Summer may be beginning to wind down, but our little campers
are keeping the energy high. Last week was so much fun, full of laughter,
singing… and just a little bit of dirt!
This was the last week of camp for our Merrick/Bellmore
children. Even though we were sad to say
goodbye we made sure to make the most of the last few days with our friends. We
were so busy having fun; the time seemed to have completely flown by.
In science this week we held balloon races and enjoyed
trying to predict which balloons would fly the fastest and win the race! Our
Yoga skills all came together this week as we practiced all of our poses to
music. We tried to do them faster and faster to keep up with the song, and
everyone did a great job.
Everyone noticed how far we had come with our swimming
skills as well. The swim reports that
went home were great evidence of the hard work we put in to learning all
summer! Our two’s had so much fun on the water slide this summer; they can’t
wait to start swimming next year. We also had huge success at our Tye-Dye
T-shirt Party as everyone turned plain white shirts into ones full of
fascinating colors!
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| We're all such great swimmers! |
We topped off our final week with a super carnival
celebration! Our parents got to join us in all of the fun as we bounced in
giant bounce houses, had our faces painted, tried our hand at bowling and spin
art and of course ate some delicious cotton candy and ice cream! What a perfect
way to end a perfect summer. We can’t wait to see our friends again next year!
Our Oceanside campers still have one more week to play, and
they are certainly making the most of their time left at camp! Last Tuesday was
full of silly fun as everyone came to camp in their most fashionable pajamas.
Miss Diane taught us a song in celebration called “The Pajama Song” and the
boys and girls each got their own verse to sing. It was so much fun to see
everyone (even our counselors!) in their pajamas.
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| Is there anything cuter than Princesses in Pajamas?! |
On Wednesday we had a special treat when our very own Miss
Brooke and Miss Michelle sang for us. We were excited to cheer and dance along
with them. For their grand finale, they sang a beautiful song from the Broadway
show, Wicked. Their performance was so wonderful; we all agree they should be
up on the big stage!
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| Miss Michelle and Miss Brooke performing for us! |
Thursday was all hands on for our Oceanside Campers. We got
to make cool cloud catchers in nature, and then we built rocket ships in art!
Everyone also continued practicing our dance moves with Miss Ronnie. Our week concluded with a wonderful
performance of Willy Wonka, put on by the JCC Theater Camp!
Our little Long Beach campers had some good clean fun discovering the joy
of dirt. Knowing that research shows that playing outdoors (particularly in the
dirt) increases happiness, reduces anxiety and enhances learning, our campers
spent the week reminding themselves that grime is good.
In Art
Extensions, Ms. Fran and the children created their own sandy play-dough by
adding cream of tartar to boiling water, cornstarch and sand. Everyone had a
great time kneading the mixture and then designing sandcastles. Plastic
decorations and colored chalk-dust added a nice touch. The children had
big smiles and everyone agreed that indoor sandcastles were definitely
worthwhile - especially when they won't wash away in the surf!
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| Our Mud Face! |
We took the fun
outside after that, and our very little ones dipped their feet in glue and then
made a mural of their sandy footprints. It was cold, sticky, messy
and gooey, but great fun! In Gardening, our older campers discovered
how much fun could be had with the simplest ingredients - dirt and water. The
children giggled while they used their hands to mix water into soil, which they
had dug from the garden and placed in a sensory table. After they had created their own supply of
mud, the real fun began. Mud-men, a mud face, mud noodles, and a mud house were
all designed as the children let their imaginations run wild!
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| We love Mud! |
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