This summer, in addition to Marion’s Camp Silvershell and the Mattapoisett YMCA’s Camp Massasoit, there will be a new program for kids in the area.

The Mattapoisett Recreation Department will launch its first summer camp, Camp Seahorse, beginning at the end of June and running for six weeks.

“As a rec committee we’ve been talking about it for a while, and for [Town Administrator] Mike Gagne that was one of his foundation blocks of the community – a good summer program,” said Mattapoisett Recreation Committee Chair Jeremy Collier.

The camp will welcome kids entering grades one through six and will operate in a two block radius between Center School, the library and Town Beach.

Campers will have a bevy of activities to do. Camp counselors will facilitate sports and games outside and in the Center School gym. There will also be swimming lessons at the beach as well as arts and crafts, all centered around weekly themes that range from a summer cruise to The Amazing Race.

The addition of Recreation Director Debbie Allaire and Administrator Jennifer Scully made the camp possible, said Collier.

And at $150 for a week through the early bird registration, he hopes the camp will be an affordable option for families. They also offer something many camps don’t.

“What makes it a little bit different and unique is you don’t have to sign up for two weeks at a time. You can do one week at a time, and we’re going to do select-a-day,” Allaire said.

Parents can sign their kids up for individual days, making the camp more “family friendly,” Collier said.

“It’s a great feature for a town like this where the parents are trying to be actively involved in their children’s lives, and where they don’t want them in a camp five days a week,” he said.

The camp will also be a good place for kids to use up some energy.

“Your kids will come home tired,” Collier promises.

The camp can accept up to 50 students from Mattapoisett and surrounding towns, and the leaders said the department will still offer separate swimming lessons.

Collier is hopeful that the camp will meet a need in the community.

“It’s our first go-round for camp this summer, and we’re hoping it starts with a bang.”