The Senior Campers

The "Senior" Campers

     What a fun concept!  This summer at IJP we have a "bunk" exclusively designed for rising first and second graders. We're a small, tight-knit group.  We're busy with learning new skills, acquiring new information, socializing, and simply enjoying our summer.

(Above, Ruthie and Shaya share some thoughts while working in their journals.)

     During our Arrival Time, we have a choice of activities.  We write, build or participate in crafts.  We can choose one activity, or all of them--it's up to us.  It's a great time to meet and greet our friends as they arrive.  We attend three different schools during the year.  Now that it's summer, we hang-out with our old friends and we make new ones.  

Above:  Ruthie uses a mixture of glue, water and newspaper to paper mache her bowl.  (Below:  Shai, Levi, Hannah, and other Kitah Hey campers prepare their bowls.)

     We made paper mache bowls.  A Styrofoam bowl was our basic mold, and our wet mixture was half water and half Elmer's school glue.  We ripped newspaper, dipped it into our mixture, and then spread it on our mold.  

Above, David releases his bowl from the hardened paper mache.  Below:  the finished product, painted and ready to go home.

     After a day or two, the bowls were dry.  Then came the fun part:  releasing our paper mache bowls from the molds. We  then painted our bowls.  You can do this at home with almost any kind of mold, including blown-up balloons, wire armature or clay structures.  (As a child, my sisters and I made a paste of flour and water, wet and gunky.  We used the mixture with torn-up newspapers.)

    

     Painting at the easel is an option, too.  Dovid was painting our sun-shape one morning, and he noticed the blending of reds and yellows.  "Look, I made orange!" he told us.

Above:  Henia and Pearl work with their dough.    

     Another choice is our home-made dough.  Here's our recipe:  1 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt, 1/2 cup water, 3 tbsp. oil, 3 tsp vinegar or lemon juice, a few drops of food coloring.  Henia told us, "The part about being an artist is getting your hands dirty."

Above:  the Morahs's personal stash of the best beads ever.  Metal, plastic, small rocks from the North Georgia mountains--they're all here, along with seashells from Tybee and natural wood beads . . .

     This week, we made wind chimes using a variety of natural materials.  We included some bells, too.  Ruth was engaged with designing the wooden balls for her chimes.  She told the Morahs, "It's fun.  I like coloring."

Below:  our wind chimes, almost completed!  On Thursday, we sewed little burlap bags, to use for coins or lip balm, or whatever!  Shai told us, "I never used a real needle before!"

    

   Dovid comes early each day.   As one of the oldest campers, he usually has an important job or two to do.  He's become a pro at setting up the ramps and balls.  One morning, he set them up and said, "I'm pretty sure this will work."  It didn't.  There was one area that wasn't smooth and the ball couldn't progress down the chute.  What to do?  Dovid thought about it, and then added a small wooden spool that lifted the ramp up.  Problem solved.  (Above, Levi works with the balls, chutes and ramps.)

   Shaya joined in as some of the children experimented with the ramps and balls.  Dovid asked him, "Are you ready?"  "Yes!!!" said Shaya and the balls went flying!  Wow!
   

     Of course, summer isn't summer unless it includes water play.  Morah Jessica plans a gamut of outdoor water activities for us.  Usually, it's good and messy--with paint, shaving cream and mud as ingredients.  And if we don't want to get too messy?  No problem.  There's always the sprinklers and the pools.

     Hannah told us, "I like the sprinklers!"  Pearl also told us about lovin' water play.  On Monday, Pearl let us know that the water balloon sprinkler was great, and then she gave us a heads-up:  the water slide will make it's appearance on the playground very soon.  (And it did, the very next day--see above.)

     We have "specials", too.  We team up with Kitah Dalet when we visit Morah Mussy for art, science or a food prep activity. (Below, painting with Epsom salt and glue; preparing rainbow fruit skewers.) Levi described one of Morah Mussy's experiments:  "It looks like a roasted marshmallow that burnt!"  (It was actually an egg, but it did look like a marshmallow!)

         If we have a few minutes after finishing our "special" of the day, we hang out in the mat room.  We like to reconfigure all the mats, get our energy out, and have a fun time.  Then we head back to our room.  We're the mature, responsible campers, so we always straighten up before we leave.

     We're working with the science of water in our classroom.  We performed one fun experiment with the marble run and water--it was similar to a stream running down a mountain.  Later, we experienced sink-and-float with objects that we chose.  (Below, water experiment.)

      We asked the group, "Where does water come from?"  Henia said, "It comes from rain, when's water's on the ground.  Clouds don't sift the water, a company sifts it."  Pearl clarified, "It's actually called 'filtering'.  The plastic water bottle company and the water company, they work together."

At other times, we get together with buddies to build (below) or dress-up for some pretend play.

  

     Once a week or so, we  experience an "in-house" field trip.  On Monday, an acting troupe from the Atlanta Children's Museum visited us. 

     What a blast!  The theme was :  Around the World in 20 Minutes.   First, the actors "took" us to Timbuktu, Mali, Australia and Atlanta. Shai was one of the first volunteers called up to roll out the fishing net.

   

     Then, the troupe led us in some dancing.  Some serious-get-into-it dancing.  We did an East Asian Fan Dance, designed to show honor and respect to ourselves and our neighbors.  And, an African trade dance.  And, a Mexican hat dance.  Whew! And finally, just as we thought the fun would never end--the American classic--the Twist!  (Above, twisting the night away, and wearing the tie-dye T-shirts we made at camp.  It's the 60's all over again.)

    Later that day, Chana told us, "I want Camp to end at 4:00."  We wondered about this.  Then she added, "Then we could have more fun--the day would end later!"

     It's all good.

Morah Susan, Morah Penina and the Kitah Hey "Hip, Hip, Hooray" campers