2018!
Each year, we seem to outdo ourselves, but- WOW! This year really took the cake! Celebrating our 20th Anniversary, Frogbridge had a summer chock full of new surprises and fun! Our new logo and extended food menu with healthier options were just the start. The real fun came out on campus…
Color War To The Xtreme!
Color War is arguably our campers’ favorite event each year and the day it breaks is always a well-kept secret. One of the summer’s hit movies was Ant-Man and the Wasp, and its theme song was Rob Base’s It Takes Two. What better way to break Color War this year than having celebrity Rob Base perform this song live! The kids went wild with fun! See the Color War magic that brings the biggest smiles and the loudest cheers for yourself:
Xtreme Event Group | Frogbridge Day Camp | Color War Break featuring Rob Base
Adventure Amenities Reach New Heights
| 20 Years of Adventure Amenities just got better! This summer we opened our brand new 30ft high rock wall with 3 climbing lanes, and— even better than before! — our 200 ft. zip lines were replaced with 500 ft. long sip lines. Our campers have soared farther than ever before on our new 500ft zip-line. Zipping through the woods like Tarzan, our campers adventure through the trees before zooming over the lake to reach the other side. At Frogbridge, our teachers and counselors encourage our campers to reach new heights, climbing higher, pushing harder to reach their goals. Our new rock wall is the thing to give these values shape. Reaching 30ft into the air, our new rock wall is taller and wider than ever before, the campers looked forward to taking on the challenge each week! |
Close To Home & Heart
This past year, we also made wonderful expansions and broke records!
Convenience For Campers: Our transportation team has expanded with more drivers, all of whom must have at least 3 years of experience with a spotless record to be considered for the important task of transporting our precious cargo. With this expansion, we also have added more central bus stops, so Frogbridge has become more accessible than ever to campers who live farther away.
Frogtastic Fundraising: Each year we encourage campers and their families to donate a new, unwrapped toy during our incredible Frogtoberfest event. Without fail, the amount of toys generously donated by our families is incredible, but this year, the record was broken with over 500 toys, which were given to children’s hospitals and other youth organizations in need.
Our campers also broke the fundraising charts this summer with over $16,000 raised for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in honor of Jordan’s Journey. We couldn’t be more proud of them!
Our Family Is Growing: This was also an incredible year for the Pugliese family. On February 22, 2018, Jr and his wife became proud parents to a happy and healthy baby boy while making our own Frank, a proud grandpa once again.. This summer the bouncing baby boy made his first visit to the camp, and spent a quality day with his dad and grandpa.
Join Us This Summer For Another Amazing Year
Frogbridge Gives Back: Hospital Toy Drives
Meaningful Beginnings
If the Ghost of Christmas Past were here, he would take us down memory lane to the very first week the Frogbridge day camp was opened. The owner, Frank Pugliese, and his son, our Director, JR, were excited to welcome the very first campers to the grounds when circumstances took a turn. Working in his yard at home, JR contracted Lyme disease, and worse— Bell’s Palsy, which resulted in his hospitalization for two weeks. He received daily treatments on the floor where most adults did, but on the weekends and holidays he was sent to receive his treatments on the pediatric floor, among many unfortunate children that were there for much worse illnesses. On the morning of the 4th of July, with many children among them, Frank and JR decided they would show the young patients a treat. As the fireworks were about to begin, they gathered all of the children by the windows on their floor and watched the beautiful fireworks display light up the sky in a show of dazzling colors, together. As they saw the children smiling and the joy on their faces, this father and son pair knew they had to do even more. During JR’s stay, the Pugliese men also noticed the playroom for these kids was sorely lacking. Although the toys were broken or missing pieces, the kids made the best of the toys that they could. It was then that both JR and Frank realized that while JR’s time in the hospital was almost over, for many of these kids, the end of their stay was still a long way off with more fights to win. A sudden need to help them, to keep them smiling took root, and Frogbridge got to work…Summer Fun-draising
Since the Pugliese family’s inspiration to give back, they have taught their campers each summer different ways to raise money for different philanthropies. Over the years Frogbridge has raised well over $75,000 – and that’s not even counting the school bus that was filled with food from floor to ceiling for the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County following Super Storm Sandy! Some of the organizations Frogbridge Daycamp has donated to are:- Pediatric Cancer Foundation
- Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDRF)
- Lymphoma & Leukemia Society
- Our Special Place
- FulFill NJ (Formerly Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties)
- JAR of Hope Foundation for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Frogtober Fest: Trick Or Treat And Toys
Each autumn when campers are back in school and gearing up for their big night of costumes, candy and fun, we invite our campers and their families back to Frogbridge for an incredible event called the FrogtoberFest—a night of Halloween family fun! Festivities include a not-so-haunted hayride, a haunted house, pumpkin picking, petting zoo, magic shoes, and a delicious buffet full of amazing menu items. Families have the option of bringing an unwrapped new toy to this event for our annual toy drive. Every year the outcome of donated toys is astounding! For children to be unwell and away from home during the holidays is a heartbreaking thing, so we make it our mission to bring them even the smallest joy. This is why at the start of the holiday season, we load up our trucks with the donated toys and head over to several hospitals. Sometimes we can even hand-deliver the toys to the children in their rooms and even get to meet the families. Today, when children wake up to countess gifts under the Christmas tree, a single toy may not seem like much, but it means the world to these kids in need. And for us, there is no greater joy than the smiles that one little toy can bring to so many faces.Frogbridge Camp Transportation: Leave The Driving To Us This Summer!
Camp season at Frogbridge summer camp is just around the corner. We are so excited to see familiar faces and meet new ones! Our drivers are all revved-up, too! They’re the magic carpet rides that bring our campers safely from home to camp and back again each day. Their care for the children, make campers feel comfortable and our parents feel secure knowing that their children are well looked after when the bus pulls away. To the drivers, their bus routes are so much more personal than just a bus-ride or a job: they are looking after extended family!
Preparing Your Child for Their First Day at Frogbridge Day Camp
Get Ready for the First Day of Camp!
The first day of a child’s camp experience is so exciting but can be a little overwhelming for some children and parents. We are here to share with you everything you need to know to ease your concerns and make that special day a smooth and happy one for all.What Are the Hours of Camp?
Camp Begins at 9:00 AM- 4:00 PM each day. For those signed up for Extended Care: Before care begins at 7:30 AM Aftercare ends at 6:00 PMWhat Does My Child Need to Bring to Camp?
Well, because Frogbridge Day Camp is a full-service facility with a laundry center right here onsite, we will launder your child’s bathing suits each day and also offer poolside towel service every swim period. That’s right, you don’t need to send your child to camp with a towel or bathing suit daily, which, as many moms and dads know, means you don’t need to wash any towels or swimwear all summer long! We also provide campers with lunch in a dining hall and a daily afternoon snack, so no need to pack those either! So as many parents have celebrated for years, you only need to send your children to camp dressed in sneakers, shorts and a shirt! Items that you can have your child bring in on their first day to leave at camp in their cubbies are:- Four swim suits (will be brought home the last day of camp)
- Flip Flops for the pool
- Sunscreen – SPF 45 or more is recommended
- Frogbridge Day Camp Back Pack (Given Out on your child’s First Day of Camp)
- 1 extra shirt
- 1 extra pair of shorts
- 1 hat for sunny days
- 1 pair of sneakers
- 1 sweatshirt or jacket
- A nap or rest blanket (for 3 and 4-year-old campers only).
How Can My Child Take Their Medication?
If your child takes prescription and/or nonprescription medication it will be administered after receipt of written authorization from the camper’s parent, guardian or prescriber and under specific directions only from the licensed prescribing physician. All medication should be labeled with your child’s name, in the original prescription bottle, and sent to the nurse’s office for storage and dispensing. Feel free to drop off the medication during the meet and greet or prior to camp beginning.Transportation to Camp/Dropping My Camper Off
Here’s what to expect depending on which method of transportation you have chosen:- Door to Door Transportation – Our campers that have chosen door to door transportation receive a hang tag the week prior with the time the bus will be picking up and dropping off your child. A bus monitor will help your child (if they need assistance) to get on the bus and make sure they’re securely fastened. Children will be picked up between 7:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., depending on the distance from camp. Please have your child ready in advance of their pickup time if you are utilizing our door-to-door service. Someone must be at home to greet the camper in the afternoon when he/she is brought home at the end of the camp day. Dismissal is at 4:00 p.m., daily. We may not leave a child unattended at a home without a greeting by a parent or guardian unless a written letter of permission to do so.
- Central Express Transportation – If you have chosen a central express bus option please arrive at your bus stop 10 minutes prior to your busses AM departure time and PM arrival time each day.
- Extended Care – Campers joining us at extended care will participate in pre-and post-camp activities such as games, crafts and more, led by teachers and counselors each day. (Fee schedule is the same rate as our door-to-door option). Morning hours begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 8:50 a.m. Afternoon hours begin at 4:00 p.m. and conclude at 6:00 p.m.
- Parent Drive Option – By choosing this option, parents drive their children to and from camp each day, but only at a specified time. Campers are dropped off in the morning between 9:05 a.m.-9:15 a.m. and picked up in the afternoon between 3:55 p.m.-4:05 p.m. Campers using this option do not take part in our extended care activities.
Parent Manual
For everything you need to know and more check out our Parent Manual. Be sure your child gets a good night’s rest the day before camp begins and have them bring a big smile, because they’re about to have the time of their lives at Frogbridge! If you have any questions or concerns always feel free to give us a call at 609-208-9050. We look forward to having your children with us as we celebrate our 20th summer and we’ll see you at our parent barbecue, Thursday, August 2nd from 5:30 PM-8:00 PM.We’re excited for you to be part of the Frogbridge Family!