Camp Learn-A-Lot Week 2 - July 30th, 2015

Camp Learn-A-Lot Week 2: A Very Special Splatter Day

Splatter Day

Wednesday, July 29th, Camp Learn-A-Lot put on its first "Splatter Day," formerly "Wacky Water Day," of the 2015 season. On the beautiful, hot, and humid day, campers played outside in their swim gear. Stations included a water balloon toss, hose limbo, sprinklers, red-light-green-light with water guns, and a fan favorite, the water slide. Many a great photo came from campers splashing their way down the slide, as you will see below. The next "Splatter Day" will be August 19th, so please send your child to school with a towel and swim suit or extra pair of dry clothes, so they can share in the fun. Otherwise, our campers will continue to enjoy their regular Village time, playing games like musical chairs, hula-hoop, and agility course with their friends after their lessons. 

CSI: The Investigations

Throughout the program, students will be exposed to our CSI words, such as "evidence" and "anthropology," and have put them to good use already in their group activities and frequent classroom experimentation. This week alone, the 3rd graders tested the amount of energy transfer that occurs in a collision with ramps and toy cars, the lower grades experimented with the amounts of friction found between the floor and different types of shoe soles, and the upper grades created a solution to discover whether or not dissolving solids, or changing their state of matter, will change their mass. Camp Learn-A-Lot is quickly becoming an essential tool for the next generation of up and coming scientists. 

Upcoming Events:

• Wednesday, August 5th: Field Trip to Yankee Air Museum from 10:15am to 1:25pm (5th graders only)
• Wednesday, August 12th: Field Trip to the Henry Ford from 9:00am to 1:25pm (All students)
• Wednesday, August 19th: Splatter Day - please bring swimming gear AND Science Showcase/BBQ for Parents from 5:00pm to 6:00pm 
• Thursday, August 20th: Field Trip to Turtle Cove from 10:30am to 1:25pm - please bring swimming gear AND Last Day of the Program

Thank you for reading, and please join us next week for information and important updates, posted every other day during the school week. The weekly newsletter will also be sent home every Monday.

Camp Learn-A-Lot Week 2 - July 28th, 2015

Camp Learn-A-Lot Week 2: The CSI Team Ventures Out

The Hands-On Museum

It is yet another busy and beautiful week at Romulus Community Schools' Camp Learn-A-Lot. Bright and early this past Monday morning, the entire school was buzzing with excitement, preparing to take a trip to Ann Arbor's Hands-on Museum.

The campers, proudly representing Romulus in their maroon and white camp shirts, had a blast traveling through the different layers of the museum. Four floors of interactive stations allowed students to learn about and experiment with concepts of physics, geology, math, music, technology, and characteristics of light.

The super sleuths investigated how to launch a rocket with pressurized air, the workings of simple and complex machines, how light and sound travels in waves, and how refraction bends and distorts images. I doubt our campers realized all they were learning - they were having too much fun! Among our students' favorite exhibits were the Country Store, a peak into life in the 1930s, Pure Michigan, a collection of samples of fish and rock native to our area, tornado building, and of course, the water floor. Overall, a successful trip of fun, adventure, and knowledge.

                                                Business As Usual

Back in the classroom, and back to business, our students are continuing their learning journey with frequent experimentation, group activity, and work with sight words. For the first two weeks, focus will be placed on the sight words, common words appropriate for grade level, and the last few weeks of the program will be dedicated to math facts. And, as always, Camp Learn-A-Lot's kids are having a great time under the summer sun while they learn. This week's "Village" stations so far have included musical chairs, limbo, frisbee, and an agility course. 

                                       For Parents and Guardians

A newsletter was sent home with your student detailing the activities of the first week of camp and more, and also included a calendar on the last page. Please review the upcoming events detailed in this newsletter and continue to go over the materials sent home with your student every day. As well, Wednesday, July 29th is a "Splash" day, formally known as "Wacky Water Day," so please send your child to school with a swim suit or an extra pair of dry clothes.

Camp Learn-A-Lot 2015: Just The Beginning

Camp Learn-A-Lot 2015: Just The Beginning

Overall

Welcome teachers, students, and parents, to another wonderful summer of fun and adventure at Romulus Community Schools' Camp Learn-A-Lot! Following 2014's "superhero" spectacular, this year's camp will belong to the super sleuths. Our theme is CSI--for Camp Science Investigators--and both student and teacher will journey through the world of scientific investigation and inquiry. Campers will examine scientific principles such as matter, the energy of motion, and velocity with the eye of a crime scene examiner, as well as learn the terminology of those in the criminal justice profession, all the while having loads of fun too. Students can look forward to regularly scheduled "Village" time, Wacky Water Days, and field trips to places that excite and engage. It's shaping up to be an amazing year of summer camp!

Training Week

Beginning the week of July 13th, teachers and tutors alike began their training to become the ultimate "Camp Science Investigation" team. The staff were busy unpacking supplies, decorating the hallways according to theme, and preparing classrooms for our brilliant students. The focal point of the teachers' training was the curriculum, which focuses upon vital skills such as identifying key words or "sight words," and math facts, but has also been re-vamped to encompass the theme and hands-on learning experiences. Concurrently, the tutors learned how to play games such as "Splat!," "Tri-Facta," and "I sea 10" to share with the kids and help them improve their basic math and English skills. The Camp Learn-A-Lot teachers and tutors are now ready and excited for the students to arrive, so the educational journey can begin.

First Week of Camp

The sun has shined brightly on the first days of Camp Learn-A-Lot at Wick Elementary, not only in weather, but in mood. Students arrived ready to learn, were escorted by our tutors to enjoy a healthy breakfast in the cafeteria, and sang along to the camp theme song--a remix of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger"--during the morning meeting. The principal of the program, Mrs. Johnson, and lead teacher Ms. Dickson, led the assembly to prepare and excite the students for class. The first portion of class has been dedicated purely to instructional time with math, English, and science, however, along with required pre-testing and math/English review, has been engaging group experimentation. Science kits have been ordered and delivered, and our campers are putting them to good use. Throughout the halls, you'll see students measuring the distance a toy car travels down a ramp to study velocity. You will see 5th graders investigating matter with balloons and the mixing of liquid and solid components. You'll also see children using their critical thinking skills to build a slingshot, or other structure, from a random assortment of items, with their teammates. And after a delicious lunch served by Camp's excellent staff, our campers enjoy "Village,": a time to unwind and have fun with classmates. Activities so far have consisted of volleyball, soccer, kick-ball, musical chairs, crafts, Legos, and many more. One would not be surprised to find student and staff engaged in a playful tug-of-war, or enjoying a game of catch with one another. It's been but a few days, and already the campers love their teachers and tutors. Each day a new set of stations are assembled, and each day is more creative and more incredible fun, than the last. And on a more informative note, parents of campers should also be aware of a few important documents that have been sent home with your student, including an emergency card and transportation information. Please review the materials and return the emergency information to the school as soon as possible. Thank you for reading, and I will see you next week with a new installment of Camp Learn-A-Lot news!