- JAZZ DANCE with JILLIAN
- GARDENING with KERRY
- BOOK MAKING with LISA
- CARDBOARD CONSTRUCTION with MILENA
- BOCCE BALL with GRIFFIN
- INSECT EXPLORERS with CAIT
- CAMP OUT SONGS with SHAWN
BOOK MAKING with LISA
We had a blast making books which moved into making little cards for each other! This book-making workshop was a perfect opportunity for our Preschoolers to practice, writing, knot-tying, illustration and for learning about sequences and timelines. The children enjoyed taking turns sharing their books to each other at circle at the end of our Summer Camp. Many children were able to perfect their book-making skills by spending a few days in the camp!
CARDBOARD CONSTRUCTION with MILENA
Friends were only interested in Cardboard Construction two days this week. We used a variety of cardboard materials to explore and create. Boxes, egg cartons, and tubes were all incorporated into our own creations. Some friends worked together to make a "marble track" for food, while others sat in box "cars" and "trains". It was exciting to watch as we figured out new and interesting ways to use the materials!
BOCCE BALL with GRIFFIN
Bocce Ball drew quite an audience of onlookers from the Toddler classrooms, who were very impressed with this preschool summer camp. Many of our younger friends and even teachers gathered around, sitting on driftwood outside to watch the games begin, many watched for almost the entire hour. Marking the field (or “the range”) with cones, we practiced safety. In order to be aware of our surroundings, and to not accidentally injure any friends with a Bocce Ball (which is a pretty heavy and dense ball) we made sure there was always one friend throwing or rolling a ball at a time. Before every turn we all spent some time making sure the range was clear before we threw a bocce ball. We waited for everyone to have their turn throwing before calling out “BANANAS” which was code for “Go retrieve your ball!” The taller cones were arranged such that each new arrangement presented a new challenge. The people who either knocked over a cone, or rolled a bocce ball into a cone were very excited! Friends took turns arranging the target cones in interesting ways with varying degrees of difficulty. Friends chose to come to this summer camp again and again, and eventually grew in their bocce ball throwing proficiency, once, four friends landed their ball in the cones all in a row!
INSECT EXPLORERS with CAIT
Each day this week, a different group of insect enthusiasts
gathered to learn about different types of small crawling and flying
creatures. We investigated different
insects and arachnids preserved in acrylic resin blocks and used the
information pamphlets to learn about different types of “bugs.” After formulating a plan of what sorts of
insects to look for and where we might find them, we set out to observe (and
hopefully collect) some insects. Some,
especially ants, were too small and quick-to-hide to catch in our jar. One day, though, we found several beetles on
the Oregon Grape berries, as well as a grasshopper in Teacher Kerry’s
hair! The gardeners and insect explorers
got to share the creatures they found with the rest of room 8 at closing
circle. On Friday, we welcomed Carson’s
mom Laura to lead our exploration and show us all of the different parts of a
bugs body, explain how certain types of insects are different, and use nets to
catch the bugs!
CAMP OUT SONGS with SHAWN
During campfire songs this week, we have been exploring traditional campfire songs, Celtic tribal songs, Native American songs, as well as modern music. On Monday, I started our time together with a quick oral review quiz of the instuments being utilized throughout the week; we looked at egg shakers and small hand drums. We then jumped into creating music with the song "Time of Your Life" by the Greenday; I used a shaker to accompany myself and the group, to keep time, and to provide and an example of multitasking. From there we moved into learning a Swahili greeting song titled, "Jambo Rafiki" (Hello and Welcome). On Tuesday we were inspired to add other instruments to our percussion options: Bells, Maracas, and tambourines. Other songs we worked with during the week include: "The Earth is our Mother"-a traditonal Native American song, "I want to hold you hand" by the Beatles, and "Island in the Sun" by Weezer.
JAZZ DANCE with JILLIAN
We had a lovely time in Jazz Dance Summer Camp this week! We learned some basic moves and talked about finding a rhythm to your movements. Depending on the day, we made up dance routines to "Unpack Your Adjectives" from Schoolhouse Rock and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" from the musical Annie. Most of our campers stuck around for the whole week and I was impressed by how well they remembered their new moves! At the end of each class we had a freestyle jazz dance where friends boogied around in homemade costumes. I invite parents to put on some music at home and join in on the song and dance!
GARDENING with KERRY
The new, lush garden on the playground has inspired some very enthusiastic gardeners! The first few days of class we traveled out to the parking lot to sort through seeds. We compared each one, not only to it's mature plant self, but also to other seeds. We then decided which seeds to plant and chose our perfect spots in the planters. All the kids were such gentle gardeners. They poked shallow holes with there fingers, dropped in a single seed, and swept dirt back over the seed with a final little pat for good measure. At the end of the week we gardened on the deck leading out to the playground. We unearthed some sad sunflowers and studied their roots. We talked about how our little seeds would open up and stretch out to form their own roots. We discussed how those roots would dig deeper into the ground to soak up water and other nutrients from the soil. We also talked about how our seeds would push up through the soil as well and eat up all the sunlight and air to make them big and strong. Now we will have to be patient gardeners and wait to see if our seeds decide to grow!
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