Camps: June 17 - June 21st

• COSTUME MAKING with BRIDGET
• TREASURE HUNT with MILENA/SHAWN/TERESA
• KICKBALL with GRIFFIN
• FLOAT YOUR BOAT with KERRY
• SPOON BALANCE with CAIT
• WATER EXPLORERS with JILLIAN
• CAMP OUT SONGS with LISA

In  COSTUME MAKING with BRIDGET

This week our costume making summer camp was very popular filling up almost every day. We had various materials available to us like fabric, yarn, tape, and paper. Before each session we would discuss our materials and what a costume might include like a mask, hat, or cape as well as smaller accessories like jewelry. Fingerless gloves and wrist bands were very popular and one student added cardboard to create "robot hands." It was a lot of fun this week assisting in the creation of princesses, superheros and a few lions.

TREASURE HUNT with MILENA/SHAWN/TERESA
Children were transformed into pirates and treasure hunters this week, as we transformed a map of our school into a treasure map. Each day the map was different and led us through different classrooms and a variety of obstacles to arrive at the treasure. Tuesday friends had to decifer clues along the way to find out where to look next, and on Thursday and Friday friends were in charge of using the map to lead the group to the treasure. A large X marked the spot on a box of snowballs to dig through to discover our box of treasure. Each day we divided up the treasure amongst ourselves, found somewhere safe to hide it (typically pockets and extra-clothes bags), and make it back to our classroom safely with our treasure.

KICKBALL with GRIFFIN
Kickball was a dynamic summer camp activity this week. We learned the basic elements of a kickball game. We first went over the bases; 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Home. Then we reviewed the pitcher mound roll and location. We did not have enough players to have teams, but rather each person took a turn kicking the ball. After kicking, players took off around the bases and most often got a HOME RUN! After we reached home base, some of us enjoyed jumping up and down and doing a "home run dance", while friends clapped and cheered. We began to explore the idea of tagging a person. Some players tried throwing the ball at friends, and we redirected to a practice of tagging them with the ball while in our hands rather than throwing it at them. We tried various types of bases including frisbees. Chalk drawn bases turned out to be the most effective, because they avoided tripping friends and could be drawn a lot bigger, which helped friends in making sure they touch a base before running to the next one. By the end of the week, we were able to introduce the advanced concept of being "safe" while on a base. We began to understand that if a person was on base ahead of us, that we could not run until they ran. The last concept we introduced included the idea that in order to run home and score a run, we needed someone else to come and kick the kickball so that we could advance to the next base. It turns out that kickball can be a complicated and very fun game to learn!

FLOAT YOUR BOAT with KERRY
In Float Your Boat we are using materials like wood, plastic, clay, and tinfoil to test for buoyancy. We then use these materials to build some fantastic boats and see if they float. We also tested our creations by adding weights to see which designs would hold up with passengers or cargo. Friends were very excited to create their own boats using the materials in whatever way their imaginations led them.

SPOON BALANCE with CAIT
Balancing musical shaker eggs on an assortment of different types of spoons, we explored different ways of getting the egg safely across the classroom.  Since walking seemed fairly simple, some preschoolers tried hopping or jumping, or different ways of holding their spoons.  Others created complex obstacle courses that would be tricky to maneuver through without trying to hold an egg on a spoon as well.  Blocks became paths, stepping stones, and skis, and we crawled under tables and climbed over benches.  Most days, the creation of the path became a main focus for the summer camp, incorporating an entire classroom and utilizing several complex structures with a specific purpose. 

WATER EXPLORERS with JILLIAN
Excited squeals of joy came ringing through the yard as friends explored water using a variety of materials. Everything from funnels and paintbrushes to squirt bottles and sponges were available for open use. We also got out sidewalk chalk to give extra purpose to our play; some friends focused on creating art to wash away, while others experimented with drawing with already wet chalk. Many ended up wet, as sponges were squeezed out onto heads and toes; we worked hard to ask first to make sure it's okay before getting a friend wet.

CAMP OUT SONGS with LISA
We have been having a great time learning about Campfire traditions and learning new songs. We have been building a "campfire," with sticks and colored tissue paper flames in the back upper corner of the big playground. I have shared a songbook from my childhood Summer camp, "Camp Namanu," with the children and the children have found songs they are familiar with and are excited to learn more. We have had the chance to talk a little about fire safety and have also picked our camp nicknames which we wrote on necklaces to take home. One of my favorite camp traditions!