Introduction

My name is Todd MacDonald and I am the founder of Rec Buddies. My wife and I live in Pennington, New Jersey with our 4 children, ages 15, 11, 9, and 6. I have been coaching rec sports for my kids for over 10 years (25+ overlapping seasons!) and have developed a coaching philosophy and a games-based practice approach to ensure that all young players, regardless of their skill level, have an enjoyable learning experience. Recently I also became the head coach for the Hillsborough High School Robotics Team which has exposed me to a whole new world that also has the power to engage and inspire kids.

Rec Buddies

In the summer of 2021 I launched the first Rec Buddies mini-camps! We had so much fun that I decided to offer it again this summer, this time with separate sessions for 4-5 year olds and a very slightly more advanced (but still beginner!) session for 5-7 year olds. These age groups are the most fun to coach and it's often a child's first experience in any organized team-based recreational activity. At this age kids need to run around, learn new games, develop coordination, follow rules, and interact with others in a low-stress environment -- and this is what Rec Buddies is all about!

With my daughter leading the way (more on her below!) our new Tech Buddies STEM program will provide a similar nurturing, non-stressful approach to introducing kids to Technology and Engineering.

Introduction

My name is Megan MacDonald and I am a junior at Hopewell Valley Central High School. I have been interested in Engineering since middle school and fell in love with Robotics when I joined SPIKE Team 293, the HVCHS Robotics Team.

Tech Buddies

My dad has been coaching sports for a long time, but not all kids are interested in sports. Many young kids show an interest in building and designing things and all kids need to learn how to work with others, so I developed STEM focused mini-camps for elementary students. With the help of some of my SPIKE friends, we look forward to helping your child design some very cool things this summer!