Luke Mohatt, Camp Director of Oasis in Central Park was kind enough to answer them -

1. How do your counselors help first time day campers get used to the idea of summer camp?

The most important step in this process starts right now with you!  We always tell parents to start talking about camp with their kids as soon as you sign up.  Excited parents = excited kids!  By beginning to discuss the types of activities and how great it will be to be in Central Park, you are sending your kids the message that this is going to be a great experience that they should be looking forward to.  This way when day 1 arrives the kids can’t wait to jump right in!

Once at camp our stellar team of counselors, division leaders and instructors help the campers acclimate to camp though name games and ice breakers.  EVERY Monday is a first day of camp for us, so EVERY Monday begins with group time where the campers get to know everyone in their group including their counselors.  Once we’re all familiar with each other the discussion turns to what the day will hold.  Every day starts with “circle” (much like you would see in your children’s classrooms) where the schedule for the day is discussed as well as any other important information.

2. What are some of the things kids always remember from attending to Oasis Day Camp?

The FRIENDS they make!  The personal connections that are made during summer camp are unlike any other that your children will make all year long.  Camp friends, more often than not, turn into those friends that you stay in touch with for the rest of your life.  When we say Amazing Summers, Lifelong Friends, we mean it!  And get ready mom, you’ll be filling that contact list with new parents to call for play dates all over the city!

Of course all of these friends build the sense of community in our camp.  We really are tight family!  The other thing that goes a long way in building this community are our CHEERS!  Get ready to hear your kids doing a little HI DEE HI or HEY OASIS!  Trust me, by the end of the summer, you’ll know them too!

3. If parents have been sending their children to day camp outside of the city for years, what advantages do they have keeping them in town to go to Oasis Day Camp?

There is just nothing else quite like spending your days in Central Park.  As New Yorkers we sometimes take for granted that we have this spectacular Park right here.  It is literally our “back yard” and yet we sometimes forget that it is even there.  By attending camp in Central Park we hope that we are instilling a lifelong love of the Park in our campers.  A love that hopefully they will pass on to their children.

Now, beyond this there are of course the litany of convenience reasons.  Children don’t have to take long daily bus rides to get to a camp that is just as fun and exciting as those outside of town.  With the full cooperation of the Central Park Conservancy we have access to all the best facilities that the Park has to offer.  It really does provide for an amazing experience!

4. What precautions are taken for children with peanut/nut allergies attending Oasis Day Camp?

While we are not nut-free, we are most certainly nut-aware.  Our camp nurse calls all families of children with allergies to discuss the specifics of each child.  This information is then passed along to the camper’s division leader and counselors to ensure the appropriate protocols are followed.

When a child with a nut allergy is in a group the counselors make sure to “screen” the lunches of the rest of the campers in the group.  As our lunches are kept in coolers this is able to be done very discreetly.  We make sure to keep any lunches that may contain nuts away from the lunches of campers with allergies, and when it comes to lunch time we (once again very discreetly) suggest that the child with the allergy sit with friends who are not eating products with nuts that day.  We also highly suggest to parents that they not send their campers with products containing nuts.

5. What do you look forward to most about the upcoming summer day camp season?

The happy faces on our campers and staff.  Every summer I wake up at the crack of dawn with a huge smile on my face because I know that I have the best job in the world.  I get to help make happy memories that everyone involved will carry with them for life.

Disclosure: This is a compensated post made possible by a promotion between MomSelect and Oasis Day Camp. As always, what I write is 100% my opinion.

And this summer, my children are using their backyard for summer camp.

All three of my camp aged children will be attending Oasis Day Camp in Central Park.

Oasis is a traditional day camp utilizing Central Park’s recreational facilities including tennis and basketball courts, softball and soccer fields, nature trails, and Olympic-sized outdoor swimming pool. The campers also go on field trips within an hour’s distance from camp.

While Natalie has gone to summer camp in Long Island before, this will be her first summer staying in the city for camp. And this will be Harrison’s first year at summer camp. Luke has gone to camp in the city before so he’ll be used to having the city as his summer playground.

I went to summer camp for the first time when I was five. I had amazing experiences and can’t wait for my kids to tell me about theirs.

I love that Oasis Day Camp realizes families have summer plans so children can be enrolled for a minimum of two consecutive weeks (up to a maximum of eight weeks). Since we’ll probably go away for a week and a few long weekends during the summer, this kind of camp offering fits perfectly with the flexibility we need.

Want to learn more about Oasis in Central Park? Check out the interview I did with Luke Mohatt — the Oasis in Central Park Camp Director. They also have a Facebook page and blog.

Disclosure: This is a compensated post made possible by a promotion between MomSelect and Oasis Day Camp. As always, what I write is 100% my opinion.

The month most people have diet and exercise on their mind.

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of CoolSculpting. This is 100% my opinion.

Last Saturday, they invited us to a special VIP screening of Beauty and the Beast 3D.

When I was younger I didn’t see Beauty and the Beast.

I knew what the story was about but never actually sat down and watched the movie.

Not at the movie theater. And not when it was broadcast on television.

So I went to the theater at the Director’s Guild and put on the 3D glasses and watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time with my family.

It’s Rated G but there were times I was concerned my four year old may have been frightened. Thankfully, he wasn’t.

Afterward the kidlets went downstairs and had cupcakes and created castles.

There was also the opportunity for them to have their faces painted but since we had lunch plans after I steered them away from that line.

Here’s a clip from Beauty and the Beast 3D which is in theaters this Friday, January 13, 2012. And as a special treat, everyone who sees the movie will see a short film of Tangled Ever After.

Quiet down all of you reading this who just gasped.

Yes, we have a coffee machine in our house – which I love almost as much as my MacBook – but its the other things it makes I enjoy.

I can honestly count on one hand the number of times a year I walk into a coffee house and order a coffee drink.

And when I do, it’s always the same thing .. a skinny vanilla latte.

Either hot or iced depending on the time of year.

When I was asked to sample International Delight Iced Coffee before it hits the shelves at Walmart on January 15th, I decided to give it a try since one of the flavors is vanilla.  Vanilla is my friend if you haven’t figured that out from all the dessert I tend to love.

The three International Delight Iced Coffee arrived — mocha, original and vanilla. Along with a snazzy branded blue straw cup.  Doesn’t the glass of iced coffee on the packaging look so refreshing?!

International Delight Iced Coffee pretty simple to make. Shake the half gallon container, pour over ice and then drink.

The rest of the container needs to be refrigerated and enjoyed within a week.

I gave all three flavors of International Delight Iced Coffee a try but I’ve never been a fan of anything mocha so it really didn’t stand a chance with me.

I did like the vanilla one enough to think about having a container in my fridge in case I have a vanilla iced coffee craving.

There’s no need for me to go to the big named coffee house around the corner when all I have to do to have sweet and creamy iced coffee in my fridge is to buy a container.

And yes, that is a Real Housewives of New Jersey plate — original cast of course. What better way for my friends to snack as they enjoy escapism TV when they come over for Girls’ Night In!?

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias. This is my opinion.