Summer Theme Camp
Our specialty theme camp, enrolled for as a whole
Here it is—our eight-week lineup of summer camp fun! Where every year we hear… “This is the best day of my life!”
Ready, Set, Camp!
And… we’ll design our hand crafted journals, a special place to write notes to “Dear Me” and tuck away special keepsakes and pictures to remember it all!
The summer camp programs during the summer are amazing! Melodie teaches the kids about gardening, farm chores and my daughter’s favorite “summer picnic”. This home daycare is not just a daycare, it’s a house full of love, and smiles!
Home Grown Kids! A Life on the Farm!
Get ready to get down and get dirty. Gloves and boots are welcome! It’s time to plant the summer garden and harvest a little from the spring. We’ll try out our skills at canning, test tasting throughout the process.
We’ll learn about feeding the chickens, what is good for them and what is not, and share in some of their care and taking care of their coop. And we’ll learn about our pasture care, manure, and composting… yes, even that is recyclable!
A visiting parent will be teaching about worm bins. And… yes, a tractor ride will be included! By the end of this week of summer camp we’ll have a good insight into our very special role as project earth friends.
Express Yourself!
This week is all about self-expression. From Hip Hop to Stomp, Plays to Props, The Bear Hunt to Bop Till You Drop… our young performers will be on stage! First they will decide together what and how they want to perform, from song and dance to an adventure in a mix? Never heard of it? It’s our specialty, where we might just combine a few plays and let everyone find their perfect role.
Then, what about props? There might be stars to make so we can dangle them from above or wooden trees to paint for a forest. Whatever it is—it will be all about what Village Learning is made of—team adventure!
Creative and Beginning Art!
Leave the favorite clothes at home and remember that creative minds are seldom tidy! From splatter painting to glitter and glue! There will be lots of choices to choose from. Papier Mache can create a mask that sparkles and shines, or a perfect prince or princess crown! We might take up rock painting for garden art, how about a bunny or turtle? Or… the perfect paper weight!
We’ll learn about techniques used by famous artists and give it a try for our own creations. There’ll be how-to-draw workshops with time to experiment using mediums like charcoal and pastels. Just as important, supplies will be in abundance for young artists to put their own skills, visions, and imaginations to work!
A Cultural Affair!
As we take a walk through a different culture each day, we’ll learn about how children grow up in different ways around the world we share. First, we’ll taste new foods and dress in clothing from other cultures. Then we’ll learn new dances and grow in the way of understanding, appreciation, and gratitude for just a few of our many cultures!
We’ll have a Mexican Fiesta and learn a Mexican Hat Dance, hold a Hawaiian Luau and practice moves in grass skirts and leis, while we tell a story with our hands, as we learn the hula! We’ll venture into the Native American heritage and come together in a drumming circle, design a totem pole to tell a story… and learn a rain dance! And then we’ll explore China and test our skill at eating sticky rice with chop sticks, and learn a ribbon dance!
Last… we’ll take a walk through our own American Heritage—so bring your cowboy hats and get ready to join in a square dance! And we’ll come to a close with home, “kid made”, apple pie and ice cream!
Kids in the Kitchen!
This week will be filled with potions and brews as we mix and stir, measure and pour! This will be a sensory experience will all their senses put to the test. Blindfolds might come in perfect to figure out… hmmm… what is that smell? How does that feel and what could it be? And… if you get asked what the secret ingredient is… it’s always love!
This week the kids will learn to make simple foods to develop a new sense of independence, and to top it off we’ll put it all together in their very own kid’s cook book!
Calling all Cowgirls and Cowboys!
Here it is…an all-time summer camp favorite—Natural Horsemanship! There are ribbons to be earned by our own pretty ponies, “Kids of course,” as we start off as the horses and trainers for ground training! We’ll learn to walk, trot, and gallop! We’ll find out why crops are like a long arm and just what to do with them. There’ll be ropes to twirl and throw to claim space! There are hand signals to learn, and—most importantly between human and horse—relationships to be developed.
We’ll learn a bit about “what horses tell you” and “how to listen!” What will be our next step? On to the pasture! We’ll all get a chance to participate in horse care, from tank cleaning (super wet fun) to stalls, pastures, and grooming. Importantly, we’ll learn why pain free riding is an essential part of natural horsemanship and… how and why to earn the privilege to get on the horse’s back! Last! Now that we have a bit of horse savvy (for those who are ready), we head off to lead rope rides on our own three Morgan Horses—Midnight Legacy, Gypsy Rose, and Black Pearl! Life is good!
Summer’s End Celebration
It’s time to celebrate! We’ll fill every day with games and events. From bubble blowing to horse shoe, relays to kick the ball ice cream! There will be a field day, and the “Alice in Wonderland” un-birthday with exchange gifts and making anything you want out of ice cream!
We hold our honors day, share our last “pow wow,” make final entries into our “Dear Me” journals, and sign autographs!
And as we come to a close, we join in our annual barbecue and campfire, with hot dogs and hamburgers and—of course—s’mores!