"Hey, Dude, Surf's up!"

There once was a lonely old pirate, who sang a pirate song. He sang his song until a surfer came along Oh ho ho, hee hee hee Hey, dude, surf's up!. OHHHH, there was once was a. . . .
You might hear your children singing some form of this song. It has many interruptions to the poor old pirate an octopus, a singing mermaid, a police officer, a surfer, a helicopter, a shark, a submarine and I think that might be it. It's a very fun song and the children have some to really like it. My mom gave me two Cd's from a teacher she worked with this past school year. They are called Alphapop 1 and Alphapop 2. They have some older nursery rhymes set to more r&b/hip hop music, as well as, a lot more reading and alphabet songs on the Cd's. I was glad I found them in my daughters school stuff we had stored away. It is nice to have more of a choice in our song selections.

We began our day today with centers and breakfast. We had a little bit of trouble with running around and keeping items where they were supposed to be, so we lost a few toys this morning. The two larger trucks got put away for the day, they might come back out in the morning for centers. I have not quite decided yet, it will depend upon listening ears and following directions of the campers. Today was a bit of a rough day with following directions but we sure did have several good helpers. We have a select few that are ALWAYS stand out helpers and ALWAYS the first to follow the directions given. Those kiddos truly make it much easier on us when we have several who have a hard time with those two items.

After breakfast, we began with our welcome song and we sang only a few songs this morning. We have just a short window of time on swim days to do much more than call roll. We had every one get their belongings and we headed out for sunscreen. Once all the children were covered in sunscreen, we began our trek over to the YMCA. It wasn't quite as bad this morning on our walk over to the Y. It did begin to get more muggy on the way back. It progressively got worse as the day went on, but we tried to keep them inside, for the most part, later in the afternoon.

We had lunch after swimming at the YMCA then rest time. Please remember to always send in extra clothing for your children each day~especially, on swim day. The children are VERY, VERY COLD in the cafeteria and when they have to stay in their wet clothes it makes it much worse on them. After rest time, we had a little bit of wake up time before snack today.

The snack today was actually something they got to create. They made it then they were able to eat it. It wasn't what I was trying to work on, but it was MUCH better than my idea. Ms. Rachel came up with this plan and it worked out a lot better than my idea. The children rolled their pretzel in peanut butter and then got to roll that into many different types of cereal. We made our own mix of cereal. It was like a carnival creation of a snack. They really liked the snack and wanted several more. We may have to do that again another day.

We made clown noses after snack time. Unfortunately, several children left just as we finished up snack and were taking a bathroom break so not every one made a clown nose. If we have time between games, making sundaes and the cook out tomorrow we will try to get them made. I cannot make any promises though.

We have most of the Kamp Kermit Festival set up already for tomorrow :-D We are very excited and hope that many of you come to join your children! If you have any questions please call the front desk at the YMCA and they can direct you to a contact person. Thank you and have a wonderful evening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ms. Keira"The Crazy Dancin' Clown"

We love when we have visitors come to camp and see us. Today the children had a visitor among them and didn't even know it until after nap time. . .We began our day with the normal routine of breakfast, centers, role call, singing and bathroom break. We then split up into groups and began a craft while the other group went outside to play. One group came inside to play because it was extremely muggy outside today. We then switched all activities after about 30-40 minutes and allowed each group to participate in what the other group was doing. Every one was able to make a 'popcorn bag' for snack later this week. After group activities were over it was time for LUNCH!!!!! One of the kiddos favorite activities at camp is to eat, eat, eat! haha, I think every one enjoys a good meal though.

We had a wonderful nap time today, for the most part. Just about every one zonked out early today and slept hard. This week they have taken very good naps, it must be the heat and fact that barely any one slept last week. After nap time/rest time, every one took a bathroom break (as they woke up) and then got their snack.

Our special visitor "Arrived" after snack just as we began face painting. Ms. Keira our Crazy Dancing Clown came down the hall all dolled up for the children dancing away. The kids were laughing and running to her, having such a wonderful time. They were so distracted with her that they forgot they were waiting to get their faces painted. Each child was able to get a photo with her (if they wanted, some REFUSED) and all were able to get their face painted (some REFUSED this too). We will be having face painting and hair spray colors on Friday. If your child is upset they chose not to do this today, then they have a chance on Friday.

Tomorrow is swim day at the YMCA, we leave Doss at 9:20am. Please come dressed and ready to swim.

Friday is our first "Cook-out". We will be providing the Grilled Chicken and Hot Dogs and we ask that you please bring one of these three : Fruits, Veggies (raw with ranch) or Pretzels/baked chips. You are welcome to bring the item that is easiest for you but remember we won't need 100 bags of chips. . .We hope to see you all there! We will also be having several Festival style games and you are more than welcome to join your children. The groups will be traveling to the stations to participate and after nap time we will be having a"Create Your Own Sundae" snack. One of our parents works for Valley Dairy Freeze and she will be setting up for us here at camp! The kids will enjoy this special treat! Have a great evening and we will see you tomorrow!

Monday, Monday. . .

Today began another week at Kamp Kermit, but this week begins the Kamp Kermit Festival! The children are excited because the field trip for the week is Calypso Cove, a favorite of many and we end the week with a festival/cook-out. We began our week with the Summer Reading Program with the Louisville Free Public Library. Today was the last Monday that they will be with us. They are rounding up their summer and winding down the summer reading program for the year. We have enjoyed the program coming out to us every Monday and I am proud of all the children who earned their prizes for reading ten books.

We were also able to create our own festival "posters" today and the children were more detailed than I had seen them most of the summer. I was so very proud of each of them as they worked for more than an hour on their prized artwork. Several of the boys, in particular, really took some extra time on their work. There were a few boys that normally are finished in about two seconds that took the entire time to complete their work today and then even explained to each counselor what was on their paper. It was good to see them really get into what they were doing. It was originally supposed to be a clown hat but they were so detailed we were unable to make them into hats, so we just decided to create festival posters out of them instead. Tomorrow we will be working on our own clown noses to wear on Wednesday (in case you have no costume or anything to dress up in) and also a popcorn bag to hold snack in for Thursday.

We ended up the day after rest time with a few games involving our character values we have here at the YMCA. They involve colors and characters. We have been practicing these through out the summer. We were actually quite shocked at what GREAT answers we received today during one of the games. These kiddos are very smart and listening a little more than we gave them credit for.

I hope you all have a wonderful night. I will see you tomorrow morning.

Please don't forget to be at camp before 9:30am. Drop off if 7-9am. We need to get sunscreen on all the campers before we head out to Calypso Cove, Call role, take a bathroom break and load up the bus. I truly appreciate all your cooperation and helpfulness.

Thank you!

Let the Festival Begin!

Kamp Kermit Festival

Monday: *Louisville Free Public Library’s Summer
Reading Program
*Create our own festival poster.

Tuesday: *Field trip to Calypso Cove.
*Please arrive by 9:00AM because the bus will leave at 10AM. We are unable to wait for any one. This will give us plenty of time to have sunscreen put on all the children, take a bathroom break, take roll and load the bus.

Wednesday: *Today is dress up day. Please come dressed up as your favorite carnival/circus act.
*We will be designing the posters for our Festival on Friday. The children will get to help pick out which games we will have; each group will then decorate the signs for each area. They feel like they are involved and enjoy this part.

Thursday: *Swimming at the YMCA.
*Water games outside before nap time.
*Create your very own “Festival/Circus” picture and it will be completely edible!

Friday: *We will be having hot dogs and grilled chicken for lunch today. Please check your paper to see what side to bring in. Parents/Guardians are welcome.
*Before lunch all morning we will be participating in our “Festival”. It will be set up at Doss and the lunch will be brought over to us after being cooked at the Y.
*Any stations the children do not complete before lunch they can complete after lunch and then again after nap time.

Notice, this is the last week we will be serving lunches AND breakfast here at Kamp Kermit. The free lunch program provided through JCPS will be ending after Friday, July 30, 2010. Also, Camp will be leaving the Doss site after Friday, August 6, 2010. We will complete the summer over at the YMCA location. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask a counselor or call the YMCA at 933-9622. Thank you.

"I saw a movie about you Santa"

After the children's initial shock of Santa arriving set in, they followed directions better than they had ALL summer long. I believe some one's presence in the room helped with that a little bit, haha. We had the children continue by singing him our welcome song then as they were participating they got picked to come get their picture taken with Santa. We took a group picture with Santa before he left. As Santa was leaving, his son (who didn't quite figure it out, we dont think) runs up to him and says."I saw a movie about you at my house, Santa", then runs back to the group. These children were so cute and so excited! It brought smiles to even the counselors of the big kids camp! They were absolutely adorable and this was a wonderful day to enjoy with your children! I personally, truly loved those moments and was happy to experience them with the kiddos.

After Santa's visit we finished up a few morning routines then began our "Christmas Brunch". We were expecting our regular parent attendees but no one showed up this week. That was all right and we just went ahead with our schedule. The children ate lunch inside due to the extremely hot weather this week. After lunch they all created their own picture frames to put their Santa photo's in. After, craft time they got to watch a slide show with all of the pictures from the summer. They seemed to enjoy this, but we have a LOT of photo's so it was a long slide show. They didn't even finish it all the way through before campers started asking to lay down for nap and mats got put out.

After nap, they were supposed to be able to put their photo's of them with Santa into their picture frames. Due to technical difficulties at Wally World the photo's were not ready. They will be ready on Monday morning and you can take them home anytime Monday.

The rest of the day was filled with games, character value games, singing, reminders of rules, bathrooms breaks and plenty of water breaks. This extreme heat has really taken a toll on every one so we are making sure that all children/workers are hydrated and inside during the hottest parts of the day.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you on Monday for our Kamp Kermit Festival Week.

P.S. more pictures to come the site is not working correctly at this moment :-/ Every time I have attempted to upload a picture it gives me an error page and then starts back to the empty blog page. It took quite some time to just get this portion up. There are many more photo's coming and even more from the cookies we made Santa. Keep posted and check back later today or tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

"Ho,Ho,Ho"

"Santa's here!Santa's here!" That is what you could hear the children screaming and yelling all across the cafeteria. He entered while we were starting our singing portion of the morning. It was quite funny in a way, I knew Santa was on his way. . .BUT, I assumed we would have a text or phone call on the walk down the hall. So, the staff was just as surprised as the kiddos were when he waltzed into the door. We were just starting the song "Sally the camel had 5 humps. . ." hahahaha! then we see Santa arrive. I am posting a picture so you can all see.

After the initial shock of Santa actually arriving the children were all given directions on how the rest of Santa's visit would continue. I am on my way to pick up photo's right now to finish our projects for this week. I hope they are ready before you all arrive for pick up. Check back later tonight for more about today's visit with Santa.

"Good Grief", Charlie Brown said.

Today we read A Charlie Brown Christmas and the children loved it. It's a rather long book, so we read it in intervals. We began it this morning, sang some songs, went over rules for The Paint Spot, took a bathroom break, read a letter Santa wrote to us, played in the gym (while waiting for the Paint Spot to arrive, they got stuck in traffic) and then FINALLY were able to get started on our masterpieces! Each child received a salad plate which has their name on the back side of the plate. They were sitting in sets of 3 at a table to share the paint and water to clean off their brushes. They also were spread out through out the cafeteria to give each other space to work and not be too close together. They all did a wonderful job painting today. Some got a little rowdy, but they were very excited to do something different here at camp. After they completed painting, whatever they wanted on their plate, some one came around and picked their plate up. It was set aside to dry a little more before being taken back to The Paint Spot. Once it is taken back to the shop they will put them in the kiln and "fire them up", I believe there is also some type of glaze put over them before putting them in the kiln. Regardless, the plates will be ready by August 4. If they are done before we will let you know. A staff member will pick them up and have them waiting at camp for you that day. IF your child will not be at camp, they will be available for pick up at the Southwest YMCA's front desk.
After we completed our artwork, we went straight to lunch. These crafty, artistic children get hungry VERY quickly! They ate at a record speed today, I do believe. We then cleaned up our areas, took another bathroom break and went back to the room for nap time. There were a few children who listened so very well and were quiet every time they were asked. The counselors were so proud of those 5 children that they were able to stay back in the cafeteria to work on a special project while the others went ahead to get down for rest/nap time. We are really working hard to reward those who listen, follow directions quickly, help out others, respect others, show responsibility and are caring. We are so thankful that we have such a great group of children who already show these traits.
As many children were not able to get to sleep today, even after backs being scratched/patted, we got up a little early. Every one helped to pick up the mats and blankets so we could go take a bathroom break and get ready for water breaks/snack. Before we left the room the children all sat down to finish listening to the book we began earlier in the day. As the book ended, they lined up to go get snack.
The children did SUCH a great job with the field trip coming to us and have really been excited about "Christmas in July" all summer, that we have tried to go all out and bring out the Christmas music, the tree, some blow up yard items, making ornaments, writing letters to Santa, reading books AND we even got to watch A Christmas Charlie Brown this afternoon :-)
We do not do movies very often but I explained to the children how every holiday I always watched Charlie Brown shows with my dad and now it's become a tradition with my daughter and my dad too. They thought it was funny and kinda neat. Well, when we began reading the book I explained to them that we also had the movie and if they continued to have a good day that we might get to see the video later in the day. Most kept up their end of the deal, so we watched it. Some had to start the movie facing backwards but did join us after their few minutes of time out were over. They seemed to really enjoy it after reading the book first.
This week we have not had many posts on here due to a thumb injury of mine, sorry, I do apologize. I also had trouble getting online one night due to power issues. I am going to attempt to add some photos if the site will allow me to tonight. I will also do more of an overview of the week on Friday. Don't forget to wear Christmas colors on Friday to the "Christmas Brunch" and parents if you are joining the children for lunch~Please remember to bring your lunch with you. We do have the children's lunches provided but this week their are no lunches provided for any one other than the children. Next week we WILL have hot dogs, grilled chicken and ask you guys to bring a side :-) Have a great evening and we shall see you tomorrow.
Swimming tomorrow~swimming gear, extra clothing, underwear, sunscreen

Christmas In July!!!!!

Christmas In July

Monday: Louisville Free Public Library's Summer Reading Program.

*Create a Christmas Wreath or Reindeer head

Tuesday: Swimming at the YMCA. Please wear your swimming gear to camp and sunscreen. Bring a set of extra clothes, underwear and extra sunscreen.

*Writing a letter to Santa and putting any finishing touches on craft from monday.

Wednesday: The Paint Spot will be coming to visit us. We won't even have to travel to them. They are bringing EVERYTHING we need to create our very own masterpiece. They will take the work back, fire it up and call me when it's completed (5-10 days). A staff member will go pick it up and have it ready for you at camp that day. If this is your child's last week we will have it available at the front desk at the YMCA.

*Christmas songs, checking the "mail" to see if Santa can make it to camp to visit and another craft.

Thursday: Swimming at the YMCA. Same as above swimming day applies.

*Making cookies for Santa.

Friday: Santa comes to visit us during our "Christmas Brunch". All family is welcome to come. We will be having lunch in the same fashion, bring your own lunch(parents) and children can bring or get the one provided. After "brunch" at 11am, Santa will be here for a visit. . .we hope. We will see if he got our letters or wrote back to us :-)

*Making a picture frame ornament to place your new picture with Santa in it.

Please remember drop off is from 7-9am and pick up is from 4-6pm. We may not be in the designated areas until this time. If you do not see us in the room up front just check the sign on the door "we are. . ." and it will inform you of our location.

Remember to have an extra set of clothing for your child every, single day at camp. Names inside of the clothes would be very helpful.

Kazoing, zoing, zoing. . .

Today was a BLAST!!!!!! The day started off with the normal routine of centers, breakfast, bathroom time, role call and heading out to the bus. Thank you to all the parents for getting your children here ASAP this morning :-)

All of the children (and staff) were very excited for the trip to Kazoing. Some of the children had been before but none of the staff had EVER been! We had no idea what to expect at all. The bus ride is always an adventure with Mr. Tyler along for the ride. He has some lovely versions of Old McDonald! The kids and even bus driver always love it. He just begins singing then waits for some one to yell out anything and that's what is on the farm. For example, Old McDonald has a farm, Ei, Ei,O! And on that farm he has a Tiger! Ei, Ei, O! with a roar roar here and a roar roar there. Here a roar, there a roar, everywhere a roar roar. Old McDonald has a farm, Ei, Ei, O! Or he has Ms. Sarah or Kamp Kermit or a shark, etc. The kids find it to be the funniest thing ever. I have to admit that it's very creative and hilarious! Anything to keep the children occupied, smiling and in their seats is a great!

As we arrive to Kazoing the anticipation has truly grown. The kids are so excited they can barely wait to listen to directions. I was very proud of the upon entering the complex. Most every child sat down and listened quietly to all of the directions before we went into the "Bouncy Room". I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the "No Shoe" policy upon entering this room. It meant no dirty socks when leaving :-) I know a few parents will agree with me on this one. The kids entered the room and went WILD!!!! I think the counselors entered the room and went even more WILD!!! We wore every one out today. They took a lunch break, bathroom break and water breaks during a 2 hours at Kazoing. We were the only group in any of their rooms. I hope each of you were able to pick up a hand out about the facility as you picked up your child today. They truly have a lot to offer. Thank you to Josh Ransdell for the heads up about Kazoing! I had never even heard of it and they've been around for 5 years.

When it was time to leave the children were not happy. . .they would have stayed all night if able to. They were all very tired though. They got shoes on, grabbed some water as they left the room, used the bathrooms and loaded the bus. Again, they love those bus rides. This was one of our longest bus ride trips yet. Even longer than Huber's I believe. Many of the kiddos fell asleep on the bus and were eager to stretch out on the mat when we returned to camp.

After nap time we enjoyed snack and then our final "Luau" craft. They are magnets and if your child forgot theirs at camp, just pick them up next week anytime. I will be posting the schedule for our Christmas In July week in just a little bit. I am going to take a break to eat dinner and relax for a few minutes. It's been one long week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and we shall see you on Monday!

Thank you,

Amanda

It's HOT, HOT, HOT. . .

It was definitely HOT out there today, but the counselors and children were all very thankful for

a chance to go swimming over at the YMCA. We began getting swimming gear on and sunscreen on the children as they finished their breakfast. We also moved out into the hall, because it's very cold inside the cafeteria (especially, when you are lathered up in sunscreen and only have a swim suite on). They put their towels out on the hallway floor and just chatted until it was time to go. As each camper arrived they were able to join the group accordingly. This helped us leave at a much more timely manner today. I am thankful for the best staff that is willing to try new strategies and ways of doing things. . .even if they might not think it will work. Thank you guys for always helping and doing such a wonderful job!!!!!

We left for the Y around 9:20am, maybe a few minutes after and arrived just before 10am. We were in time to get the floats belts on, grab a drink of water and get to swimming. The kids laughed, played and some even shed a few tears~but they quickly dried up once they realized the water wouldn't swallow them up :-) Ms. Sarah got out a Hula Hoop for the campers. The purpose of this is for any one who would like to jump into the pool, they stand in line and takes turns jumping into the middle of the hoop. Ms. Sarah (or whichever counselor might be working the "jumping station") will assist them in and out of the pool if necessary. They absolutely love to jump in and this gives us a better visual on the children jumping in and the ones who are not. It would be a complete and utter chaotic mess if we had 50 children jumping in here and there. I think the lifeguard might even strangle me :-) Those of you who have your child/ren in swim lessons might have actually seen your child/ren practice jumping and diving into these Hula Hoops.

Some swim days we will play a game to transition in or out of the pool. Today, being that it was so hot and dreadful out, we just let the children splash and play. They truly enjoyed themselves. I am also going to brag on my workers again right now. They are SO observant and do such an amazing job at the pool!!!! It is not an easy task to keep your eyes open and see that many children and watch in the water. It's very easy for a child to go under unnoticed, very quickly! The staff I have is always watching (Even when having children latched onto their sides) and keeping a watchful eye and listening ear! If there is a cough, you see every person turn to see who it is and if they are OK. You will hear reminders being given and counselors directing children how to do things in the water. This just makes my job, as the director, much easier! It helps me to know that I do not have to worry about anything because I know "my kids" are in great hands! I just wanted to make sure that you parents realize this as well, Your Kids are in great hands every day! Thank you to all the Kamp Kermit Staff :-) You guys are the best!

After swimming, we did have to make a HOT walk back to camp. We heard many, many, many, many, many, many complaints on the way back. We kept reminding the children that Lunch was waiting and we didn't want Mrs. Peggy to put them away before we got back~this kept them going. They loved their lunches too. Today they had the choice of a grilled chicken salad or a turkey sandwich. They both looked good and every one ate most of their lunches.

Next came the time to change out of our swimming gear and get ready for nap time. The kids were super excited to go see the "new room". Many of them were new to camp this year and had never been in there yet. We haven't been able to set it up yet, but we are attempting to have sign in/sign out and nap time in the room for now. We will still be having lunches and crafts and such in the cafeteria and outside in the little courtyard. I feel much safer in contained areas with so many little ones.

During the afternoon we were able to make a few thank you cards for the wonderful donors who help sponsor MANY YMCA members through the spirit campaign. Many of you might even have been helped by these donors in the past. We made hand prints of every child and all the workers. When they dry they are going to be bound together in groups and the top will read "Thank you for your helping hands". It has the child's signature/name under their hand print. They turned out so cute! I think the donors will love them! I know that I did!!!!! It was too HOT to go outside this afternoon so they stayed inside to play games, read books and sing.

Don't forget tomorrow is the field trip to Kazoing! Please wear socks or bring them with your child! THEY HAVE TO HAVE SOCKS TO PARTICIPATE!!!! And, don't forget if you have any questions or concerns please contact a counselor or myself at camp. You may also reach me at Mandee033@gmail.com or via the Y at 933-9622. You may also call my boss, Lauren if you feel you need her assistance. Thank you and have a great night. See ya in the morning :-)

~Amanda

Kamp Kermit Luau

Kamp Kermit Luau was a huge hit today! Although, we did not have as many parents able to participate today, the children absolutely enjoyed themselves. It seems to be more convenient to get away from work for our lunch time on a Friday, but due to the field trip this week our "picnic day" was changed.

We began our day like a normal day then went outside to eat our lunches. After lunch we came inside to begin painting/coloring the craft to take home. Parents were able to work with their children on the craft. Even though some children didn't have a parent there, they still have a lot of fun participating with the counselors. Each camper should have brought home a "Luau" keepsake today as well as their grass skirt. Some of the kiddos were attempting to throw away crafts today before even getting them home. I gave a little reminder that we, parents, like to see those type of things. I told them to let the parents throw them away after they saw them.

After the craft time, we played the limbo for a short time while some of the kiddos helped clean. We all then took a bathroom break and got ready for our daily rest time. Almost every one took a nap today, but they all did lay down for a good while. After nap time we were able to play in the gym for about 30 minutes before snack time.

Snack today was a choice between pretzels or a granola bar. It is surprising and fun to see what each child will pick when they get to decide. Mr. Sam told the children a story this afternoon while we were preparing crafts for tomorrow. Later in the afternoon we had some singing time before we walked out front to wait on the last few parents.

I have to be completely honest and let you all know that I have had a lack of patience this week. BUT, there have been so many instances where your little ones have brought me out of my low points and it reminds me of why I have the "job" that I do. I had several children today just pick up and start cleaning up after craft time without any adults asking them to do so. Now, this might not seem like a big thing to any one else but to us at camp this is a MAJOR help and such a blessing! Sometimes, it might take 10 minutes to get a group to the bathroom (on a rough day, ha ha). This just lifts our spirits and lets us know that somewhere along the lines they are listening. One camper came up to another counselor today and said "I have a hug for you" and then later told me "You are SO beautiful". These may sound silly and at times we might even think so, but when you dig a little deeper they get you through the long days when you have very little patience. I am blessed to work with your children and I just want you to know that they are in good hands while you are away at work or just needing some away time for yourself. I am a single mother and I completely understand! I hope you all have a wonderful night and we will see you tomorrow.

Don't forget that tomorrow is swim day. Please wear swimming gear and sunscreen to camp. Please bring a set of extra clothes, towel, sunscreen, underwear and shoes to camp. Tomorrow is expected to be a HOT one, so we'll make sure we are in the cool or water ALL DAY!!!!

I'm singing in the rain. . .

I apologize for the late post. . .have been having really bad headaches and just wasn't feeling the computer earlier. I do apologize.


Today was supposed to be our swim day at the YMCA, but we all awoke to some lovely storms and rain. It sounded as if hail was hitting my windows around 5:30am and then when I actually got up I was dreading heading out the door. The rain was just POURING down so hard! Well, once I got to work (after being stuck behind a wreck) there was no more lightening. It was just rain, sometimes heavy rain and sometimes just light rain. I decided that we were going to go play in the rain. The counselors made sure every child was changed and headed outside. Mr. Sam was our photographer along with Ms. Keira. Ms.Rachel held down the time out area, while Ms. Sarah and Mr. Jeremy came up with some really fun games to play in the rain. The children had so much fun. We even drew a crowd of maintenance workers to the windows watching us, waving and smiling at the children having fun. It was definitely a day at camp I am sure they will remember for quite some time. I mean, come on, how often do parents/guardians let ya play outside in the rain?

After we got all cleaned up and changed we ate lunch. Directly after lunch, while the cafeteria was being swept and mopped the children watched a Veggie Tales video. It was about Jonah. We did not complete the video but we might possibly complete it another day this week. We rarely do movies and they get restless the few times we have, so we try not to have them sit too long. They then took a nap. Every single camper took a nap today, for some period of time.

Tomorrow(Wednesday) is dress up day for our Luau, so we made sure to make grass skirts for every one. I realize that some might not have things at home to wear as a costume AND I surely don't have money to go buy an outfit. So, I wouldn't expect parents to either. This is why we made grass skirts today for our craft. They turned out so great!!! I hope you are all able to come join us for the "luau lunch" from 11am-1pm. We will also have a craft for you to paint with your child. The grass skirts will go home tomorrow after camp.

Field trip this week is on Friday to Kazoing. We arrive there at 10am and leave there at 12pm. If you have any questions or concerns, Please feel free to contact any of the counselors or staff. Thanks!
~Amanda

:-)

Today an exciting day for the campers to start out our "Luau" themed week. This morning the librarian from downtown library branch came to pass out prizes we have won for completing our 10 books. If your child did not receive their prizes, please do not worry they will receive them next Monday.

After completing the Summer Reading Program this morning we moved onto The LIMBO
!!! I am not sure if any of you have witnessed 35 children ages 3-5 attempting the limbo but it was a lot of fun. Some kinda understood the concept while others just did what they wanted and laughed/danced the entire time. Ms. Sarah had a wonderful idea of duck taping a few of our cardboard rolls, we've been saving for crafts, together to make the "limbo stick". We will have pictures and hopefully a video to post tomorrow. IF the video does not work I would love to see all of you parents at our "Luau Lunch" on Wednesday. We will also have a fun and keepsake craft to make this week.

After the Limbo we had some games, lunch, nap time and then playground time. We haven't been able to use the playground as much this summer due to the weather; but, today was a nice day to enjoy some time outside. After the snack and outside play we enjoyed a few more games of the Limbo, as well as, a few games of Musical Chairs and songs.

Overall, this Monday was a fun one despite a few listening ears not being on. . .we will continue to work on that. You might hear your children talking about some Y character values and colors this week. If you do not, try to quiz them to see if they can remember what we are learning at camp. We even have 4 kick balls in the colors to help us remember.

I hope you all have a wonderful start back to your week. AND, I plan to see you Wednesday at lunch :-)

Just another Manic Monday!

Thankfully, I don't feel like it's Manic Monday's during the summer! It's a nice break to be at summer camp during the months off from JCPS. I know sometimes your children don't always want to get up and go to camp~especially, after a weekend with family or friends; but, we are excited about a brand new week. If they had a bad day last week or just weren't fully adjusted to camp yet, that Today is a new day! A brand new start to the camp experience.

We will be having the Louisville Free Public Library coming Monday to read to us and we will also be receiving our prizes for already completing the 10 books for the summer. We will continue with the program through out the summer even after receiving our "prizes". I think that encouraging reading at a young age is important. Also, the children love the little songs and the stories they hear during that time.

Remember to bring your swimming gear, change of clothes with names on it and listening ears daily :-) Also, if you could please send the children in tennis shoes every day that would be very helpful. They can bring flip flops/sandals on swim days, or every day, but it will help out on a lot of tripping accidents with the tennis shoes on.

Don't forget to pick up a schedule on your way out and Have a wonderful Monday!!!! More pictures will be uploaded after the day Monday.
Thanks~
Amanda

Short week but not short on fun. . .

I hope every one enjoyed their "short week" at work. I am not sure whether we like it as much at camp, kinda throws our routine off. I know the kids seemed to really be having a lot of fun this week. Through out the week we went swimming at the YMCA two times. On Thursday the campers played a game to transition out of the pool and they LOVE that! Ask your son/daughter if they can sing you the song to the "pool game". On Tuesday after swimming time we also had water games. We filled a few containers with Ice Water and played several games. Although, you might have heard some squeals coming from our area they were squeals of joy. They absolutely had a blast.

We also had Inflatables at camp all day on Wednesday. They arrived about 10:30am and the children were able to enjoy them the rest of the day. It was extremely hot so we took a break for water and then breaks for "air conditioning" :-) Today, when we had sharing/circle time many of the children said that was their favorite part of the week this week.

Today, we played a Simon Says championship in the gym and it was boys vs girls. We had a few more games to play before we began our Treasure Hunt. It takes a little while to figure out the clues, so we completed half of the game before lunch. After we finished lunch all of the children completed the Treasure Hunt. See if your child remembers what our "Treasure's" were.

I been having a wonderful time this summer with each and every one of your children. Seeing a smile on their face during an activity really brightens my day. It makes all of the moments when we are busy/hectic all worth it. I hope that you have begun to hear and see some of the things your kiddos are learning at camp. We're goin on a Bear Hunt- is a favorite song right now and they LOVE to play freeze dance as well.

Don't forget that next Wednesday we will be having a dress up day for the Kamp Kermit Luau. Parents are also welcome to come for lunch. We will be having a craft again just after we eat and then nap time at 1pm. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please feel free to contact myself or any staff, any time you want to. We are more than happy to help you or find the person who can help with information/problem you might have. Thank you for all your help!

Kamp Kermit Luau, July 12-16, 2010

Kamp Kermit Luau Week
July 12-16, 2010

Monday: *Louisville Free Public Library summer reading program during the AM.
*Group activities, games, singing through out the afternoon.

Tuesday: *Swimming at the YMCA southwest. We leave Doss at 9am.
*Afternoon will involve water games and the Limbo.

Wednesday: *Kamp Kermit Luau today for lunch. Parents are welcome to come and join the campers for lunch and some Luau style games. We will also be having water games, crafts and singing throughout the day.

Thursday: *Swimming at the YMCA southwest. We leave Doss at 9am.
*We will be making our own grass skirts this afternoon.

Friday: *We are heading to Kazoing today for our field trip.
*We will be loading the bus by 9:15am.
*This afternoon we will be finishing up any crafts that are not completed and participating in our Limbo finals.

Please remember to have swim wear and a change of clothes each day. When you drop your child off make sure they have sunscreen on as we will re-apply every 2 hours through out the day. Thank you for your continued help.

Question/s of the week

What are the 4 characteristics we use at the YMCA to implement the core values we have in our motto? AND, do you know the colors that correspond?

The answer will come at the end of the week. . .you may need your child's help on this one :-)

This week's gonna be a good week. . .

Today began another week of Kamp Kermit. This week are having everything around the theme of "Game Week". This is not only a time for the children to learn to play new games, such as, checkers, candy land, chutes & ladders, memory, twister, etc; but, it is also a time for us to work on our principles we teach here at the YMCA. You can use all four areas during these activities. We are learning about being respectful of other, how to be caring, how to be honest and how to be responsible. During the games being honest with each other and not cheating. We are respectful of others feelings and others property while playing many games this week. And we also are learning that we have to be responsible, even at such a young age. The children have already picked up on many of these characters and we hope to instill them as the summer continues.

The children have enjoyed the first day of Game Week and are excited to continue with all the activities we have planned. Today, we went swimming at the YMCA and each child truly enjoyed the time. We then returned to camp to eat lunch and have a rest time. After rest time, we were able to play more water games and board games through out the afternoon. It was SO hot outside that we added some ice to the water for our games. Ask your child what games we played-just to see if they remember or have a favorite so far this week. We ended the day with some board games that they are learning to play, as well as, singing a few songs. This week will continue with a day with inflatables, swim day with more games in the afternoon and also a full day on Friday of all the games we have played/created.

As the summer continues please check in to see what we have been up to and where we will be going. And PLEASE keep in mind that this is a learning process (blogging) for me, so I am doing what I know. Any and all feedback is welcomed. I hope you all have a Blessed Day.
~Amanda
Kamp Kermit Director
YMCA SW

Here we go. . .

I am new to blogging, so this will be a journey for us all. I thought this would be a great way for parents, family memebers and even campers to see what we've been up to at Kamp Kermit. I have added a few photos and will be updating those. I also will be adding the rest of the schedules for the summer. I haven't quite mastered this website yet, so please be patient.

I have a few reminders for this post:

1) NO CAMP on monday, July 5, 2010.
2)We have misplaced several pairs of boys swimming trunks and their towels, Please check your items at home. I really think they were accidentally put in the wrong bag by campers or staff.
3)THANK YOU, for all your help as parents/guardians. It makes our day so much easier with the extra help and support we get from you all.
4)If you ever feel there is a problem or you just have a concern to share with the staff, do not hesitate to speak with one of us. You can also reach Amanda Clark (director) at Mandee033@gmail.com. Her phone number is also listed at Camp and in e-mails.