Cedar Springs — Marshmallows? Check. Tie-dyed T-shirts? Check. Connection and community? Check and check.
In fact, just about anything you’d hope to find during a stay at summer camp was readily available during Cedar Springs Public Schools’ final family engagement event of the summer.
The camp-themed event, which took place in early August at the Cedar Springs Early Childhood Center gymnasium, drew scores of students and families hoping to escape the heat without sacrificing any summer fun in the process.
The ECC gymnasium was split up into various activity stations, which families could peruse at their leisure during the two-hour event. In one corner there were “s’mores” — or the closest indoor, fire-free imitation thereof — as families bagged up graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows into goody bags; elsewhere, creations were made out of marshmallows and pointed sticks.
‘We wanted to give the families a good family event that they could enjoy.’
— Kim Morden, director of extended learning and engagement
‘A good bridge for community-building’
One station offered a quick tutorial on how to assemble DIY “sensory bottles” — clear plastic bottles filled with oil and water, and bedazzled with glitter, dye and other decorations. When shaken up or squeezed, the bottles create fun visuals, as colors sparkle and swirl.
Janice Armstrong, a reading and math interventionist at Cedar Trails Elementary, guided students through the process of designing the bottles alongside kindergarten teacher Tonia Reinke. Armstrong said students got a kick out of customizing their creations and watching the colors commingle.
“They’re just fun,” she said. “They can add the oil, they pick what color they want, they can add different glitters, and make it their own, the way they like it.”
When 9-year-old Haley Donnan and her brother, Ryan, 7, left the station, they did so with what looked like tiny, swirling galaxies in hand.
“I used vegetable oil, then I put some silver glitter in it,” Haley said. “Then I did some moons and stars, then I did a bunch of other colors like purple, teal and pink.”
Ryan followed a similar formula when picking out the components of his sensory bottle.
“I used some silver and some moons and stars and a bunch of different types of colors,” said Ryan.
Haley and Ryan’s mother, Sarah Donnan, took the two siblings to each of the three family engagement events Cedar Springs held this summer. The kids had a blast each time, Donnan said, adding that she’s a big supporter of the district’s summer offerings.
“They’re fun, and it’s very family-oriented and kid-driven, with good activities for the kids to do,” she said.
Armstrong agreed, saying the events serve an important purpose.
“It’s a lot of hands-on stuff with parents, just getting families involved and engaged with their students. And it’s a good bridge for community-building, from the community to the schools,” she said.
Elsewhere, Adrienne Veen and her son Willy tried to see how many paper cups they could stack before their cup tower came tumbling down.
“I’m working on stacking cups,” Willy said matter-of-factly, as he and his mom toiled away, putting one cup on top of another.
“It’s too long!” the 4-year-old shouted as he hoisted up what looked like about 100 paper cups in one single, veering column, which eventually bent and buckled under its own weight.
Veen said she’d taken Willy and his sister to each of Cedar’s summer events, and the camp-themed one was “the best one so far.”
More to Come in 2027
The district’s summer engagement events launched in 2025, under the direction of Kim Morden, director of extended learning and engagement.
“We wanted to give the families a good family event that they could enjoy,” Morden said. “Just a good, wholesome activity that they can do with their kids that’s fun and engaging, and just something we can give back to the community.”
The events have been successful so far, with consistent attendance and tons of positive feedback from families, Morden said. The district plans to keep them up in summer 2027.
“It’s just fun for the families, and we have fun doing it too,” she said.
Read more from Cedar Springs:
• Students get inventive at summer STEM camp
• District launching new Virtual Academy and Homeschool Partnership program
