What says summer more than children splashing in cool, clear water? Last Friday, Campers in rooms 25 and 27 headed south to Killens Pond State Park's fabulous water park. This week, Rooms 25, 28 & 26 are enjoying the Big Kahuna water attraction along with the rest of the rides at Celementon Amusement Park in New Jersey.
The kindergarteners of Room 27 took off for the Helicopter Museum, and next week's destination is the Strasburg Railroad. They (along with the campers from Rooms 25 & 28) will ride the old-fashioned railroad to the fantastic corn maze at Cherry Crest Farm.
In case it seems that the preschoolers have been left behind, don't worry! They have been learning about plants, preparing and trying new foods, keeping notes about their methods, observations, likes, and dislikes, and even making graphs of their findings! In Environmental Science, they learned how fossils are made, and they made some fossils of their own.
Those of us with offices near the Great Room have been holding onto our hats, because the Steel Drum Workshop students this year aren't just learning to play the steel drum; they're learning to make one! That requires, in case you don't know, quite a bit of hammering. With their ear plugs firmly in place, the children appear to be finding great satisfaction in whacking the drums with mallets just so!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Camping Out
What is there to look forward to in Camp Room 26, the home of our oldest campers? Canoe trips, cookouts, archery, boat races...and the Overnight! Every year, our senior campers plan a real camp-out. They build lean-to's, pitch tents, cook on the outdoor grill, build a campfire, and tell stories after dark. Every year, some campers vow to stay up all night. Usually they slip into dreamland despite themselves, but every once in a while, someone makes it to dawn. Our intrepid camp staff is ready for adventure and supplied with lots of coffee...and a good time is had by all! This year was no exception, and as I write this note, happy but sleepy campers are draped across the furniture in Room 26, dreaming of next year's adventure.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Never Too Old
Welcome to Camp Week 1! We had our annual all-camp ceremony on Tuesday morning, complete with the raising of the Camp Montessori flag, a heartfelt rendition of the Hokey-Pokey (even the camp director got into the spirit), and entertainment from the counselors. The assistant counselors donned creatively eclectic costumes and sang the "If I Were Not a Counselor" song, much to the delight (and amusement) of the campers. The young videographers from the Video Production camp recorded the whole event, so look for us at Cannes next year!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Pre-history comes alive!
Make way for the dinosaurs! The hallways of Camp Montessori are already lush with tropical foliage and teeming with wildlife. At the heart of it all is Gerry, the head counselor for the 7-9-year-olds. Gerry's group will be focusing on dinosaurs in Camp Week 1, and the Academy of Natural Sciences will be bringing a dinosaur program right to our door. Thursday's field trip will be to the Academy itself, and campers will get to explore the Academy's famous dinosaur exhibits.
Don't miss it...but watch out for pteranodons!
Don't miss it...but watch out for pteranodons!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Just Another Song and Dance
It's showtime!
Our Musical Theater 101 camp for children ages 4-6(offered by Makin' Music) filled in a few short weeks, and we have been trying ever since to schedule another week with them.
We finally have! It will be offered in Camp Week 5, July 14-18. The camp runs from 9:00-1:00 each day. Children who need a full-day program may transition to Traditional Camp at that time.
If your little one longs for the spotlight and loves to belt out a tune, this is the camp for you!
Our Musical Theater 101 camp for children ages 4-6(offered by Makin' Music) filled in a few short weeks, and we have been trying ever since to schedule another week with them.
We finally have! It will be offered in Camp Week 5, July 14-18. The camp runs from 9:00-1:00 each day. Children who need a full-day program may transition to Traditional Camp at that time.
If your little one longs for the spotlight and loves to belt out a tune, this is the camp for you!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Party Time
The head counselors have been working since last September to plan a wonderful summer for our campers. They are planning more all-camp events, more laughter, and more camp spirit. Maybe we can't have campfires in daycamp (they are so much less impressive in the daytime!), but the oldest group has an overnight campout (tents, skits, s'mores, and not a lot of sleep) in Week 4, and they DO have a campfire--a big one!
Gerry's group and Mark's group have a cookout every Friday, and in Week 3, it's going to be a Hawaiian-style luau! Since we will be closed on the 4th (which is Friday), the all-camp luau will be on Thursday. There will be plenty of summer treats to eat, and games for everyone. Mark stopped by my office to show me the grass skirt he had purchased, and THAT is something that we won't want to miss!
Gerry's group and Mark's group have a cookout every Friday, and in Week 3, it's going to be a Hawaiian-style luau! Since we will be closed on the 4th (which is Friday), the all-camp luau will be on Thursday. There will be plenty of summer treats to eat, and games for everyone. Mark stopped by my office to show me the grass skirt he had purchased, and THAT is something that we won't want to miss!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
That’s What Camp is All About!
Camp Montessori’s motto used to be, “Have a hands-on summer!” It’s still what we hope for children, and what we provide for our campers, summer after summer.
It’s about deepening friendships and making new ones. It’s about getting out into the woods and delving into the mysteries of a living planet. It’s about stories: telling them, hearing them, drawing them, writing them, singing them, and acting them out. It’s about color and light, and about playing with those elements to create beauty. It’s about learning new games, about trying something you might have been afraid to try last year. It’s about asking questions and figuring out the answers together. It’s about salamanders and woodchucks and tomato plants growing up, up, up, just like us. It’s about taking the time to explore.
What are you doing this summer?
It’s about deepening friendships and making new ones. It’s about getting out into the woods and delving into the mysteries of a living planet. It’s about stories: telling them, hearing them, drawing them, writing them, singing them, and acting them out. It’s about color and light, and about playing with those elements to create beauty. It’s about learning new games, about trying something you might have been afraid to try last year. It’s about asking questions and figuring out the answers together. It’s about salamanders and woodchucks and tomato plants growing up, up, up, just like us. It’s about taking the time to explore.
What are you doing this summer?
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Big Kids Set Sail
One of our favorite parts of Traditional Camp is the field trips.
The elementary groups (Kindergarten and up) take field trips almost every week. Confirmations are coming in, now, and it seems that the oldest two groups (3rd-7th grades) will be going to Annapolis for a pirate cruise! For their other trips, they'll be canoeing, tubing down the Brandywine, cheering the team at a Blue Rocks' game, and visiting Clementon Amusement Park for wild rides and fun at the Splash World water park.
Younger groups will visit the mummies at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, roller skate at Elsmere Rink, pick peaches at Linvilla Orchards, and slide down the water slide at Killens Pond State Park.
If your camper is not registered, get a registration form now! Don't miss the bus!
The elementary groups (Kindergarten and up) take field trips almost every week. Confirmations are coming in, now, and it seems that the oldest two groups (3rd-7th grades) will be going to Annapolis for a pirate cruise! For their other trips, they'll be canoeing, tubing down the Brandywine, cheering the team at a Blue Rocks' game, and visiting Clementon Amusement Park for wild rides and fun at the Splash World water park.
Younger groups will visit the mummies at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, roller skate at Elsmere Rink, pick peaches at Linvilla Orchards, and slide down the water slide at Killens Pond State Park.
If your camper is not registered, get a registration form now! Don't miss the bus!
Specialty Camp News
It's May already! Only a month until camp! Camp leaders are working hard to plan a great summer for every camper.
The big news in April was that the Video Production camp (Week 1) and the Musical Theater Camp (Week 8) filled completely. That's great news, but it disappointed some folks who had not registered in time.
Jesse Sheppard, who will be leading the video production camp, generously agreed to host another week. We will now also offer Video Production for 9-12-year-olds in Week 10 (August 18-22). Jesse has been working with some of our afterschool students during the school year, and the films the kids have made have been awesome! We really look forward to seeing the films created by our summer campers in each of those weeks.
We have asked the folks at Makin' Music whether they might be able to add another week of Musical Theater for us, and they are working on their schedule to see about that. We're keeping our fingers crossed!
The big news in April was that the Video Production camp (Week 1) and the Musical Theater Camp (Week 8) filled completely. That's great news, but it disappointed some folks who had not registered in time.
Jesse Sheppard, who will be leading the video production camp, generously agreed to host another week. We will now also offer Video Production for 9-12-year-olds in Week 10 (August 18-22). Jesse has been working with some of our afterschool students during the school year, and the films the kids have made have been awesome! We really look forward to seeing the films created by our summer campers in each of those weeks.
We have asked the folks at Makin' Music whether they might be able to add another week of Musical Theater for us, and they are working on their schedule to see about that. We're keeping our fingers crossed!
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