Week 3

Animal Adventures

Welcome to adventurers new and old to this fun week of amazing animal activities! We're sure to have lots of memories made here!

Day 1

In Play, we played a cooperative teamwork parachute game called ‘Sharks & Lifeguards’. Campers did awesome learning the rules of the game, as well as carrying out their roles! Games class today was all about Scooters and Scooter Relays. Campers had a blast scooting across the gym floor forwards, backwards, sideways, and on their tummies. Everyone participated in the relays and had fun cheering for each other. We are wild about animals in Friendship class with Red, Blue, and Yellow through the reading of Put Me in the Zoo. We then discussed how, in a group of friends, we are like a zoo of many different personalities together, and they made paper bag animal puppets. We began Animal Adventure week with a butterfly camouflage activity in Discovery. Campers were given their blank butterflies and challenged to make them blend in somewhere around the camp! Today in Chit Chat, we started our papier mache hot air balloon project. For many campers, it was hard to dip their hands in the papier-mâché “glue” (flour + water), but we encouraged them to try different things and explore new textures. We had plenty of opportunities to wash our hands and had wet wipes and paper towels nearby to help us clean our hands when they got too sticky! We are excited to continue working on our hot air balloons throughout the week! In Projects, campers worked to make assorted animals with colored construction paper and markers. We opened class with the book Don’t Wake Up the Tiger. Yak Academy started the week off strong by making animal murals. Kids were given three different environments to choose from: ocean, farm, or desert, and could draw animals to inhabit them. They were able to either free-hand animals or use stencils. These murals will hang in the hallway so that everyone can see the beautiful art the kids made. Today, we kicked off the week in Mindfulness class with some animal charades. We got to see the Purple, Green, and Orange teams! Each camper picked an animal card. They silently act out their animal, focusing on how the animal might move, sound, or feel. Before or after they act, we talked about, “How do you think this animal feels?” or “How does it feel to move like this animal?” This activity allowed campers to focus on embodiment, emotional awareness, and attention. The theme of week 3 is all about individual identity in Explorers Red. We kicked off the week with a discussion about the power of words, including self-talk and social communication. Our returning students welcomed our new campers with open arms! In Explorers Blue, we made paper plate foxes and read Little Red Fox Has Feelings! We saw Ms. Liv for Mindfulness class and made animals out of Play-Doh. We played games in the gym with our friends in Red Explorers. In Buddies, we started our week with Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type and made butterflies for our craft project! We had so much fun getting to see our campers who have been here for two weeks meet our new friends!

Day 2

In Play, we played a game called ‘Crazy Caterpillar.’ Colorful dots are placed on the floor around the room. Teams work together using pool noodles as golf clubs, trying to get their balls to land onto the dots without the crazy caterpillar tagging them. Throughout the game, dots are placed together to make a long, colorful caterpillar. In Games class, we had some Guest Volunteers come in and teach us all about soccer. We learned how to do some warm-up drills, a shooting goal drill, and then we ended the class with a scrimmage. In Friendship, we read the story A Color of His Own and discussed how friendships require adapting to each other's emotions and needs, since we are all unique. The campers then got to make chameleon headbands. The Yellow, Blue, and Red campers became paleontologists today in Discovery! We made our very own dinosaur fossils. We discussed what a fossil even is and what they can teach us. In Chit Chat, we read Harriet gets carried away. It is about a girl living in NY who gets carried away in a hot air balloon and ends up in Antarctica. She seeks out help from an Orca whale and pigeons to make her way back home. After listening to the story, campers got the opportunity to make their own story. Thinking of different locations their hot air balloons could land and what animals could help them get back home. At the end of class, students had an opportunity to share their story with the class. They were so creative and fun to listen to! In Projects today, we listened to Home Is Where the Birds Sing and then worked to build their own. Campers used paper plates, feathers, and markers to build different types of birds. In Yak Academy, we started working on making jumping frogs! This is a two-day project that started with kids making the frog designs. They had the option of either coloring in a frog or making one out of cut paper. We are all very excited to keep working on them tomorrow. For Tuesday's Mindfulness class, campers practiced mindful movement and focus through an animal toss game. We set up multiple buckets, and campers were given bean bags to toss into the buckets. When a camper made a basket, they got to reach in and pull out a slip that says something like: “Stomp like an elephant 3 times.” “Crawl slowly like a turtle.” “Balance like a flamingo.” After the movement, we got to pause and talk about how that made our bodies feel. Fun movements, thoughtful reflection, and getting some buckets! We continued our exploration of identity in Explorers Red with a discussion about the “self” and all that influences and creates us. The explorers contributed thoughtful ideas about the importance of work, hobbies, collaboration, and independence. In the afternoon, we played a boisterous round of 20 questions. Today in Explorer's Blue we read The Emotions Book and made lion faces with manes. We had music therapy and played games in the gym with Ms. Katy. We also did fun mindfulness activities in the classroom with Ms. Liv! Our animal-themed book for today in Buddies was The Cat in the Hat. We made parrots from paper plates, paint, and streamers for our project! We had a great time Going on a Bear Hunt and dancing and moving to Circle of Life from The Lion King.

Day 3

In Play, we played a game called ‘Jungle Ball’. Two teams built a ‘village’ out of blocks on either side of the wall. The object of the game is to volley beachballs over the wall through the jungle to try to knock down the other village. Once the blocks are knocked down, the game restarts. Campers learn to identify as members of their team and work together toward a common goal. Today was the second day of soccer activities in Games class. Campers enjoyed Monday’s classes so much that they came back for round two today. Campers learned some blocking and passing drills as well as a game titled “Steal the Bacon.” We ended class with a scrimmage. Campers were all smiles as they ran up and down our “field” on the gym floor. Today in Friendship class, we learned to “Bee” helpers to their friends by making bees out of construction paper and cutting out their handprints for the wings. We also read the story One Bee Too Many. In Chit Chat, we finished painting our hot air balloons and created baskets to add to them. Towards the end of class, we got to create the animals in our story from yesterday and add them around/in our basket. We continued our paleontology discoveries today in Discovery class. Yellow, Blue, and Red groups painted and decorated their fossils from yesterday! Today we learned all about snakes in Projects! We first read the book You Must be This Tall, and then painted stretchy snakes inspired by the book. In Yak Academy, we finished making our jumping frogs. The frogs we designed yesterday were attached to cups with rubber bands so that they could jump into the air! Then, with the extra time we had in class, kids worked to make frogs jump over obstacles or land on platforms. In Cooking class, the Yak Apprentices tried their hands at making fresh spring rolls! We enjoyed them with a variety of different dipping sauces, and were enthusiastically open to sampling new foods and learning new techniques today! In Mindfulness, we learned how to problem-solve and use critical thinking in a fun and energetic activity of cup stacking. There are example pictures that campers will use as a reference, trying their best to stay focused and keep their cups upright! Wednesday was all about self-confidence in Explorers Red. What is it? How do we build it? Why does it matter? We practiced power postures, tone, body language, and ways to encourage positive self-talk. We explored the differences between self-confidence and arrogance. Today in Explorers Blue, we made paper plate hippopotami and read Pete the Cat and the New Guy. We did cup stacking with Ms. Liv in Mindfulness. We listened to fun songs in Music Therapy and played games with Explorers Red campers in the gym. In Buddies, we learned about how our different gifts make us special and important when we read, Knight Owl and Early Bird. Our craft project was making bear puppets. We came up with so many interesting ideas! As always, we loved moving our bodies to more animal-themed songs today!

Day 4

In Play, campers worked together to create a shadow animal puppet show! After that, they went outside for some water play. Today in Games Class, we put our skills to the test with various board games. Campers enjoyed a change in pace with this calm, self-paced day. Friendship class today was all about practicing the skills of taking turns, being good sports to each other, and working together as a team of friends. Campers got to play three different games. There was an animal talent show, the zookeeper says (Simon says), and I’m thinking of an animal (20 questions). In Chit Chat, we discussed animals that fly! We focused on birds and the type of birds that are native to the U.S and Oregon. We also got to start assembling our bird houses! Yellow, Blue, and Red teams worked together in Discovery class today to “hatch” some animal eggs. Various animal figurines were trapped in baking soda eggs, so we used pipettes of vinegar to get them out. It was very fun to see the fizzy chemical reaction! We made butterflies or moths today in Projects class after reading the book Moth & Butterfly. The campers made their creations out of coffee filters, markers, water, and pipe cleaners! One of the most interesting things about animals is the environments they live in. To better explore, campers went around to different sensory bins themed around the environments in Yak Academy. There was one for the ocean, another for the desert, and a final one for grass. Each one also had the animals from that environment that kids could use to interact with. In Mindfulness, we learned about the power of camouflage and how, sometimes, we can camouflage ourselves to fit in. The Purple and Green group colored in pictures of chameleons that blended in with the environment. The Silver team did the cup stacking challenge from yesterday! Today in Explorers Red, we discussed ways to lead a healthy, balanced life. We highlighted moderation, diversity of interests and pursuits, and safe friendships. We discussed why these tools are important in understanding our identity and why knowing these skills gives us insight into others in our lives. In Explorers Blue, we made handprint elephants and read Elephant and Piggie - Can I Play Too? We listened to fun music in Music Therapy and learned about so much in our classes! Today in Buddies, we read The Greedy Python and made swirly snakes during project time. We enjoyed more animal-themed songs and had fun sharing music and playing together with the friends we are making here at camp!

Day 5

In Play, we beat the heat with water and gross motor play outdoors with our teams! We ended the week on a strong note with open gym time in Games! Team favorites included scooter races and basketball. Campers were all smiles from start to finish today. We ended our wild animal week in Friendship with making peacock buddies. We talked about random acts of kindness, and the feathers we put on our peacocks represent an act of kindness we or another has done. They also listened to the folk tale The Pigeon and the Peacock. We finished up our bird houses in Chit Chat. We got to paint them, add glitter, and some of us even chose to add glow-in-the-dark paint! We had a group discussion about the type of birds we hope will visit our bird houses! In Discovery class, we did the Elephant Toothpaste reaction! (It’s a very fitting experiment name) Yellow, Blue, and Red campers can probably explain what an exothermic reaction is! We wrapped up our Animal Adventure week by making their own animal homes in Projects. We started the day reading Animal City and then worked to design our own. We’ve talked about different animals all week, and today campers designed their animal habitats with colored construction paper, stickers, markers, and assorted other materials. We once again ended the week in Yak Academy strong by making slime! Kids were encouraged to make animal-themed slime, and we even had different animal inclusions to add in. Like always, we had many different colors and glitters so they were able to make each slime truly their own. In Mindfulness, we did an animal detective hunt! Campers from Purple, Green, and Orange teams were able to utilize things they learned about different animals throughout the week, and by using their five senses, they found all sorts of animal friends along the way! We wrapped up our week in Explorers Red by tying all of our topics, discussions, and activities together. We discussed why these new tools are important through the framework of individual identity. Everyone had a chance to share their highs and lows of the week, and many positive connections were made. We had such a zoo-errific time at camp! Today in Explorers Blue, we went to Discovery class to watch the Elephant Toothpaste experiment! We made handprint giraffes and read Giraffes Can’t Dance. We played games in the gym with Ms. Katy and had popsicles! We read If You Give a Pig a Pancake to start off our day in Buddies. For our craft project, we made two-sided cat/dog puppets. Some of our campers participated in the talent show today with their staff! We had lots of fun social interactions today with our fellow campers and listened to a lot of fun music together!