Virtual ‘Camp Sparkler' brings learning through play to thousands of CT kids

This week a summer camp got underway for Connecticut’s youngest kids and they can take part from the comfort of their own homes alongside their families.

Camp Sparkler is helping babies, toddlers, and young kids learn.

For Melissa Marchitto and her three kids in Milford, playing and learning go hand-in-hand when they open up the free Sparkler app.

“We do different science experiments or we talk about different things in nature,” Marchitto said.

This week, her 5-year-old, 3-year-old, and infant were transported to Puerto Rico through storytime.

“They read a book about the Coqui, which is the Puerto Rican frog,” Marchitto said. “We recently went to Puerto Rico, where we were able to hear the Coqui. And it's something that's very special to us. So it was really cool that we were able to read the book and experience part of our culture.”

That was the first story read aloud as Camp Sparkler kicked off Monday.

The summer camp launched with an in-person get-together for parents and kids at Orange Avenue Elementary School in Milford.

However, for the next eight weeks, there will be tons of virtual activities that families can do at home. New weekly content will include play activities, original songs and a story read by someone from the culture where it originated.

“It's a way of getting inspired to learn through play by these stories from around the world. So, sort of opening up the world to little children,” Julia Levy, Sparkler Learning's executive director, said.

Sparkler Learning is a nonprofit that works in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood and United Way 211 Child Development.

Since the app launched in October 2021, nearly 30,000 kids across the state have registered to use it.

The family engagement tool is not just about play for babies to kids up to age 5, but it also helps them hit developmental milestones.

“Inspire children to do what they do naturally, which is play and explore, and be curious and engage in the world around them,” Dana Stewart, Sparkler Learning's education director, said. “Play is so important for young children. It's the engine that drives development.”

It's a family engagement tool that Marchitto said keeps her kids on track while also drawing some smiles.

“It's a great resource, especially for moms,” Marchitto said. “Sometimes it's hard to remember all the different things that are going on, and it's an easy place to access lots of different kinds of information and find different activities for the kids to do.”

To access the camp, you can download the free Sparkler app on the app store or Google Play. It is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.