More Summer Camp

Camp is continuing on proud and strong so I thought I would share a few more moments. I am growing to love elementary kids more and more every day, especially the kindergarteners. (I know right!?) I will definitely do this again next year, and I am quite confident that I will do a much better job now that I know the ropes of it all. It's really amazing to me how little it takes to entertain these kids. Not saying at all that it's a good reason to slack, but I would just rack my brain and rack my brain over thinking up of great and powerful lessons but in the end, what they love is the simplest things. It's such a great age!

Here is some of what we have done thus far.

Paper plate fish made by our 2nd and 3rd grade groups.

We had a coloring contest with each group. All winners won a bag of candy, 2nd was $5 cash and 1st was $10 cash. In heart of the opening of Monsters University opening up, they had to design their own Sully monster. Here are the winners. So creative!!

We finished our clay unit for K-3 grades. I can not stop making these hilarious fishies. They're the best!

The kindergarten group making their pinch pots.

Some of the fish that turned out. Haven't gotten to paint them yet. AREN'T THEY GREAT????

If there is one item next year I will buy tons and tons of it is yarn. We have done SO many projects with yarn and the kids absolutely LOVE working with it. I have even had to hide it so some kids wouldn't steal it :/ We have made bracelets and even paper plate weavings.  

LFC Camp so far.

I just now finished my second week teaching art and Langford Farms Club Summer Camp(one of those weeks I was on vacation, more of that to come later :)). I get four classes a day:

The Commanders (Grades 2-3)
This is probably the SWEETEST group! I forgot how much I really love 2nd graders, they are always wanting to please you and it really brightens their day when they get to be your helper. SUCH a great group right here!

The Captains (Grades 4-5)
I really enjoy this group because they can actually do a LOT at this age, way more so (I feel at least) than the Commanders group can. This group is over run with girls so they have loved anything and everything involving yarn and making jewelry. I've definitely been making hundreds and hundreds of bracelets here lately!

The Lieutenants (K)
This is probably my very first experience actually teaching kindergarten. When I did student teaching it was only grades 3-5. And I have to say, you kindergarten teachers should get paid as much as doctors! WHEW! They are all so adorable, but they are very very needy and they require a whole lot attention (which is not necessarily their fault, its just their age). I also deal with the most tattling with this group, hahaha. BUT... I love their passion for art and how much they LOVE coming to class every day.

The Admirals (Grades 5-6)
This group gets the worse reputation in camp as being the most difficult to deal with. It's over run by BOYS, 6th grade boys. So because of that, they can get very rowdy and bounce off of each other. Since I spent an entire year dealing with JUST THIS, they really have not been very bad for me at all! Loud and rowdy, yes, but that has been easy to manage and deal with by giving them projects they really enjoy.

Overall my thoughts of teaching elementary is, it really is a whole lot of fun!!! There are times where I have had to stop and remind myself "Don't get mad and impatient, they're way younger here" since I spent the last 4 years dealing with the much, much older ones. My first week I was absolutely exhausted and wondered how on earth I would be able to survive the summer, but once I got the hang of what they can and can't do, it's really been a blast! :) I look forward to the rest of the summer, and definitely coming back next year!

Here are some snapshots of our summer together so far:

Started things off with good ole Op Art. 

The Lieutenants wrote their names in cursive (well, WE did) with black paint, folded it to create a symmetrical image and turned it into "aliens". They really enjoyed this one!

Here were some of their finished bubble paintings!

The Captains had a blast with bubble painting!

Luke is HILARIOUS. And he LOVES Iron Man!

The Captain group making bracelets. THEY LOVE IT. 

We had Halloween Day where the kids got to dress up! Yay for superheroes!!!

Some of our finished Q-tip Monsters we did during Halloween Day. I take it they are all pumped for Monsters University???

Lieutenants did paper weaving this past week.

LOVE this little girl!!! Sweet Charley! :)

Langford Farms has a new summer camp art teacher...

And it's me!!!! I'm so excited! Langford Farms is a recreational center in Old Hickory, which is about 10 mins from Hermitage. It's a massive barn that has been rennovated for recreational and summer programs. Their summer camps start the day school lets out so I will immediately be jumping in the day school finishes! I will be teaching 4-5 craft classes a day for grades K-5. It's been forever since I've been around the younger ones so I'm very excited to spend some time with them. I think it will be an overall great experience.

Each camp has a weekly theme and I am wanting to have at least two crafts each week that have to do with that particular theme. The themes include: Sports Central, Game Show Mania, Carnival, Lights Camera Action, COLOR WAR, Wild West, Laugh Out Loud and Wild War of Water.  Fun right?!!!

For the next several days I will be searching and searching art blogs and Pinterest for ideas. I already have several. Some of them would be-

Bubble Painting!

Book Making!

For "Lights, Camera, Action" week, each student will be making their own microphones!

Paper footballs for Sports Mania week.



Mask Making for Carnival week.

Button mosaics.

If anybody has any tips or suggestions I am ALL ears!

Looks like it's going to be an exciting summer!!!