CRESSKILL, N.J.—The Cresskill Library has a great summer program for youngsters at the Cresskill Swim Club.
Every Tuesday in July and several weeks this August, kids were treated to “Splish Splash,” a fun program of stories and songs.
At the hour-long sessions, from 2 to 3 p.m., chairs are set up in a circle at the kiddie pool and the group is led by Michele Jurgensen, the youth services librarian of the Cresskill Library.
“Parents really appreciate that their children have something like this to interest them during the summer months, Jurgensen said. “Splish Splash is a nice addition to their swimming activities and it lets the kids socialize with each other.”
“The kids really love this program!” said Cresskill Swimming Pool Manager Anne-Marie Greico. “I like the fact that Michele has the crafts that go along with the stories.”
Splish Splash has a different theme each week, such as “Bumble Bees,” “Butterflies” and “Caterpillars.”
The theme on Aug. 6 was “Watermelon,” and the 15 youngsters assembled by the kiddie pool for Splish Splash that day were enthused about the homage to one of their favorite fruits.
After doing the welcome song, Jurgensen read “The Watermelon Seed” by Greg Pizzoli and “Bad Seed” by Jory John, and the crafts project involved making colorful watermelon slices from paper plates. The sample slice looked so real that one youngster asked if he could eat the seeds.
To finish the session, Jurgensen led the group in singing “Five Little Monkeys” and “Tiny Tim.”
Splish Splash is now in its second year, and parents are hoping that it will be an annual program.
Tanya Nikas, whose son Nikos is 7 years old, has been coming to Splish Splash every week since it began last year.
“It’s such a friendly environment!” she said.
Ana Ferati, whose son Armend is 1-and-a-half, also started to coming to Splish Splash this year.
“When we came to swim, I saw all the excitement at the kiddie pool. We came over to watch, and immediately my son wanted to join the group!” she exclaimed.
Ela Lunaj, a mother of a 6 year old, a 3 year old and a 2 year old, said she likes Splish Splash because, “All of my children can enjoy the activities.”
