- FELTING with BRIDGET
- ACROBATICS with GRIFFIN
- KICKBALL with LISA
- BUBBLES with KERRY
- 50 YARD DASH with JILLIAN
- CIRCLE DANCING with SHAWN
FELTING with BRIDGET
We had a great time in Felting this week. We used wool roving to create art. We explored both needle felting and wet felting. Needle felting involved using sharp barbed needles poke and compress wool combining colors and textures. Children explored how flat they could get the fibers and enjoyed the softness of the wool. Some kids decided their creations would be "lovies" because they were so soft. Wet felting uses warm soapy water to roll, soak, and squeeze the wool into shape. There were no pricked fingers with this method, but a few puddles on the art studio floor. We really enjoyed exploring a material that was new to everyone, and I had many kids who came back multiple times.
ACROBATICS with GRIFFIN
Acrobatics was a great workout for friends who chose this summer camp. I’m sure many of you had children sleep very well following this aerobic workout. Each day we spent a fair amount of time warming our muscles up with various stretches. We stretched our legs, reached to the sky and touched our toes, stretched our arms and warmed them up with arm circles. We did slow head circles too, in order to loosen our neck muscles. We did pencil stretching on the floor, lunges to stretch our hip flexors, various forms of modified jumping jacks, and many friends were very flexible and during the “butterfly” stretch, they were able to touch their nose to their toes. Some friends, who have done gymnastics, provided some suggestions for stretching of their own. After a series of stretching and floor warm ups, we moved onto the much more complicated summersaults. We practiced standing tall with our arms to the sky, bending forward and having our hands and feet slightly apart. The concept of tucking the chin to allow for the roll was difficult for some, while others could roll away on their own. Everyone was successful with a spotter. The next acrobatic trick was the tri-pod. We practiced this against a wall at first and then some were able to scaffold and move away from the wall. We put one knee on each elbow with our bottoms highest in the air. After practicing the tri-pod, we kicked our feet into the air and enjoyed the feeling of being completely upside town. Our brained flooded with healthy oxygen from the blood rushing down with gravity. We practiced this a few times before we moved to walking along the “balance beam” of masking tape on the floor. The final group of acrobatics campers had the rare opportunity to practice cartwheels with a spotter. They were all able to follow the markings on the ground to place their hands correctly and the spotter held their hips behind them to assist their legs to fly through the air to land on their feet. Following the cartwheels, we practiced high knees and back kicks to use when we had a turn on the trampoline. Friends counted to twenty while someone jumped on the trampoline. We maintained our rotation and then took turns practicing the various kicks on the trampoline. Friends learned spotting techniques of holding your hand up, elbow and knees bent and legs on in front of the other in a stable position. Before getting on the trampoline friends asked: “Spotters ready” and spotters replied: “Ready”. After all of our acrobatic adventures we sometimes had time to stretch and do a warm down. Friends felt very proud of their personal acrobatic successes. Each person challenging themselves on a different level.
KICKBALL with LISA
For our kickball summer camp, preschoolers helped set-up our bases, home plate, cones, and used chalk to create our path. We worked on counting our points, taking turns, and being great cheerleaders for eachother. It was a very hot week, so we made sure to hydrate and cool down at the end of each game. Towards the end of the week the children earned extra points for doing victory dances inspired by two Room 8 friends. We had a ball.
BUBBLES with KERRY
Who doesn't love bubbles?! This week we got our fill of this soapy past-time. The kids were given the opportunity to create their own bubble makers with string, straws, and pipe cleaners. We played around with a few ideas about the best way to engineer an efficient tool, and then mixed up our bubble solution. We used dish soap, water, and a dash of corn syrup. After we finished up with our homemade wands we broke out the old fashioned, plastic wands. We had so much fun getting messy and feeling the the wide-eyed joy of watching a bubbles float into the sky.
50 YARD DASH with JILLIAN
We had a blast this week with the 50 Yard Dash (which actually became the 40 Foot Dash)! Friends learned about measurement, the importance of stretching before exercise, and how, when racing, the fastest time is the smallest number! Several friends took the camp for the whole week and I was impressed by how significantly their times improved day by day. Each camper got three chances to perfect the dash on their own and they took their turns very seriously. I loved seeing the stances and strategies friends took on for their solo dashes - we were very committed! Every dash ended with a group race and their encouragement of one another really made my heart smile. This summer camp was a great outlet to run around and cheer in the sun that became the highlight of my afternoons!
CIRCLE DANCING with SHAWN
Circle dancing brought a lot of new ideas about dance to our preschool summer camps. We spent a few moments before beginning each song to discuss how we should dance. Some friends wanted a specific style of dance like ballet or partner dancing, and others decided how to use the circle - going around, only on the outside, or only on the inside. Each song was upbeat, active, and brought a lot of inspiration to have a "dance party." One day we decided to use the benches to make a stage circle outside the carpet circle to dance on. Many were interested in adding costumes, capes, and silks to our dance, so we incorporated these towards the end of the day with our last 3 or 4 songs.
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