For the second year in a row, Reading Camp volunteers are Wrapping at Amazon!
Do you like to wrap packages? Would you like to join us? Last year Reading Camp raised over $1,000 from volunteers wrapping at Amazon and we're hoping to increase on that goal this year.
Amazon.com pays Reading Camp for all packages wrapped by Reading Camp volunteers at the Amazon.com Warehouse during our two shifts of wrapping (8:30am to 12:30pm and 2pm to 6pm) on Monday, December 22.
Would you like to join us and wrap packages for Reading Camp with your holiday spirit?!
We have shift leaders for the morning and afternoon shifts and we have several spots open for package wrappers. There's an Amazon.com system for wrapping packages and it's pretty simple!
Please email the Executive Director of Reading Camp, Bungee Bynum, at readingcamp AT diolex.org to sign up to wrap.
*UPDATE - December 17*
We have 7 spots still available in the morning and afternoon shifts on December 22. Can you join us?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Reading Camp newsletter
In October this year, Reading Camp volunteers began publishing a quarterly newsletter. It's one page and contains our most recent news, a brief story about Reading Camp, the volunteer spotlight and a couple other small tidbits.
Did you receive one? Would you like to receive one by email?
The next edition comes out in December. Would you like to receive a copy and stay updated on all that's happening with Reading Camp?
Fill out the brief form below and click submit.
You'll be kept in touch with all Reading Camp communication.
Did you receive one? Would you like to receive one by email?
The next edition comes out in December. Would you like to receive a copy and stay updated on all that's happening with Reading Camp?
Fill out the brief form below and click submit.
You'll be kept in touch with all Reading Camp communication.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Five days to make a difference
by Vibh Forsythe
Reading Camp is a fantastic experience, I recommend it to almost anybody I meet. I say almost anybody because although it is a wholly rewarding experience, Reading Camp takes a special kind of commitment.
The most amazing thing, I think, to understand about Reading Camp is how quickly you become utterly invested in the lives of the children with whom you work. You start to take personally every hurtful comment of every eight year old to another, every incident of neglect on the part of teachers, staff and other counselors. In the environment of Reading Camp it can feel like a personal failure if your campers don’t get swim time.
It may initially strike the casual observer as over-investment. It is not. This is exactly the level of commitment required from a Reading Camp counselor. Once you understand the background of your campers and the kinds of lives they have lead before coming to you, your perspective changes. It is no longer a question whether you will remain silent about a wet bed and secretly change the sheets before they come back without any need for acknowledgement. You don’t think twice about giving up your flashlight so they can stay up and disturb your sleep. You’ll pull up as many chairs as are necessary so that anybody who wants to can sit at your table. You end up wanting to give them everything you know they don’t have at home.
Many of these campers have encountered more adversity in their lives than we the counselors and the staff are even prepared to hear about. Poverty, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect and the list continues. It begins to hurt when you hear where they are coming from and what, in five days, you will be expected to send them back to face. It hurts even worse when they beg you at the end of the week “Please don’t make me go home”. All you can do is commit yourself fully to those five days.
So you don’t hold it against them when they can’t read. You walk the mile back to the cabin when they forget to change their shoes for the hike, you sleep on the floor next to their beds so the ghosts won’t eat them, you walk them to the nurse at 2 am and then back to your cabin to clean up vomit, because this is it, its all you can do. This is the five days you can make a difference to someone who may never before have had effort put forth on their behalf.
Reading Camp is a chance to give these kids something they haven’t been given. Something they clearly need in their lives. That’s why it is camp and not 15 hours of intensive tutoring. These kids need things that we as counselors have to be prepared to give. It may be as simple as attention, or you may be asked to substitute the loving discipline they don’t get at home. Don’t smother them. Don’t make assumptions. Let the rest of the world do that. Give them what they haven’t had. Give them a chance to show you who they are. Work together with them to find out what they are capable of. And in the end, appreciate who they have made you.
Vibh Forsythe is veteran Reading Camp counselor who was a part of the first South African Reading Camp this past summer in Grahamstown, South Africa. She is a member of The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Lexington, Kentucky and is a graduate student at Ohio State University
-
Reading Camp is a fantastic experience, I recommend it to almost anybody I meet. I say almost anybody because although it is a wholly rewarding experience, Reading Camp takes a special kind of commitment.
The most amazing thing, I think, to understand about Reading Camp is how quickly you become utterly invested in the lives of the children with whom you work. You start to take personally every hurtful comment of every eight year old to another, every incident of neglect on the part of teachers, staff and other counselors. In the environment of Reading Camp it can feel like a personal failure if your campers don’t get swim time.
It may initially strike the casual observer as over-investment. It is not. This is exactly the level of commitment required from a Reading Camp counselor. Once you understand the background of your campers and the kinds of lives they have lead before coming to you, your perspective changes. It is no longer a question whether you will remain silent about a wet bed and secretly change the sheets before they come back without any need for acknowledgement. You don’t think twice about giving up your flashlight so they can stay up and disturb your sleep. You’ll pull up as many chairs as are necessary so that anybody who wants to can sit at your table. You end up wanting to give them everything you know they don’t have at home.
Many of these campers have encountered more adversity in their lives than we the counselors and the staff are even prepared to hear about. Poverty, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect and the list continues. It begins to hurt when you hear where they are coming from and what, in five days, you will be expected to send them back to face. It hurts even worse when they beg you at the end of the week “Please don’t make me go home”. All you can do is commit yourself fully to those five days.
So you don’t hold it against them when they can’t read. You walk the mile back to the cabin when they forget to change their shoes for the hike, you sleep on the floor next to their beds so the ghosts won’t eat them, you walk them to the nurse at 2 am and then back to your cabin to clean up vomit, because this is it, its all you can do. This is the five days you can make a difference to someone who may never before have had effort put forth on their behalf.
Reading Camp is a chance to give these kids something they haven’t been given. Something they clearly need in their lives. That’s why it is camp and not 15 hours of intensive tutoring. These kids need things that we as counselors have to be prepared to give. It may be as simple as attention, or you may be asked to substitute the loving discipline they don’t get at home. Don’t smother them. Don’t make assumptions. Let the rest of the world do that. Give them what they haven’t had. Give them a chance to show you who they are. Work together with them to find out what they are capable of. And in the end, appreciate who they have made you.
Vibh Forsythe is veteran Reading Camp counselor who was a part of the first South African Reading Camp this past summer in Grahamstown, South Africa. She is a member of The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Lexington, Kentucky and is a graduate student at Ohio State University
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Saturday, October 4, 2008
Reading Camp in ... Iowa!
Many people who know of Reading Camp in the Diocese of Lexington know that Reading Camp has been going strong here for many years. After beginning our first Reading Camp in 2002, volunteers supported six Reading Camps this summer in the state of Kentucky.
Through this blog, through other publicity and through the gracious support of many Reading Camp volunteers, you might also know that Reading Camp expanded this summer for the first time overseas. The first South African Reading Camp was a rousing success.
However, many people don't know that Reading Camp is already going strong in Iowa. Iowa? How did that happen? Yes, check out this article through the Episcopal News Service to read all about the Reading Camp connection through Christ Episcopal Church and Coe College in Iowa.
Wherever Reading Camp goes...Kentucky, South, Africa, Iowa - Reading Rocks!
***Updated, October 4 - This article also appeared in the October 2008 print edition of Episcopal Life monthly. If you would like to see pdf versions of the print articles, please email Bungee at the Reading Camp office at readingcamp AT diolex.org
Through this blog, through other publicity and through the gracious support of many Reading Camp volunteers, you might also know that Reading Camp expanded this summer for the first time overseas. The first South African Reading Camp was a rousing success.
However, many people don't know that Reading Camp is already going strong in Iowa. Iowa? How did that happen? Yes, check out this article through the Episcopal News Service to read all about the Reading Camp connection through Christ Episcopal Church and Coe College in Iowa.
Wherever Reading Camp goes...Kentucky, South, Africa, Iowa - Reading Rocks!
***Updated, October 4 - This article also appeared in the October 2008 print edition of Episcopal Life monthly. If you would like to see pdf versions of the print articles, please email Bungee at the Reading Camp office at readingcamp AT diolex.org
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Support Reading Camp… and maybe win a new car?
Would you like to sell raffle tickets to support Reading Camp?
Money raised from last year’s raffle of a new Toyota vehicle covered the entire cost of one week of Reading Camp. Tickets sell for $10 with $8 of every ticket going directly to support the mission of Reading Camp.
This year the raffle again will offer a new Toyota Camry, Venza, or $18,000 cash through the Scott County High School Athletic Department Toyota Classic Basketball Tournament.
So if you sell 38 tickets, you have raised enough money to sponsor one child for a day Reading Camp ($300).
If you can sell 63 tickets, income from your sales will sponsor one child to attend an overnight Reading Camp ($500).
Purchase a raffle tickets or sign-up to sell raffle tickets at your church, business, neighborhood, or school by contacting Mary Jane Amick of St. Martha’s, Lexington at readingcampraffle@gmail.com
If you don’t want to sell tickets, and just would like to buy some tickets for your family (for stocking stuffers?) and friends, also contact Mary Jane.
Thank you for your help in supporting the mission of Reading Camp!
Money raised from last year’s raffle of a new Toyota vehicle covered the entire cost of one week of Reading Camp. Tickets sell for $10 with $8 of every ticket going directly to support the mission of Reading Camp.
This year the raffle again will offer a new Toyota Camry, Venza, or $18,000 cash through the Scott County High School Athletic Department Toyota Classic Basketball Tournament.
So if you sell 38 tickets, you have raised enough money to sponsor one child for a day Reading Camp ($300).
If you can sell 63 tickets, income from your sales will sponsor one child to attend an overnight Reading Camp ($500).
Purchase a raffle tickets or sign-up to sell raffle tickets at your church, business, neighborhood, or school by contacting Mary Jane Amick of St. Martha’s, Lexington at readingcampraffle@gmail.com
If you don’t want to sell tickets, and just would like to buy some tickets for your family (for stocking stuffers?) and friends, also contact Mary Jane.
Thank you for your help in supporting the mission of Reading Camp!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Don't we get to READ this morning?
By Mary Jane Amick
Each evening of South African Reading Camp, we gathered in the Chapel. Bishop Sauls began conversation by asking children and adults, “Where did you see God today?” This is what my Holy Glimpses will describe.
I first saw God in South Africa Reading Camp over a year ago when I met the “Grahamstown Four,” Hilton Adonis, Bro. Daniel Ludik, Kary McConnachie and Ntombekaya Myeki, and they described their resolve and their faith that the children of Grahamstown’s townships would receive the benefits of Reading Camp. And, as appropriate upon glimpsing the face of God, I was startled and even a bit fearful, by the quick realization that this meeting was, in some yet unknown way, going to change my life. The path and journey to South Africa was intensely personal for each of the participants, perhaps in a way most of us hadn’t anticipated.
I saw God immediately upon arrival at the Camp site when, within minutes of meeting, the South African counselors and their Kentucky counterparts, Drew Eclov, Connor Egan and Vibh Forsythe, began sharing music and teaching each other their own songs. This joyous and spontaneous interaction led to immediate and strong cross-cultural bonding. God sings, plays the drum and dances with joyous abandon!
I watched God in Ginger, an original birther and nourisher of Reading Camp, as she became its grandparent, contentedly letting the next generation take over. While generously offering her wisdom when asked, otherwise she enjoyed playing with and reading to the young ones. What better model than our Maker at setting a beautiful creation in motion and then stepping back and letting it grow?
Traveling by van into the townships with Kary to pick up the campers, I saw God over and over in the faces of neighbors and extended family members gathered along the dirt roads awaiting our arrival, the numbers increasing as we neared each house. The whole township was excited by and invested in the adventure their children were about to begin. God was clearly seen in the amazing courage of the mamas and grannies who, though a bit fearful and uncertain, took giant leaps of faith and packed off their precious little ones (most of whom had never spent a night away from home before) wanting this opportunity for their children. God reaches out for and gathers the little children with love and tender care.
The van at first was very quiet, with little bodies slunk down in seats and uncertainty the emotion of the moment. Slowly, voices strengthened and little ones sat taller in their seats as they met us and each other. Smiles widened and minds opened as they laughed genially at my efforts to pronounce all their Xhosa names correctly, trying to get all the clicks just right. God has a wonderful sense of humor!
It is impossible not to compare and contrast cultures and values to some degree in this type experience. In Kentucky, the day before Reading Camp often finds camp directors calling to remind all the children and families that camp begins tomorrow and even then we have spots go untaken as some forget or decide at the last minute not to participate. The saddest duty of the South African staff the first day was to call the children on the waiting list, each packed and hopeful, to tell them there was not a place for them this year as every child invited was attending. Instead of Kary calling to remind campers, we heard God in the multiple phone calls we received from mamas and even some campers as we drove: “Today’s the day isn’t it? Are you coming? How soon will you be here? You haven’t forgotten me, have you??”
The concentration and determination of the children as they immediately immersed themselves in the Reading Center activities was impressive. They moved quietly and quickly between centers, not wanting to miss a moment of the fun. Brother Timothy, abbot at our South African partner in Reading Camp, the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery, described seeing the face of God one morning in the form of little Cheslyn. Greeting all the children as they came in for breakfast, he said to Cheslyn, “You must be so excited…you get to go to the Game Reserve this morning and see all the animals!” Instead of the happy, anticipatory response he expected, Bro. Timothy said Cheslyn instead looked crestfallen and asked sadly “But what about the Centers? Don’t we get to READ this morning?” Cheslyn was assured that he would go to some of the centers before we left and the rest when we returned, and that not one moment’s reading would be lost. Amen. Alleluia.
I saw God’s face in the transformations in all the children, but several examples must be shared. Sivenathi came to us very quiet and uncertain, especially socially. She sustained third degree burns on her entire face and both hands as a very small child, and from the moment we picked her up in the bus on Sunday you could see how tentative she was...”will I fit in?...will I be accepted?” It was such a joy to watch her open up over the week, discovering that only momentarily did anyone even notice her scars, and that everyone was able to accept her exactly as she is and see all of her beauty. By Tuesday before lunch she was laughing out loud with her new friends and then joined in with the boys in a game of rugby...and certainly held her own. Delivering Sivenathi back home was heart wrenching, as perhaps more with her than any of the others, Kary and I sensed real and present danger in her environment. We couldn’t help but wonder and fear what awaited her that day and what tomorrow would bring. The following day we received an unexpectedly joyous answer. Having left some materials out of the children’s packets, we returned to all their homes to deliver them. No one, of course, knew we were coming and we weren’t even in the car Kary usually drives, so it was total surprise. We found Sivenathi outside her house in her Kentucky sweatshirt and KY blue ball cap. Sivenathi waved with a huge smile when she saw us. As we drove away she was surrounded by other children and was proudly showing them her things and explaining what they were to an obviously impressed audience.
I received this message from Kary recently: “Just wanted to share with you that Sivenathi’s principal is over the moon about the effects Reading Camp has had on her!! She is apparently bursting with confidence and is becoming a real little leader amongst her fellow pupils.”
Little Siyanda has a beautiful face that is full of curiosity, but at the same time, hesitance. I saw him a number of times at camp as he arrived with a serious cut on his foot from stepping on a glass bottle. This had happened over a week before, but was far from healed. I would imagine 20 or more stitches would have been used had he been to an Emergency Room. During a night hike he accidentally stepped in a large (and cold) puddle and walked all the way back without complaint, but was later seen crying. His foot was icy cold and the cut was burning; he hadn’t wanted to miss out on anything, so he stuck it out, even though it must have hurt badly. I saw the transformation overnight from the saddest little face as we cleaned and re-bandaged, to one of complete involvement and sheer joy, laughing at the wonderful puppet show put on for the children after lunch the next day.
Nolovuyo arrived at Camp with a real hesitance to express herself in written English. The third morning we had a visiting teacher whom Nolovuyo had never met. As Kary was showing the teacher around she asked if Nolovuyo would like to show Rosario her journal. Nolovuyo at first said “No!” with what Kary interpreted as total reluctance; she soon realized her mistake. Nolovuyo was extremely excited about what she had done in the writing station earlier and THAT was what she very much wanted to share, enthusiastically, both with Kary and even with someone she didn’t know. This was an amazing transformation in this little girl.
Similarly, Charmaine came running to me at full speed right before lunch one day to ask if they were going to do painting soon. I told her that I thought they would be painting again the next day. Immediately she launched excitedly into a story about something she had read that morning, ending her tale with “But Mary Jane, I have to paint it NOW!!” Arrangements were made, of course, and you can imagine my surprise and absolute delight when later that afternoon she presented her paintings to me as a gift. God is a beautiful artist named Charmaine whose work I will see on my walls forever.
We will all, of course, know more later as we receive reports and see how these transformations continue, but there are 18 such stories of the changes in each of the children, and as always, just as much joy and transformation in the adults who were been blessed to have been there and saw, over and over, the face of God in them.
I’ll close with an experience from the last night in Chapel. All the children were gathered around listening intently to tales from the Bible told by Stacy about God’s complete love for and need for them, for all children, each and every one of them. I watched as every child, even those in big bodies, smiled quietly with delight as they envisioned this wonderful truth:”On the day you were born, all the angels sang for joy!” May all these little ones always have that absolute knowledge and the confidence to continue the transformations we saw begun in one short week of Reading Camp. And may we all be blessed with such Holy Glimpses to strengthen and transform our lives as well.
Nurse Mary Jane Amick is a member of St. Martha's, Lexington and is a member of the Reading Camp Steering Committee.
*This article first appeared in the September 2008 edition of the Advocate.
Each evening of South African Reading Camp, we gathered in the Chapel. Bishop Sauls began conversation by asking children and adults, “Where did you see God today?” This is what my Holy Glimpses will describe.
I first saw God in South Africa Reading Camp over a year ago when I met the “Grahamstown Four,” Hilton Adonis, Bro. Daniel Ludik, Kary McConnachie and Ntombekaya Myeki, and they described their resolve and their faith that the children of Grahamstown’s townships would receive the benefits of Reading Camp. And, as appropriate upon glimpsing the face of God, I was startled and even a bit fearful, by the quick realization that this meeting was, in some yet unknown way, going to change my life. The path and journey to South Africa was intensely personal for each of the participants, perhaps in a way most of us hadn’t anticipated.
I saw God immediately upon arrival at the Camp site when, within minutes of meeting, the South African counselors and their Kentucky counterparts, Drew Eclov, Connor Egan and Vibh Forsythe, began sharing music and teaching each other their own songs. This joyous and spontaneous interaction led to immediate and strong cross-cultural bonding. God sings, plays the drum and dances with joyous abandon!
I watched God in Ginger, an original birther and nourisher of Reading Camp, as she became its grandparent, contentedly letting the next generation take over. While generously offering her wisdom when asked, otherwise she enjoyed playing with and reading to the young ones. What better model than our Maker at setting a beautiful creation in motion and then stepping back and letting it grow?
Traveling by van into the townships with Kary to pick up the campers, I saw God over and over in the faces of neighbors and extended family members gathered along the dirt roads awaiting our arrival, the numbers increasing as we neared each house. The whole township was excited by and invested in the adventure their children were about to begin. God was clearly seen in the amazing courage of the mamas and grannies who, though a bit fearful and uncertain, took giant leaps of faith and packed off their precious little ones (most of whom had never spent a night away from home before) wanting this opportunity for their children. God reaches out for and gathers the little children with love and tender care.
The van at first was very quiet, with little bodies slunk down in seats and uncertainty the emotion of the moment. Slowly, voices strengthened and little ones sat taller in their seats as they met us and each other. Smiles widened and minds opened as they laughed genially at my efforts to pronounce all their Xhosa names correctly, trying to get all the clicks just right. God has a wonderful sense of humor!
It is impossible not to compare and contrast cultures and values to some degree in this type experience. In Kentucky, the day before Reading Camp often finds camp directors calling to remind all the children and families that camp begins tomorrow and even then we have spots go untaken as some forget or decide at the last minute not to participate. The saddest duty of the South African staff the first day was to call the children on the waiting list, each packed and hopeful, to tell them there was not a place for them this year as every child invited was attending. Instead of Kary calling to remind campers, we heard God in the multiple phone calls we received from mamas and even some campers as we drove: “Today’s the day isn’t it? Are you coming? How soon will you be here? You haven’t forgotten me, have you??”
The concentration and determination of the children as they immediately immersed themselves in the Reading Center activities was impressive. They moved quietly and quickly between centers, not wanting to miss a moment of the fun. Brother Timothy, abbot at our South African partner in Reading Camp, the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery, described seeing the face of God one morning in the form of little Cheslyn. Greeting all the children as they came in for breakfast, he said to Cheslyn, “You must be so excited…you get to go to the Game Reserve this morning and see all the animals!” Instead of the happy, anticipatory response he expected, Bro. Timothy said Cheslyn instead looked crestfallen and asked sadly “But what about the Centers? Don’t we get to READ this morning?” Cheslyn was assured that he would go to some of the centers before we left and the rest when we returned, and that not one moment’s reading would be lost. Amen. Alleluia.
I saw God’s face in the transformations in all the children, but several examples must be shared. Sivenathi came to us very quiet and uncertain, especially socially. She sustained third degree burns on her entire face and both hands as a very small child, and from the moment we picked her up in the bus on Sunday you could see how tentative she was...”will I fit in?...will I be accepted?” It was such a joy to watch her open up over the week, discovering that only momentarily did anyone even notice her scars, and that everyone was able to accept her exactly as she is and see all of her beauty. By Tuesday before lunch she was laughing out loud with her new friends and then joined in with the boys in a game of rugby...and certainly held her own. Delivering Sivenathi back home was heart wrenching, as perhaps more with her than any of the others, Kary and I sensed real and present danger in her environment. We couldn’t help but wonder and fear what awaited her that day and what tomorrow would bring. The following day we received an unexpectedly joyous answer. Having left some materials out of the children’s packets, we returned to all their homes to deliver them. No one, of course, knew we were coming and we weren’t even in the car Kary usually drives, so it was total surprise. We found Sivenathi outside her house in her Kentucky sweatshirt and KY blue ball cap. Sivenathi waved with a huge smile when she saw us. As we drove away she was surrounded by other children and was proudly showing them her things and explaining what they were to an obviously impressed audience.
I received this message from Kary recently: “Just wanted to share with you that Sivenathi’s principal is over the moon about the effects Reading Camp has had on her!! She is apparently bursting with confidence and is becoming a real little leader amongst her fellow pupils.”
Little Siyanda has a beautiful face that is full of curiosity, but at the same time, hesitance. I saw him a number of times at camp as he arrived with a serious cut on his foot from stepping on a glass bottle. This had happened over a week before, but was far from healed. I would imagine 20 or more stitches would have been used had he been to an Emergency Room. During a night hike he accidentally stepped in a large (and cold) puddle and walked all the way back without complaint, but was later seen crying. His foot was icy cold and the cut was burning; he hadn’t wanted to miss out on anything, so he stuck it out, even though it must have hurt badly. I saw the transformation overnight from the saddest little face as we cleaned and re-bandaged, to one of complete involvement and sheer joy, laughing at the wonderful puppet show put on for the children after lunch the next day.
Nolovuyo arrived at Camp with a real hesitance to express herself in written English. The third morning we had a visiting teacher whom Nolovuyo had never met. As Kary was showing the teacher around she asked if Nolovuyo would like to show Rosario her journal. Nolovuyo at first said “No!” with what Kary interpreted as total reluctance; she soon realized her mistake. Nolovuyo was extremely excited about what she had done in the writing station earlier and THAT was what she very much wanted to share, enthusiastically, both with Kary and even with someone she didn’t know. This was an amazing transformation in this little girl.
Similarly, Charmaine came running to me at full speed right before lunch one day to ask if they were going to do painting soon. I told her that I thought they would be painting again the next day. Immediately she launched excitedly into a story about something she had read that morning, ending her tale with “But Mary Jane, I have to paint it NOW!!” Arrangements were made, of course, and you can imagine my surprise and absolute delight when later that afternoon she presented her paintings to me as a gift. God is a beautiful artist named Charmaine whose work I will see on my walls forever.
We will all, of course, know more later as we receive reports and see how these transformations continue, but there are 18 such stories of the changes in each of the children, and as always, just as much joy and transformation in the adults who were been blessed to have been there and saw, over and over, the face of God in them.
I’ll close with an experience from the last night in Chapel. All the children were gathered around listening intently to tales from the Bible told by Stacy about God’s complete love for and need for them, for all children, each and every one of them. I watched as every child, even those in big bodies, smiled quietly with delight as they envisioned this wonderful truth:”On the day you were born, all the angels sang for joy!” May all these little ones always have that absolute knowledge and the confidence to continue the transformations we saw begun in one short week of Reading Camp. And may we all be blessed with such Holy Glimpses to strengthen and transform our lives as well.
Nurse Mary Jane Amick is a member of St. Martha's, Lexington and is a member of the Reading Camp Steering Committee.
*This article first appeared in the September 2008 edition of the Advocate.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Reading Camp Experience for Teachers
The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown and the brothers at the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery (OHC) partnered together for the first overseas Reading Camp this past July in Grahamstown, South Africa. This is a series of post-camp blog posts from Kary McConnachie, one of the volunteer directors of that camp. Four Kentuckian experienced Reading Camp volunteers (Mary Jane Amick, Connor Egan, Drew Eclov, and Vibh Forsythe) joined Bishop Stacy Sauls and his wife, Ginger Sauls, joined with the Grahamstownians to make a Reading Rock in Grahamstown. Other posts about the South African Reading Camp are available here.
Wow! We did it again. On Saturday, 13 September 2008, we organized a day for teachers to get to experience what Reading Camp is all about. We had approached all 10 schools whose children had participated in the July Reading Camp. 7 schools responded and on the actual day 23 out of 24 teachers arrived at the Kuyasa School Hall ready to have fun and be inspired. We had every station set up just as we had at the Reading Camp and the teachers were divided into groups of 3’s and 4’s (mostly according to the grades that they teach). Then the stations began: every teacher had games ready, tips for implementing the lessons, worksheets to do and take home and new ideas for teaching in the classroom.
It was an amazing sight to see: shoes were kicked off, people were lying or sitting comfortably at the stations in next to no time. Even though the weather was incredibly hot and the room was almost unbearable, no one wanted to stop or leave early.
At the end of the 6 stations time, we all had a delicious lunch prepared once again by Marian and assisted by Tembisa. Sistembiso had helped to set up a restaurant in one of the classrooms and everyone was so relaxed and cheerful. We had some time for extra questions to the station leaders before the next round of activities.
To challenge our teacher delegates we set up an art class and an occupational therapy class. Most arrived at the art class stating that they could not do the activity – half an hour later they were all delighted with their lions they had painted. At the OT class they said they were too stiff – again half an hour later most had tried the exercises and were very pleased with their newfound knowledge. At the wrap-up session many expressed the wish for many more of these workshops for teachers as they had felt inspired and energized by the day. They loved the way we stayed away from theory and had given them practical experiences. There is an enormous amount of work waiting to happen here. We are getting the sense that Grahamstown teachers are beginning to take the opportunities that are coming their way and wanting to improve the lot of their learners. Somehow I have a deep faith that we will be able to provide them with the inspiration that will help them to take back the enthusiasm they lost during the past few years while “new systems” have been tried out unsuccessfully.
Most of all we realize that there is a huge need to get books into these schools as soon as possible – to help everyone to foster a love of reading.
Interestingly we found that many of these teachers who attended the day with us, did not seem to enjoy reading English very much. The question arises: do they read at all at home? I sincerely want to change this state of affairs – anyone out there feel the same? Lets all start collecting books and then we will run more workshops to encourage reading from the top to the bottom – or perhaps our Reading Campers will even inspire their teachers to get back to reading!!! Now there is a powerful thought if ever there was one.
READING ROCKS!
With best wishes to everyone involved with Reading Camps
Kary McConnachie
Wow! We did it again. On Saturday, 13 September 2008, we organized a day for teachers to get to experience what Reading Camp is all about. We had approached all 10 schools whose children had participated in the July Reading Camp. 7 schools responded and on the actual day 23 out of 24 teachers arrived at the Kuyasa School Hall ready to have fun and be inspired. We had every station set up just as we had at the Reading Camp and the teachers were divided into groups of 3’s and 4’s (mostly according to the grades that they teach). Then the stations began: every teacher had games ready, tips for implementing the lessons, worksheets to do and take home and new ideas for teaching in the classroom.
It was an amazing sight to see: shoes were kicked off, people were lying or sitting comfortably at the stations in next to no time. Even though the weather was incredibly hot and the room was almost unbearable, no one wanted to stop or leave early.
At the end of the 6 stations time, we all had a delicious lunch prepared once again by Marian and assisted by Tembisa. Sistembiso had helped to set up a restaurant in one of the classrooms and everyone was so relaxed and cheerful. We had some time for extra questions to the station leaders before the next round of activities.
To challenge our teacher delegates we set up an art class and an occupational therapy class. Most arrived at the art class stating that they could not do the activity – half an hour later they were all delighted with their lions they had painted. At the OT class they said they were too stiff – again half an hour later most had tried the exercises and were very pleased with their newfound knowledge. At the wrap-up session many expressed the wish for many more of these workshops for teachers as they had felt inspired and energized by the day. They loved the way we stayed away from theory and had given them practical experiences. There is an enormous amount of work waiting to happen here. We are getting the sense that Grahamstown teachers are beginning to take the opportunities that are coming their way and wanting to improve the lot of their learners. Somehow I have a deep faith that we will be able to provide them with the inspiration that will help them to take back the enthusiasm they lost during the past few years while “new systems” have been tried out unsuccessfully.
Most of all we realize that there is a huge need to get books into these schools as soon as possible – to help everyone to foster a love of reading.
Interestingly we found that many of these teachers who attended the day with us, did not seem to enjoy reading English very much. The question arises: do they read at all at home? I sincerely want to change this state of affairs – anyone out there feel the same? Lets all start collecting books and then we will run more workshops to encourage reading from the top to the bottom – or perhaps our Reading Campers will even inspire their teachers to get back to reading!!! Now there is a powerful thought if ever there was one.
READING ROCKS!
With best wishes to everyone involved with Reading Camps
Kary McConnachie
Saturday, September 27, 2008
South Africa Reading Camp rest of camp report
The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown and the brothers at the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery (OHC) partnered together for the first overseas Reading Camp this past July in Grahamstown, South Africa. This is a series of post-camp blog posts from Kary McConnachie, one of the volunteer directors of that camp. Four Kentuckian experienced Reading Camp volunteers (Mary Jane Amick, Connor Egan, Drew Eclov, and Vibh Forsythe) joined Bishop Stacy Sauls and his wife, Ginger Sauls, joined with the Grahamstownians to make a Reading Rock in Grahamstown. Other posts about the South African Reading Camp are available here.
Monday 7th – Friday 11th July: Our routine kicked in bright and early on Monday morning with breakfast, followed by singing, movement and games (while station leaders got organized) and then the work/fun started at the stations with lions roaring or elephants trumpeting to signal the changeovers. At 12h15 the campers streamed outside to play table-tennis or volley ball or finger board or tried their hand at drumming. Lunch was most welcome and then came an interesting instruction: choose a book from the pleasure reading corner and go and lie down on your bed and read! This was a whole new concept, but by the end of the week some of the campers were choosing up to 3 books and loving the time.
Our special visiting author was Gcina Mhlope – a storyteller of note, well known TV personality and author of many books. Basil Mills just about kidnapped her from the schools arts festival where she was a keynote speaker, to join us for an hour. Her time with us was magical and she made a deep impression on the children. Basil Mills gave us so much to experience on the hikes he organized, the obstacle course we all tried to do on his farm, his warthog, Pumba” and of course “Monty” the python who challenged many a fear in us……… Basil asked Stacy why Monty was given such a bad press over the years!!! ……..and then Basil also helped us create amazing animals out of clay and his son Warren helped with drawing lessons. Basil and Warren also managed to squeeze in a self defence course which gave the campers confidence in themselves. Sarah Jackson inspired many a budding artist and Elisma Hallier had the campers (including the amazed boys) create patchwork pencil bags. A game drive in the Kariega Game Reserve was a real highlight for many – Noluvuyo was so unperturbed by it all she even managed to hop off the landrover and “visit the bathroom” right next to a resting rhinoceros much to the dumbstruck amazement of the game ranger. There was even time for a puppet show during one of the afternoon sessions.
Our afternoon activities always calmed down around 17h00 with journal writing in the hall. Every adult was asked to be present to be walking dictionaries and generally encourage the children to express themselves as all of them were doing this in their second language. On Monday there were only stilted sentences, but by Thursday evening words were just pouring out of some of them. When the journals were packed away, we all gathered in the Chapel for our message of the day from Stacy. There was always such joy in the singing and eager anticipation for the next message. Just think about it – these campers were listening to someone who was not speaking their mother tongue and to top it all had a strange accent, but so many got every word of those messages and even told their families once they got home.
Suppertime was fun and enjoyable and was followed by fireside or campfire storytelling by Basil (depending on the weather) , or games in the hall, or a dramatized animal story with a moral (those counselors were incredible actors),and yes we even had “smores”. Bedtime had its own interesting stories: Sineliswe who so loved to shower Sarah would have to get wet to get her out (she does not have such a thing at home). And then of course the bedtime story: we chose Gcina Mhlope’s “African Tales” and read a different story each night. Tired but happy little campers then drifted off to dreamland……….except one night when Connor’s crew decided to get up at 4am!!! They were ready to face the challenges of the new day by 04h30. Connor was impressed at how meekly they got back into bed when he pointed out that it was still night time. Mary Jane did not have too many mishaps. The one evening Noluvuyo tried to take on the boys and got winded quite badly and we thought she may have something serious as she was not recovering from sitting on Mary Jane’s lap at all …………and then it dawned on us……….. that lap was just the best place in the world and admitting to only being slightly injured would shorten the wonderful feeling of being cared for and loved.
Our campers were all so special and each and every one had a story, but on this camp and in the camp environment all the problems seemed to dissolve and an extraordinary time was had by all. When Saturday came and it was time to say goodbye, there was hardly a dry eye to be found. Worse was for me to look in the rearview mirror as I was driving the bus back into town, and to see the tears trickling down Sivenathi’s face as she faced the end of a magical time. Mary Jane and I were in a heap by the time we had delivered them all to their homes and Basil and Ntombekaya felt no better either. Fortunately I had forgotten to include the phonics books in their take-home bags and Mary Jane and I got to visit each of our campers again on the Sunday only to find the tears had been wiped away and life was full of joy and sharing their experiences with their families.
We had many visitors and observers at our camp, all of whom were deeply impressed by the way this concept of Reading Camp worked. They could not get over at how the campers shut out all outside distractions whenever they were at a station – totally absorbed by whatever the teachers were doing and oblivious to anything else. Here’s something amazing: Cheslyn was beside himself when we said we would go on a game drive and stop after 3 stations. He did not want to go – he wanted to do his 3 other stations. Only the news that the second round of stations would happen after lunch calmed him enough to go on the drive.
The feedback from parents, guardians, teachers and principals has been wonderful and so encouraging. One of our main objectives was to make reading infectious – and we have achieved just that in our poorest school with the least resources where children are working hard at their reading to stand a chance to be chosen for the next camp. In another school the one little girl who was very shy has become a leader in her class: whenever the teacher leaves the class she encourages the others to read. Another teacher reports that her pupil cannot get his hands on enough reading material since coming back from camp. One mother says her child picks up anything that has English writing on it – old newspapers, scraps of paper etc and reads. Some teachers report that spelling has improved, others say the child’s pronunciation of words is so much better, and others speak of improved confidence. Parents report that their children seem to be more independent and able to take care of themselves. All in all a very special time was had by everyone.
Our visiting counselors, Mary Jane and Stacy and Ginger really added such a wonderful element to this camp and helped so many children become more fluent in English because there was no was any of them could answer a question in Xhosa or Afrikaans. Our young local counselors learnt so much from Connor, Drew and Vibh – it was such a new experience for them too. I really hope that we can keep some kind of exchange program going to foster this interchange of experience. Your counselors were true ambassadors for this whole camp experience. We still need to find a local equivalent for Mary Jane, but at least this ensures she has to return at least one more time to help us (perhaps many more???). And the big bonus was having Stacy and Ginger here to share it all – it just felt so perfectly right. Thank you to everyone who had the dream and everyone who made it happen.
Monday 7th – Friday 11th July: Our routine kicked in bright and early on Monday morning with breakfast, followed by singing, movement and games (while station leaders got organized) and then the work/fun started at the stations with lions roaring or elephants trumpeting to signal the changeovers. At 12h15 the campers streamed outside to play table-tennis or volley ball or finger board or tried their hand at drumming. Lunch was most welcome and then came an interesting instruction: choose a book from the pleasure reading corner and go and lie down on your bed and read! This was a whole new concept, but by the end of the week some of the campers were choosing up to 3 books and loving the time.
Our special visiting author was Gcina Mhlope – a storyteller of note, well known TV personality and author of many books. Basil Mills just about kidnapped her from the schools arts festival where she was a keynote speaker, to join us for an hour. Her time with us was magical and she made a deep impression on the children. Basil Mills gave us so much to experience on the hikes he organized, the obstacle course we all tried to do on his farm, his warthog, Pumba” and of course “Monty” the python who challenged many a fear in us……… Basil asked Stacy why Monty was given such a bad press over the years!!! ……..and then Basil also helped us create amazing animals out of clay and his son Warren helped with drawing lessons. Basil and Warren also managed to squeeze in a self defence course which gave the campers confidence in themselves. Sarah Jackson inspired many a budding artist and Elisma Hallier had the campers (including the amazed boys) create patchwork pencil bags. A game drive in the Kariega Game Reserve was a real highlight for many – Noluvuyo was so unperturbed by it all she even managed to hop off the landrover and “visit the bathroom” right next to a resting rhinoceros much to the dumbstruck amazement of the game ranger. There was even time for a puppet show during one of the afternoon sessions.
Our afternoon activities always calmed down around 17h00 with journal writing in the hall. Every adult was asked to be present to be walking dictionaries and generally encourage the children to express themselves as all of them were doing this in their second language. On Monday there were only stilted sentences, but by Thursday evening words were just pouring out of some of them. When the journals were packed away, we all gathered in the Chapel for our message of the day from Stacy. There was always such joy in the singing and eager anticipation for the next message. Just think about it – these campers were listening to someone who was not speaking their mother tongue and to top it all had a strange accent, but so many got every word of those messages and even told their families once they got home.
Suppertime was fun and enjoyable and was followed by fireside or campfire storytelling by Basil (depending on the weather) , or games in the hall, or a dramatized animal story with a moral (those counselors were incredible actors),and yes we even had “smores”. Bedtime had its own interesting stories: Sineliswe who so loved to shower Sarah would have to get wet to get her out (she does not have such a thing at home). And then of course the bedtime story: we chose Gcina Mhlope’s “African Tales” and read a different story each night. Tired but happy little campers then drifted off to dreamland……….except one night when Connor’s crew decided to get up at 4am!!! They were ready to face the challenges of the new day by 04h30. Connor was impressed at how meekly they got back into bed when he pointed out that it was still night time. Mary Jane did not have too many mishaps. The one evening Noluvuyo tried to take on the boys and got winded quite badly and we thought she may have something serious as she was not recovering from sitting on Mary Jane’s lap at all …………and then it dawned on us……….. that lap was just the best place in the world and admitting to only being slightly injured would shorten the wonderful feeling of being cared for and loved.
Our campers were all so special and each and every one had a story, but on this camp and in the camp environment all the problems seemed to dissolve and an extraordinary time was had by all. When Saturday came and it was time to say goodbye, there was hardly a dry eye to be found. Worse was for me to look in the rearview mirror as I was driving the bus back into town, and to see the tears trickling down Sivenathi’s face as she faced the end of a magical time. Mary Jane and I were in a heap by the time we had delivered them all to their homes and Basil and Ntombekaya felt no better either. Fortunately I had forgotten to include the phonics books in their take-home bags and Mary Jane and I got to visit each of our campers again on the Sunday only to find the tears had been wiped away and life was full of joy and sharing their experiences with their families.
We had many visitors and observers at our camp, all of whom were deeply impressed by the way this concept of Reading Camp worked. They could not get over at how the campers shut out all outside distractions whenever they were at a station – totally absorbed by whatever the teachers were doing and oblivious to anything else. Here’s something amazing: Cheslyn was beside himself when we said we would go on a game drive and stop after 3 stations. He did not want to go – he wanted to do his 3 other stations. Only the news that the second round of stations would happen after lunch calmed him enough to go on the drive.
The feedback from parents, guardians, teachers and principals has been wonderful and so encouraging. One of our main objectives was to make reading infectious – and we have achieved just that in our poorest school with the least resources where children are working hard at their reading to stand a chance to be chosen for the next camp. In another school the one little girl who was very shy has become a leader in her class: whenever the teacher leaves the class she encourages the others to read. Another teacher reports that her pupil cannot get his hands on enough reading material since coming back from camp. One mother says her child picks up anything that has English writing on it – old newspapers, scraps of paper etc and reads. Some teachers report that spelling has improved, others say the child’s pronunciation of words is so much better, and others speak of improved confidence. Parents report that their children seem to be more independent and able to take care of themselves. All in all a very special time was had by everyone.
Our visiting counselors, Mary Jane and Stacy and Ginger really added such a wonderful element to this camp and helped so many children become more fluent in English because there was no was any of them could answer a question in Xhosa or Afrikaans. Our young local counselors learnt so much from Connor, Drew and Vibh – it was such a new experience for them too. I really hope that we can keep some kind of exchange program going to foster this interchange of experience. Your counselors were true ambassadors for this whole camp experience. We still need to find a local equivalent for Mary Jane, but at least this ensures she has to return at least one more time to help us (perhaps many more???). And the big bonus was having Stacy and Ginger here to share it all – it just felt so perfectly right. Thank you to everyone who had the dream and everyone who made it happen.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
South Africa Reading Camp Day Two report
The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown and the brothers at the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery (OHC) partnered together for the first overseas Reading Camp this past July in Grahamstown, South Africa. This is a series of post-camp blog posts from Kary McConnachie, one of the volunteer directors of that camp. Four Kentuckian experienced Reading Camp volunteers (Mary Jane Amick, Connor Egan, Drew Eclov, and Vibh Forsythe) joined Bishop Stacy Sauls and his wife, Ginger Sauls, joined with the Grahamstownians to make a Reading Rock in Grahamstown. Other posts about the South African Reading Camp are available here.
Sunday 6th July 2008: Breakfast was waiting for us and then we had an extraordinary service in the Chapel near the main centre. Stacy gave us a most inspirational message that set the tone for our wonderful week ahead. Last minute arrangements, a meeting with Milanda Coetzer to discuss child abuse issues and Ntombekaya, Mary Jane and I set off for Grahamstown to collect the children. We rendezvoused with Basil Mills and he was joined by Ntombekaya for the top route, while Mary Jane and I headed for the other route. We took a little longer than anticipated as some houses were harder to find than others. We found excited, nervous, shy, unsure young campers, but all were ready to get going.
The welcome back at camp was superb with singing and drumming and many photographs taken of everyone. The registration process went smoothly, with the queue at the nurse’s door getting longer, but Mary Jane did a great job and soon all the formalities were dealt with. Our first little chapel service with Stacy was really special with all the children on the floor around him listening with amazement to his message that God is in every one of us. Supper was very welcome followed by a meeting to discuss house rules and get T-shirts and Camp jackets. The shy and timid campers were beginning to thaw and everyone was getting into the swing of camp life. The buzz of anticipation was palpable all around us.
Sunday 6th July 2008: Breakfast was waiting for us and then we had an extraordinary service in the Chapel near the main centre. Stacy gave us a most inspirational message that set the tone for our wonderful week ahead. Last minute arrangements, a meeting with Milanda Coetzer to discuss child abuse issues and Ntombekaya, Mary Jane and I set off for Grahamstown to collect the children. We rendezvoused with Basil Mills and he was joined by Ntombekaya for the top route, while Mary Jane and I headed for the other route. We took a little longer than anticipated as some houses were harder to find than others. We found excited, nervous, shy, unsure young campers, but all were ready to get going.
The welcome back at camp was superb with singing and drumming and many photographs taken of everyone. The registration process went smoothly, with the queue at the nurse’s door getting longer, but Mary Jane did a great job and soon all the formalities were dealt with. Our first little chapel service with Stacy was really special with all the children on the floor around him listening with amazement to his message that God is in every one of us. Supper was very welcome followed by a meeting to discuss house rules and get T-shirts and Camp jackets. The shy and timid campers were beginning to thaw and everyone was getting into the swing of camp life. The buzz of anticipation was palpable all around us.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
South Africa Reading Camp Day One report
The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, the Anglican Diocese of Grahamstown and the brothers at the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery (OHC) partnered together for the first overseas Reading Camp this past July in Grahamstown, South Africa. This is a series of post-camp blog posts from Kary McConnachie, one of the volunteer directors of that camp. Four Kentuckian experienced Reading Camp volunteers (Mary Jane Amick, Connor Egan, Drew Eclov, and Vibh Forsythe) joined Bishop Stacy Sauls and his wife, Ginger Sauls, joined with the Grahamstownians to make a Reading Rock in Grahamstown. Other posts about the South African Reading Camp are available here.
Finally this report can be put together after quite an eventful 8 weeks. The National Arts Festival was in full swing when Mary Jane, Vibh, Connor and Drew arrived in town straight from Kentucky. They enjoyed some of the events that were on offer and the students got to spend some “donkey” raising time with my daughter, Kathryn. Mary Jane and I got on with more sedate things like organizing medicines for the camp and meeting local friends over good food. Final packing and final phone calls to camper parents had to be done and then THE day arrived.
Saturday 5th July 2008: Last minute arrangements, buses sorted out, and a last effort to get books that had gone astray in the post before the serious matter of packing could start. Jill Rothman was an unexpected angel when she arrived in a bakkie and loaded all the bulky stuff for us and took it down to Assegaai Trails. Br Timothy collected the counselors who had spent the night in town with me and I set off to get Sarah Jackson and then Ntombekaya, Tembisa and Sistembiso and then we went in search of Luzuko Dyaloyi. En route we checked with Melisa Alexander and found that her mom’s phone had been stolen….. so the very last camper was ready for Sunday and not one had dropped out.
Happy arrivals at Assegaai Trails and what a wonderful reunion with Stacy and Ginger at the “Palace” cottage. Unpacking with all those helpful hands was a pleasure. Marian and Di’s lunch was most welcome before everyone got busy with whatever task they had to do. In no time at all the hall was transformed by huge lengths of hesian and other materials into a Reading Camp with 6 exciting stations all decorated with our wild animal theme.
The counselors prepared the rooms for the campers: brand new sleeping bags and cuddly blankets with a Virgin Airline bag filled with toiletries. Mary Jane had brought warm hats and gloves and these were placed on their beds too. (And the weather was letting us know that the African winter was going to make its presence felt). An office and a nurse’s base were also set up. Nashua had sent us a state of the art copier machine on loan for the week for FREE.
A good old South African braaivleis rounded off our day in a most delicious way.
Finally this report can be put together after quite an eventful 8 weeks. The National Arts Festival was in full swing when Mary Jane, Vibh, Connor and Drew arrived in town straight from Kentucky. They enjoyed some of the events that were on offer and the students got to spend some “donkey” raising time with my daughter, Kathryn. Mary Jane and I got on with more sedate things like organizing medicines for the camp and meeting local friends over good food. Final packing and final phone calls to camper parents had to be done and then THE day arrived.
Saturday 5th July 2008: Last minute arrangements, buses sorted out, and a last effort to get books that had gone astray in the post before the serious matter of packing could start. Jill Rothman was an unexpected angel when she arrived in a bakkie and loaded all the bulky stuff for us and took it down to Assegaai Trails. Br Timothy collected the counselors who had spent the night in town with me and I set off to get Sarah Jackson and then Ntombekaya, Tembisa and Sistembiso and then we went in search of Luzuko Dyaloyi. En route we checked with Melisa Alexander and found that her mom’s phone had been stolen….. so the very last camper was ready for Sunday and not one had dropped out.
Happy arrivals at Assegaai Trails and what a wonderful reunion with Stacy and Ginger at the “Palace” cottage. Unpacking with all those helpful hands was a pleasure. Marian and Di’s lunch was most welcome before everyone got busy with whatever task they had to do. In no time at all the hall was transformed by huge lengths of hesian and other materials into a Reading Camp with 6 exciting stations all decorated with our wild animal theme.
The counselors prepared the rooms for the campers: brand new sleeping bags and cuddly blankets with a Virgin Airline bag filled with toiletries. Mary Jane had brought warm hats and gloves and these were placed on their beds too. (And the weather was letting us know that the African winter was going to make its presence felt). An office and a nurse’s base were also set up. Nashua had sent us a state of the art copier machine on loan for the week for FREE.
A good old South African braaivleis rounded off our day in a most delicious way.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Reading Camp seeds bloom …and bloom, and bloom!
By Maggie Miles
This is a story about Josh Reynolds, a camper at the first Domain Reading Camp in 2002, who grew up to be a Reading Camp Counselor at the Domain. Josh is just one of the seeds that were planted at that first camp, that took root and grew, with the love and nurturing of all of the good volunteers, his family and church family.
When Josh came home from Reading Camp that first year, he told his mom that he wanted to go back the next year. She had to tell him that he would be too old to go back! Josh got very quiet. Then he said; “Well then, I’m going to grow up fast so that I can go back as a counselor when I’m old enough!” Each June, Josh repeated his intentions. And finally, this year, his faithfulness paid off. Josh became the first Reading Camp alum to serve as a counselor, mentoring other young students as he himself was mentored.
Josh has good memories of his own Reading Camp experience: the Wolf Pen hike. Swim time. The camp store. Meeting George Ella Lyon- a real author! Staying in St. Andrew’s cabin. Looking at a scrapbook he has about camp. Coming home with the desire to be a counselor.
This year, Josh, now a sophomore at Rowan County Senior High School on track to graduate in 2011 was back at the Cathedral Domain, “very excited to do two weeks of camp this summer.” (Josh likes camp so much that he also does 4H camp with kids in Carlisle, Kentucky.) As he observed the campers, he noticed how his own reading had grown and developed. Today, he loves to read science fiction, and the Enders game series, although he confesses that he still “dreads reading for classes.” He also enjoys seeing the campers “become better writers” in the writing center, and remembers his own experiences in writing as a camper.
Josh and his family are great supporters of Reading Camp- and of local efforts with Reading Camp. Each year, St. Albans has a Reading Camp send-off. This year, Annie Dailey and Hunter Clarke were the center of attention as the parish gathered to celebrate and help send them off to camp with full tummies and the blessings of the parish. This year’s celebration was a pot-luck breakfast. The campers, their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles share a meal with the parish. The campers receive goodie bags of practical camp stuff and fun items, including battery powered toothbrushes and disposable cameras, presented in Kung Fu panda bags. The families have commented that the event helps them feel safer about entrusting their children to Reading Camp.
The event makes Reading Camp more tangible to the parish, who not only meet and interact with the new campers, but hear from Josh and his sister, who also attended Reading Camp. The parish purchases cards for “their” Reading Camp children- one for each day of camp. Parish members sign the cards, putting encouraging, funny comments on them. Typically, the Reading Camp liaison begins mailing cards to the Domain the week before camp begins. What excitement when a camper receives mail at camp!
Josh’s aunt, Debbie Howes, is principal of Tilden Hogge Elementary School in Morehead, and has become St. Alban’s partner in reading Camp. Besides identifying and nurturing kids, Debbie is working with St. Alban’s to develop a program to help her kids with reading throughout the school year. Each time we talk about Reading Camp, Debbie’s eyes well up with tears about how Reading Camp “saved Josh’s life.” And each year, she has more students whose continuing progress validate her professional as well as personal investment in this ministry.
Josh didn’t tell the campers at the beginning of the week that he was a former camper himself. Each night, the counselors and teachers write in the campers’ journals, offering words of support and encouragement to them. Midweek at the Domain, Josh wrote each of his campers individually, telling them via their journals about his own experiences as a Reading Camper, and since that time. What excitement went around the Domain when the campers heard the story of how this counselor they admired had once been a camper just like them.
So, while this is a story about Josh, a Reading Camper who grew up to become a Reading Camp counselor, it’s also a story about how we are all transformed by Reading Camp. It’s a story about the dedicated work of family, priests, parishioners, Reading Camp staff, volunteers, principals, teachers…over the long haul of many years.
It’s about seeds planted, and flowers that bloom in many places as a result of the planting. Some of the blooming will happen in gardens we will never see. Some of the seeds will be passed along in families and classrooms and end up in places we could never imagine.
Remember Josh –and tell his story wherever you can tell it. For every Reading Camp, there is a Josh—perhaps several Josh’s, and a blooming that is bigger than any child, or adult or particular camp.
It’s about what wondrous things Gods can do, if we each do our part, and trust.
Maggie Miles is the Reading Camp liaison for St. Alban’s, Morehead, and claims that the story of Josh and Reading Camp brought her to St. Alban’s and the Episcopal Church. “A church that is in the world, sleeves rolled up and meeting people where they are, is a church I want to be a part of,” she says.
-Maggie Miles is a member of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Morehead, Kentucky. Maggie serves the ministry of Reading Camp in many ways, most especially as a recruiter for children from Morehead to come to the Cathedral Domain Reading Camp each summer.
*This article first appeared in the September 2008 edition of the Advocate.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Cookies for "Most Improvement"
Kayla was a Danville Reading Camper the past two years and knew she had moved on to middle school and couldn't attend camp this summer. However, she did show up with a huge batch of cookies for the camp this year. Cookies that lasted the whole week and fed the church during coffee hour on Sunday morning.
Kayla noted in her Thank You note that she used during school testing the strategies she learned at Reading Camp and that she received the "Most Improvement" award, as well as A+ and a B+ for reading. Another Reading Camp success story!
Kayla noted in her Thank You note that she used during school testing the strategies she learned at Reading Camp and that she received the "Most Improvement" award, as well as A+ and a B+ for reading. Another Reading Camp success story!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Danville press
The newspaper publicity keeps coming for Reading Camp! After a recent article in the Middlesboro Daily News about the Pine Mountain Settlement School Reading Camp, and a second article in the Grocott's Mail of Grahamstown, South Africa about the first overseas Reading Camp, the first Reading Camp of the summer, the Trinity, Danville Reading Camp, has also received press attention the Danville Advocate-Messenger. Check out the article below. Click on the image to peek at a bigger version.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
"Bell students polish reading skills at summer camp"
In the Middlesboro, KY Daily News, the below article featured the students from Bell County, Kentucky who attended the Reading Camp held at the Pine Mountain Settlement School. In addition to Bell County, students from Harlan County were also recruited for the Pine Mountain camp. Click on the picture below to view a life-size version of the article.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
"Happy campers say reading rocks"
Yet another story about the first overseas sharing of Reading Camp has appeared in the local Grahamstown, South Africa newspaper, the Grocott's Mail. The article is not available online, but two picture scans are available below. Click on the pictures to view life-size versions of the article to read for your self. The article features pictures from Connor Egan and Drew Eclov, two of the volunteers sent from Kentucky to join the Reading Camp team in South Africa.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Beyond expectations
I wanted to add my two-cents’ worth to what I am sure has been a feedback about the Reading Camp last week. All I can say is that it was truly awesome and way beyond the expectations of any of us. The young folks from Lexington and the youth from Grahamstown worked together like old friends. The kids loved every minute of it, and all of us were weeping on Saturday when we put them in the combis to go home. The creativity of the teachers, the foods, the spontaneity of the counselors and helpers was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. You will be able to see the energy when they return home with the photos. [More photos will be put on the blog soon!]
Thank you again for all your hard work to help us make the camp possible. We’ve got a winner, as they say, and already plans and tentative bookings have been made for next year!
Thank you again for all your hard work to help us make the camp possible. We’ve got a winner, as they say, and already plans and tentative bookings have been made for next year!
-Brother Timothy Jolley, OHC is the prior of the Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery in Grahamstown, South Africa that teamed with volunteers from the Dioceses of Grahamstown and Lexington for the first overseas Reading Camp this summer
Monday, July 28, 2008
A promise fulfilled
Our first Reading Camp in Northern Kentucky has ended. The children have returned to their homes, the reading center looks like a choir room again devoid of its colorful decorations, and the materials have been packed up and put back on the trailer, or directly in Mary Eclov’s car to be returned to Lexington. Years ago, I promised a dear friend who’d attended Reading Camp with me at the Cathedral Domain that we’d find a way to do this in Northern Kentucky. He’s now gone, but the promise remained to finally be fulfilled. While I slept better last night then I have in weeks, I awakened missing the children. Thoughts like “if we were still at camp the kids would be doing their journals” or “I’d be finishing my second rotation about now” keep running through my mind. That’s how I know that I miss the kids, the activity, the excitement of Reading Camp.
What a week we had! The campers bounced in each day with big smiles, ready for whatever challenges were put before them. They worked happily in centers, trying everything the teachers offered with great enthusiasm. Needless to say, the teachers (who are my personal heroes because they were incredible) responded with carefully planned advances to increasingly more difficult work. The reading center atmosphere was charged with a sense of empowerment. Because of the support and care shown each camper, they wanted to take risks and do more. WOW! It was evident that they were basking in their new-found confidence every time a station rotation was called because they collectively groaned that they had to leave the work they were doing and move on. They’d get to the next station, become involved with the work there, and groan all over again when asked to rotate. What a testament to the perseverance of these kids, and the kind of teaching happening in the reading centers. We promised we’d help these kids grow as readers, and they took full advantage!
I pray that the promise we made with our first year’s group of campers is fulfilled when they return to school. Thanks to the generous donations of many in our local church community, each camper left with a Reading Camp bag filled with at least a dozen or more books. They’ve reported to us that they have been reading at home at night during camp. Will they continue to do this now that camp is over with the new books they’ve been given? Will they maintain that heady confidence we saw in them as they left yesterday with hugs, thanks and their bags full of new books? Almost every camper, and some of their parents, asked if we could continue to have Reading Camp a second week! I did make another promise. I promised that we’d have Reading Camp again next year in Northern Kentucky. It was such a great week with wonderful campers, teachers, counselors, volunteers and committee members making it all happen. I’m so thankful for each and every one of them. I hope they’ll help me fulfill the promise of a Reading Camp return to Northern Kentucky in the summer of 2009. Reading really does rock!
- Ringmaster Lucie Collier is a volunteer camp director from St. Andrew's, Ft. Thomas with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Equine cupcakes
I have always loved Mission House. I have been drawn to it not just for its elegance and historical presence, but also for the energy and. . .well. . mission that run through the place in waves, even on a quiet day. But for one week of the year, I find it utterly irresistible. On the face of it, the lovely and dignified structure becomes just plain FUN, whether island paradise or home to bluegrass Thoroughbred horses. My particular favorite aspects of the decor this year were the unmistakable sweetness of a chapel transformed into a stable, and the soft plush horses grazing in the turf fields of antique Bishop's chairs in the entry hall.
As always, though, such delights are only a foil to what is really going on. What makes this week so irresistible is the intersection of faith with real life.
I got there in time to admire spectacular equine cupcakes being devoured by all children--even the tall ones. This was in the midst of jumping rope, watching bugs and just hanging out. Easy and joyful conversations erupted out of small groups of teachers and students. When the Paddock Master (looking eerily like the Ringmaster at the Cathedral Domain, I must add,) blew the whistle, the energy shifted into different small groups with no confusion. Soon everyone was engaged in some sort of reading activity. The energy was quieter, but not diminished.
I found myself being so grateful that this particular Reading Camp had overcome many challenges in order to actually occur. Once again, I had found what I find so compelling about this particular week at Mission House. As I drove away smiling, I knew that what I had really observed in the midst of this overtly secular Jockey Club had been the "love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 8:39)
-Rev. Janey Wilson is on the Reading Camp Steering Committee and is the Reading Camp Chaplain
As always, though, such delights are only a foil to what is really going on. What makes this week so irresistible is the intersection of faith with real life.
I got there in time to admire spectacular equine cupcakes being devoured by all children--even the tall ones. This was in the midst of jumping rope, watching bugs and just hanging out. Easy and joyful conversations erupted out of small groups of teachers and students. When the Paddock Master (looking eerily like the Ringmaster at the Cathedral Domain, I must add,) blew the whistle, the energy shifted into different small groups with no confusion. Soon everyone was engaged in some sort of reading activity. The energy was quieter, but not diminished.
I found myself being so grateful that this particular Reading Camp had overcome many challenges in order to actually occur. Once again, I had found what I find so compelling about this particular week at Mission House. As I drove away smiling, I knew that what I had really observed in the midst of this overtly secular Jockey Club had been the "love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 8:39)
-Rev. Janey Wilson is on the Reading Camp Steering Committee and is the Reading Camp Chaplain
Friday, July 25, 2008
My Wonderful Summer
As Reading Camp season draws to a close I find myself reflecting on my experience at each Camp I attended. I call June and July of 2008 “My Wonderful Summer”. All four of the camps used the same six Learning Centers to reach out to the children and give them the tools to improve their reading and writing skills. Each camp had a dedicated staff of directors, teachers, support people, and counselors. Authors visited to read from their books and explain how books are published. Every Camp had a different theme and activities aimed at giving the children confidence in themselves. All campers were sent home with a bag full of books and a place in the hearts of those who worked with them.
At Danville's Reading Camp we were swept into the magic of reading by a Harry Potter theme. There is singing before breakfast every day. We read to them at lunchtime. We have the advantage of resource people from Centre College and there are interesting places for field trips in the afternoons. There was a wonderful chemistry magic show this year. Swimming every day is a highlight, too. There is a traditional flavor about the Danville Camp which is held at historic Trinity Church and is a Day Camp. Many of the children already know each other when they come to camp and are comfortable with one another. Danville is a lovely small town where people smile and make us feel very welcome.
Reading Camp at the Cathedral Domain is a residential camp. Here the children learn archery and how to rappel. There is hiking and a trip to the Bat Cave and campfire singing with S'mores and a night swim. Meals in the Dining Hall are noisy with happy chatter. The children are showered and in their bunks when adults come with lanterns to read them a chapter or two from the book chosen for the year. Reading Camp teachers and support staff at the Domain stay in the Conference Center and enjoy hanging out on the porch in the evenings. This forms a strong bond. The children come from different school systems and areas and it is wonderful to see them bonding as a group. It was most rewarding this year that we had a Counselor who was a camper in the very first session of Reading Camp six years ago. The theme this year was Circus and we had a wonderful week of magic tricks, plate spinning and clown instruction capped off by a grand parade around the camp road on the last evening of camp.
The Reading Camp held at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County had our very first out of state camper this year. Sam came from Missouri because his father found out about Reading Camp on the Internet. Our staff included people from Pennsylvania, Northern Ohio, Minnesota, Georgia and Germany as well as Kentuckians. The campers come from Middlesboro, Harlan, and Harlan County. Pine Mountain is a beautiful place with a rich Appalachian heritage and is also a residential camp. Here we also read the children to sleep each night. We use three buildings and walk across a small bridge to the Library for the Centers. Deer can be spotted and there is a beaver pond and a garden where vegetables are grown for the dining hall. The Environmental Education program provided by the Pine Mountain Settlement School staff each afternoon and the crafts taught to the children are especially enriching. The children learned about sustainable gardening. Our theme this year was Astronomy and Space. A Ranger from Cumberland Gap National Park came to teach us about the planets and constellations and we took blankets out to lie on the ground and stargaze. At Pine Mountain we hold a Graduation for the campers going into fifth grade and they are so proud of their Certificates. We were so proud of them. There wasn't a dry eye in the Chapel!
The Mission House Camp held in Lexington is a Day Camp and draws children mostly from the neighborhood. They are primarily from two schools downtown. We use the bus from the Church of the Resurrection to collect many of them each morning and take them home at the end of the day. The theme this year was Horses and Mission House was transformed. Bales of hay, jockey silks, wonderful murals of horses in green fields and colorful paper horseshoes hanging in the entry hall all reminded us that we live in the Horse Capitol of the World. A trip to a farm where each child had the opportunity to ride on a horse and learn about grooming one, a trip to the stable of the Mounted Police in Lexington, a visit to an equine hospital, swimming every afternoon and hiking at Raven Run gave city children new experiences. They were encouraged to read by the presence of a canine friend named Blue in the Pleasure Reading Center. Visitors interested in starting Reading Camps in their towns came during the week to observe how a Reading Camp functions. They are always welcome. Volunteers from several parishes provided lunches for us each day. We ate on the porch and the children jumped rope, played games and used colored chalk to adorn the sidewalk.
I have come to these conclusions:
All children respond to individual attention.
They all love games involving water balloons.
They bond with the Counselors and love singing loud songs.
The adults discover the joy of giving these precious young people an extra boost in life.
All children everywhere are our children.
It doesn't matter whether they come from a city, a small town, a rural county or a place far across the ocean.
They need the attention we give them and we are blessed to be able to give it.
My life is ever so much richer for being a part of Reading Camp.
-C.C. Johnson is a member of St. Raphael’s, Lexington and is volunteering at four Reading Camps this summer
At Danville's Reading Camp we were swept into the magic of reading by a Harry Potter theme. There is singing before breakfast every day. We read to them at lunchtime. We have the advantage of resource people from Centre College and there are interesting places for field trips in the afternoons. There was a wonderful chemistry magic show this year. Swimming every day is a highlight, too. There is a traditional flavor about the Danville Camp which is held at historic Trinity Church and is a Day Camp. Many of the children already know each other when they come to camp and are comfortable with one another. Danville is a lovely small town where people smile and make us feel very welcome.
Reading Camp at the Cathedral Domain is a residential camp. Here the children learn archery and how to rappel. There is hiking and a trip to the Bat Cave and campfire singing with S'mores and a night swim. Meals in the Dining Hall are noisy with happy chatter. The children are showered and in their bunks when adults come with lanterns to read them a chapter or two from the book chosen for the year. Reading Camp teachers and support staff at the Domain stay in the Conference Center and enjoy hanging out on the porch in the evenings. This forms a strong bond. The children come from different school systems and areas and it is wonderful to see them bonding as a group. It was most rewarding this year that we had a Counselor who was a camper in the very first session of Reading Camp six years ago. The theme this year was Circus and we had a wonderful week of magic tricks, plate spinning and clown instruction capped off by a grand parade around the camp road on the last evening of camp.
The Reading Camp held at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County had our very first out of state camper this year. Sam came from Missouri because his father found out about Reading Camp on the Internet. Our staff included people from Pennsylvania, Northern Ohio, Minnesota, Georgia and Germany as well as Kentuckians. The campers come from Middlesboro, Harlan, and Harlan County. Pine Mountain is a beautiful place with a rich Appalachian heritage and is also a residential camp. Here we also read the children to sleep each night. We use three buildings and walk across a small bridge to the Library for the Centers. Deer can be spotted and there is a beaver pond and a garden where vegetables are grown for the dining hall. The Environmental Education program provided by the Pine Mountain Settlement School staff each afternoon and the crafts taught to the children are especially enriching. The children learned about sustainable gardening. Our theme this year was Astronomy and Space. A Ranger from Cumberland Gap National Park came to teach us about the planets and constellations and we took blankets out to lie on the ground and stargaze. At Pine Mountain we hold a Graduation for the campers going into fifth grade and they are so proud of their Certificates. We were so proud of them. There wasn't a dry eye in the Chapel!
The Mission House Camp held in Lexington is a Day Camp and draws children mostly from the neighborhood. They are primarily from two schools downtown. We use the bus from the Church of the Resurrection to collect many of them each morning and take them home at the end of the day. The theme this year was Horses and Mission House was transformed. Bales of hay, jockey silks, wonderful murals of horses in green fields and colorful paper horseshoes hanging in the entry hall all reminded us that we live in the Horse Capitol of the World. A trip to a farm where each child had the opportunity to ride on a horse and learn about grooming one, a trip to the stable of the Mounted Police in Lexington, a visit to an equine hospital, swimming every afternoon and hiking at Raven Run gave city children new experiences. They were encouraged to read by the presence of a canine friend named Blue in the Pleasure Reading Center. Visitors interested in starting Reading Camps in their towns came during the week to observe how a Reading Camp functions. They are always welcome. Volunteers from several parishes provided lunches for us each day. We ate on the porch and the children jumped rope, played games and used colored chalk to adorn the sidewalk.
I have come to these conclusions:
All children respond to individual attention.
They all love games involving water balloons.
They bond with the Counselors and love singing loud songs.
The adults discover the joy of giving these precious young people an extra boost in life.
All children everywhere are our children.
It doesn't matter whether they come from a city, a small town, a rural county or a place far across the ocean.
They need the attention we give them and we are blessed to be able to give it.
My life is ever so much richer for being a part of Reading Camp.
-C.C. Johnson is a member of St. Raphael’s, Lexington and is volunteering at four Reading Camps this summer
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Go (read with) Big Blue (the reading dog)
Franklin, Blue the Reading Dog and Tachyana from the Mission House Reading Camp strike their favorite poses. For many children, the Pleasure Reading center is very important. It's their chance to choose a book of their own to read. They have an adult teacher partner to read to, read with, or echo read with. Many children have especially enjoyed the Pleasure Reading center this week because of Blue's presence. He usually does exactly what he is supposed to (sleep!) during the center while many children pat his head or rub his belly while reading. This is Franklin and Tachyana's first year at Reading Camp and Blue's second.
The Mission House crew
Campers for the Mission House Reading Camp are recruited from Harrison or Johnson Elementary in Lexington. Volunteer teachers, counselors, and support staff come from all over Kentucky. Do you want to come join us? Or just come by for a visit? It's a lot of fun!
Click on the picture above for a bigger version to see someone you know!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
My turn, my turn!
In the morning between learning centers, campers take a 15-minute break for a snack and teachers get a chance to catch their breaths. If you click on the picture below and look closely at the picture below, you'll see that a teacher had another reason to catch her breath at the end of snack time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the delightful Phonics teacher, Margaret Hill from Good Shepherd, Lexington!
"We're going to a horse hospital for a field trip? What?"
At Mission House Reading Camp yesterday, our afternoon field trip took us to an equine hospital. Who would've known that a hospital could be so informative and interesting? Campers, counselors, and very-curious-adult-staff-who-tagged-along got see to a foal going into surgery, the radiology, bone scan, farrier and MRI areas of the Rood and Riddle facilities.
The same campers who yesterday were hesitant to get in the creek ("bugs, ewww bugs!") were more than happy to thoroughly examine, handle and pass around a horse hoof (afflicted with laminitis--so we saw what happened to Barbaro!) and the cross section of a horse shin and ankle.
Most interesting were the moments reserved for "shoe shopping" and of course the horse exercise treadmill that usually supports horses that weigh 1000 pounds. The Reading Campers couldn't get it to budge!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Reading Camp superfecta
I was one of several visitors to the Mission House Reading Camp today. There was group from Paducah in the Diocese of Kentucky (who are interested in doing a Reading Camp there), a volunteer that has helped recruit campers from Harrison Elementary and me. We discovered that the "Horse" Capital of the world has moved to downtown Lexington. Mission House has been turned into a horse haven. There are jockey silks everywhere and the Writing Center is in a barn! This is a great place to learn. They even have Blue the Reading dog, who was a big favorite with all the campers.
Lunch, free time games and more of Humphrey's adventures. Then off to Rood and Riddle horse clinic. We got to see horse surgeries, mama & baby in an observation room, the horse's treadmill and lots of horseshoes. We learned that R&R saw over 11,000 horses last year--a fun and informative hour. When I left, the campers where headed to the "Y" for swimming. One of their favorite activities. The call to the post begins again tomorrow morning. Come down to see the superfecta! The bet is READING ROCKS and it does.
-Volunteer Lynne Evans is a member of the Reading Camp Steering Committee, the director of the Cathedral Domain Reading Camp, and a member of St. Michael's, Lexington
What rocks? Reading Rocks!
Mission House Day One Report
These words have resounded from students in our Reading Camps in all parts of the diocese this summer – from Danville to the Domain, from Perry County to Pine Mountain to Northern Kentucky culminating this week at Mission House in Lexington. I think something else “rocks” as well. I think Reading Camp and everyone who works to create and staff our camps “rock”, too. The blogs from all of the previous camps have been full of enthusiasm and inspiration from directors, campers and counselors. It is both humbling and a source of personal pride to play a part in this wonderful organization.
Many indispensible ministries have combined to create an awesome Mission House Camp this week. One of the campers walked into Mission House this morning and said, “Wow! This doesn’t look anything like school.” Thanks to Joy Hinkle, her daughter Mary Grace, her nephew Jeffrey and Reading Camp veteran Lucy Cox, the writing center has been transformed into a horse barn complete with bales of hay and red geraniums. Colorful horseshoes hang from the ceiling in the hallway and jockey silks adorn the learning centers. In the learning centers are incredible teachers, most of whom are Reading Camp veterans. Our new teachers bring enthusiasm and new ideas to our program. Our support staff, also veteran, knows exactly when and how to take care of injuries, food, emergencies and keep the learning centers running smoothly. We can also brag that C.C. Johnson is gracing our support staff for her fourth camp this summer. Even most of our counselors are veterans, and they have jumped in at noon to supervise and befriend our campers in the afternoon. We are especially grateful to the Church of the Resurrection for their bus and drivers. Without them we couldn’t have this camp at all! And what other camp has the Executive Director as the camp director?
Highlights of our afternoon activities this week include today’s trip to the Primm farm where students groomed and rode horses. After a morning in the Pleasure Reading Center with our reading dog, Blue, Rebecca Saager did hands-on science with the campers at the farm creek. Tomorrow will feature a trip to an equine hospital, Wednesday will be spent at Mission House with visiting author George Ella Lyon and water games, Thursday will have us visiting the Mounted Police barn and having a guest speaker, Becky Hahn. On Friday we will hike at Raven Run. We end every day with swimming lessons at the YMCA.
-Mary Eclov is a volunteer camp director, a member of the Reading Camp Steering Committee and a member of St. Michael's, Lexington
Sunday, July 20, 2008
"My favorite book"
Dalton was quick to show us his favorite book at snack time Monday evening:
"This is my favorite book, Frindle. I have been looking for it for a year! I saw it at camp last year and the library didn't have it. I knew I could find it again at Reading Camp. It's my favorite book. It has really good sentences."
Dalton was surely sent home with his very own copy of Frindle.
"This is my favorite book, Frindle. I have been looking for it for a year! I saw it at camp last year and the library didn't have it. I knew I could find it again at Reading Camp. It's my favorite book. It has really good sentences."
Dalton was surely sent home with his very own copy of Frindle.
Mission House Reading Camp volunteers
The final, encore or caboose Reading Camp of the summer is this week at Mission House in Lexington. If you're in town, come by for a visit before noon at 203 E. 4th St. The theme for the week is HORSES and the Mission House has been decorated with jockey silks and horsey themed artwork. The main hallway that is usually filled with old furniture now looks a bit different - it looks like a farrier went wild with neon horseshoes. The usually quiet resource room has been transformed into a writing center that looks like a horse barn!
In addition to the 27 children planning to attend, please add the following staff to your prayer lists for the week.
Counselors:
Rob Coulston
Margaret Garrett
Pearce Mayer
Alex Parker
Liz Pryor
Thomas Richards
Callie Snowden
Michael Westneat
Kiki Jameson
Teachers:
Mary Tyng-Atkinson
Lee Carroll
Charlie Dalton
Tracy Ellis
Judy Endicott
Rev. Melanie Mudge
Margaret Hill
Rev. Lois Howard
Vicky Jenkins
Candice Lucas
Rev. Joan Pritcher
Vicky Shore
Holly Davis
Rebecca Saager
Nurse:
Mary Jane Amick
Support Staff:
Pat Allen
C.C. Johnson
Phyllis Farson
Directors:
Mary Eclov
Bungee Bynum
This is the fourth year for the Mission House Reading Camp and we are revisiting a horse theme from a few summers ago. We have afternoon field trips planned to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, the Mounted Police barn, a horsefarm, and the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. Every afternoon is capped off with swimming lessons at the North Lexington YMCA. Come by and see us!
In addition to the 27 children planning to attend, please add the following staff to your prayer lists for the week.
Counselors:
Rob Coulston
Margaret Garrett
Pearce Mayer
Alex Parker
Liz Pryor
Thomas Richards
Callie Snowden
Michael Westneat
Kiki Jameson
Teachers:
Mary Tyng-Atkinson
Lee Carroll
Charlie Dalton
Tracy Ellis
Judy Endicott
Rev. Melanie Mudge
Margaret Hill
Rev. Lois Howard
Vicky Jenkins
Candice Lucas
Rev. Joan Pritcher
Vicky Shore
Holly Davis
Rebecca Saager
Nurse:
Mary Jane Amick
Support Staff:
Pat Allen
C.C. Johnson
Phyllis Farson
Directors:
Mary Eclov
Bungee Bynum
This is the fourth year for the Mission House Reading Camp and we are revisiting a horse theme from a few summers ago. We have afternoon field trips planned to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, the Mounted Police barn, a horsefarm, and the Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. Every afternoon is capped off with swimming lessons at the North Lexington YMCA. Come by and see us!
Beat the heat, let's get in the pool!
Many campers consider the best part of their day to be swim time every afternoon. At the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp, campers and their counselors went swimming at the city pool just down the street from Trinity, Covington. Many campers enjoy swimming with their friends but just having their counselors playing with them, too.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Riding down a zip line... at Reading Camp?
On Thursday at the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp, campers visited Potter's Ranch for their afternoon fieldtrip. So after a morning of intense learning centers, what did they get to do? Well ride horses and fly down a zip-line of course. Many campers mentioned that the visit to Potter's Ranch (particularly the zip line!) was the highlight of their week.
Northern Kentucky End of Camp report
Northern Kentucky Reading Camp Day 4 & 5 report
July 19, 2008
Well, here we are: a year and a half of planning and with a blink of an eye we are on the other side of a successful camp. Our 14 campers worked hard and played harder to bring learning and tales of success to Northern Kentucky for the first ever Reading Camp.
Thursday the kids went to a place called Potter’s Ranch where they had the opportunity to wall climb, ride a pony, and zip line! The wall was a 40 foot tall rock climb and in my group of 6, 5 made it to the top. Alec was the first to climb and three times he wanted to quit but was inspired by his peers to continue. “Let’s go Alec, let’s go!” And when he rang the bell on the top of the wall, he set the tone for the day. You can do anything you put your mind to with hard work and support of friends!
The zip-line provided more opportunities for challenging your fears. Like with Casey. She got to the top of the line was all harnessed in and “had to go to the bathroom.” Again, the others gave her a pep talk and encouraged her to try again and she did it…and it was impossible to wipe the smile off her face for the rest of the day. The day was blazing hot but the kids’ sprits never dulled as they faced their fears, challenged themselves mentally and physically, and cheered each other on in what was certainly a fan favorite afternoon!
Friday was bittersweet. Every kid asked someone if they could come back next week. While we enjoyed the sentiment, the adults all agreed that we would have to nap first. The kids were sad to go but had made some wonderful friends (bff!) and made noticeable progress in their reading skill and confidence levels. Friday culminated with a celebration for the kids where we invited parents of the kids and friends of the camp to join us and celebrate the kid’s success! And 13 kids had at least one parent at the celebration taking pictures and crying for their children’s successes.
It was wonderful to meet the parents and to hear stories about how excited the kids were about camp. Several, if not all, asked about the possibility of their kid coming back next year. And remember Cheyenne? The quietest girl in Northern Kentucky? Her mom told me a story that on Thursday night she woke up in the middle of the night got dressed and went back to bed because she was afraid of missing the bus in the morning. It was a special afternoon.
And can I tell you about the swag these kids left with! With the generosity of each church and friends of Northern Kentucky Reading Camp (like Kenton County Public Library) each child left with 9 books in their bag…and that doesn’t include the 2 Reading Camp gives them! HOLY COW! And you should have seen the excitement on their faces when they got to pull out each book and admire the adventures on which they were about to embark.
So that’s it from me, I guess. We’ll see you next year!
- Ringmaster Hillie Gaither is a volunteer camp director from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
July 19, 2008
Well, here we are: a year and a half of planning and with a blink of an eye we are on the other side of a successful camp. Our 14 campers worked hard and played harder to bring learning and tales of success to Northern Kentucky for the first ever Reading Camp.
Thursday the kids went to a place called Potter’s Ranch where they had the opportunity to wall climb, ride a pony, and zip line! The wall was a 40 foot tall rock climb and in my group of 6, 5 made it to the top. Alec was the first to climb and three times he wanted to quit but was inspired by his peers to continue. “Let’s go Alec, let’s go!” And when he rang the bell on the top of the wall, he set the tone for the day. You can do anything you put your mind to with hard work and support of friends!
The zip-line provided more opportunities for challenging your fears. Like with Casey. She got to the top of the line was all harnessed in and “had to go to the bathroom.” Again, the others gave her a pep talk and encouraged her to try again and she did it…and it was impossible to wipe the smile off her face for the rest of the day. The day was blazing hot but the kids’ sprits never dulled as they faced their fears, challenged themselves mentally and physically, and cheered each other on in what was certainly a fan favorite afternoon!
Friday was bittersweet. Every kid asked someone if they could come back next week. While we enjoyed the sentiment, the adults all agreed that we would have to nap first. The kids were sad to go but had made some wonderful friends (bff!) and made noticeable progress in their reading skill and confidence levels. Friday culminated with a celebration for the kids where we invited parents of the kids and friends of the camp to join us and celebrate the kid’s success! And 13 kids had at least one parent at the celebration taking pictures and crying for their children’s successes.
It was wonderful to meet the parents and to hear stories about how excited the kids were about camp. Several, if not all, asked about the possibility of their kid coming back next year. And remember Cheyenne? The quietest girl in Northern Kentucky? Her mom told me a story that on Thursday night she woke up in the middle of the night got dressed and went back to bed because she was afraid of missing the bus in the morning. It was a special afternoon.
And can I tell you about the swag these kids left with! With the generosity of each church and friends of Northern Kentucky Reading Camp (like Kenton County Public Library) each child left with 9 books in their bag…and that doesn’t include the 2 Reading Camp gives them! HOLY COW! And you should have seen the excitement on their faces when they got to pull out each book and admire the adventures on which they were about to embark.
So that’s it from me, I guess. We’ll see you next year!
- Ringmaster Hillie Gaither is a volunteer camp director from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Perry County Day Four & Five Report
I have no excuse for not being as conscientious a blogger as the rest of the camp directors--I just wanted to collapse at the end of each day and hang out with my kids, and I have horrible, slow dial-up, and...well, they're all just excuses, and lame ones, at that. Also, I'm really intimidated by the wonderful posts from the other camps. And to top it off, my camera, with all the camp photos, went missing sometime Friday afternoon. Is it at Pine Mountain? Somewhere in the Challenger Center? Lost in my van? Who knows? You'll just have to imagine the images. But here it is, the last post from Perry County.
Thursday went wonderfully. After centers, we traveled to the Buckhorn dam, where we were able to see how the locks work and learn all about the flood control functions of the lake. We also learned about snakes, and amidst much shrieking and squealing, we all got to hold two friendly ball pythons, Kira and Lucy. This excitement was courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers, who are responsible for maintaining the lake. There is a term that is much in vogue among environmentalists and child advocates now--Nature Deficit Disorder. Sometimes I worry that I focus on the "camp" part of Reading Camp more than the "reading" part, but I really believe that learning to see ourselves as stewards of the earth is just as important, in the long run, as being able to read.
Friday was the last day for the Perry County Reading Camp--a poignant last day for me, since I won't be the director of the Perry County Camp next year. (My children are growing up so fast, and I begrudge every moment I spend away from them, so I'm stepping back from the Perry County camp, although I plan to remain active on the steering committee and with other camps. By the time my little girl, Lily, is old enough for mini-camp at the Domain, my son, Carson, will be sixteen--he can be a counselor at the Domain Reading Camp 2013, I can be a a teacher, and Lily can go to mini-camp! But enough personal stuff.)
The kids rolled into the centers with the usual:
"So now, will I be able to come back next year?"
"What if I stay back a grade?"
"I can do this next year at the Domain or Pine Mountain but spend the night too?!"
"You should really do Reading Camp for fifth graders!"
"When can we go hiking again?"
"I want a snake. Do you think my mom will get me a snake for a pet?"
(Okay, so that last one wasn't usual, but after our Thursday snake visit, lots of the kids are convinced that a ball python is the perfect pet...)
After a rowdy start, the kids settled down for one last day of centers. I'm always amazed at how much learning we manage to pack into just one week. Our curriculum is incredibly effective. One of the primary pedogogical constructs of Reading Camp, one that we repeat frequently, is that Reading Camp doesn't look like school. We play games! We offer lots of personal attention! We make kids see that they can be successful and that reading is fun! I can't help wondering what life would be like if school were more like Reading Camp--every child nurtured, cosseted, loved. Education made fun. Attention given where it is needed. A Utopian ideal, for sure, but perhaps one worth striving for.
We capped off the week with a visit to the Challenger Center. Located on the campus of Hazard Community and Technical College, the Challenger Center is an amazing experience for school kids. Tom Cravens, the director, has been a long-time supporter of the Perry County Reading Camp. The kids were able to visit the Mars Invasion exhibits, and explore water erosion, gravity, centrifugal force, and much more.
Our campers looked forward to this all week, and they were thrilled to get to visit the Challenger Center. After they explored the exhibits, we made homemade icecream in a bag (if you haven't tried this, do it this weekend!!), and then, suddenly, camp was over. I handed the kids over to their parents, and hugged Dwight, Shelly, Tyne, and Jimmie Dunn, who would be heading to Pine Mountain. I have to say that the counselors are amazing people. This would make the third camp in a row for Dwight and Tyne, and the second for Shelly and Jimmie. We work hard to make camp an amazing experience for the campers, but for me, the experience of the counselors has always been just as central. I feel so blessed to have gotten to work with Major Tim Cory, the instructor for the Perry County JROTC. I've never respected anyone more--if you want to be encouraged about the education system in general, teenagers overall, and the possiblity of adults making a very real difference in the lives of young people, then you need to meet Major Tim Cory. I can't emphasize how lucky I've been to get to know him. I count his friendship as one of the great gifts of Reading Camp. The JROTC kids have been incredible, and I look forward to working with them again.
Friday afternoon, the last kid pulled out of the parking lot, and the counselors pulled out in my van, loaded with materials for Pine Mountain. The Perry County Reading Camp was over for another year. We helped eighteen kids to become better readers, and the lives of the teachers and counselors were enriched in the process. Is there really anything more to say? This ministry is so important. The phrase "what would Jesus do" has become a one-note pop-culture joke, riffed upon, satirized and ridiculed. I'm no theologian, but I can tell you this: Jesus would do Reading Camp. Maybe he'd be that inexperienced teacher we stick in Pleasure Reading, the one who looks a child in the eye and says "Read to me. We've got time."
Maybe he'd be the counselor who not only puts up with but finds a way to love the clingy, needy child hanging off his elbow and demanding constant attention.
Maybe he'd be the support staff person who prints out, sorts, and cuts photos, making sure all the children have some to put in their journals.
Maybe he'd be a parishioner, writing a check and offering support.
Or maybe, just maybe, Jesus would be a little child. Maybe he'd be a child who didn't read so well. A child who was always in trouble at school, who acted out and up, who made teachers roll their eyes and grit their teeth. A child who just needed a little extra help and little extra love. Who knows how Jesus would show himself? I don't claim to know. But I know this: Jesus would do Reading Camp.
-Jenny Williams, Camp Director and Reading Camp Steering Committee member.
Thursday went wonderfully. After centers, we traveled to the Buckhorn dam, where we were able to see how the locks work and learn all about the flood control functions of the lake. We also learned about snakes, and amidst much shrieking and squealing, we all got to hold two friendly ball pythons, Kira and Lucy. This excitement was courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers, who are responsible for maintaining the lake. There is a term that is much in vogue among environmentalists and child advocates now--Nature Deficit Disorder. Sometimes I worry that I focus on the "camp" part of Reading Camp more than the "reading" part, but I really believe that learning to see ourselves as stewards of the earth is just as important, in the long run, as being able to read.
Friday was the last day for the Perry County Reading Camp--a poignant last day for me, since I won't be the director of the Perry County Camp next year. (My children are growing up so fast, and I begrudge every moment I spend away from them, so I'm stepping back from the Perry County camp, although I plan to remain active on the steering committee and with other camps. By the time my little girl, Lily, is old enough for mini-camp at the Domain, my son, Carson, will be sixteen--he can be a counselor at the Domain Reading Camp 2013, I can be a a teacher, and Lily can go to mini-camp! But enough personal stuff.)
The kids rolled into the centers with the usual:
"So now, will I be able to come back next year?"
"What if I stay back a grade?"
"I can do this next year at the Domain or Pine Mountain but spend the night too?!"
"You should really do Reading Camp for fifth graders!"
"When can we go hiking again?"
"I want a snake. Do you think my mom will get me a snake for a pet?"
(Okay, so that last one wasn't usual, but after our Thursday snake visit, lots of the kids are convinced that a ball python is the perfect pet...)
After a rowdy start, the kids settled down for one last day of centers. I'm always amazed at how much learning we manage to pack into just one week. Our curriculum is incredibly effective. One of the primary pedogogical constructs of Reading Camp, one that we repeat frequently, is that Reading Camp doesn't look like school. We play games! We offer lots of personal attention! We make kids see that they can be successful and that reading is fun! I can't help wondering what life would be like if school were more like Reading Camp--every child nurtured, cosseted, loved. Education made fun. Attention given where it is needed. A Utopian ideal, for sure, but perhaps one worth striving for.
We capped off the week with a visit to the Challenger Center. Located on the campus of Hazard Community and Technical College, the Challenger Center is an amazing experience for school kids. Tom Cravens, the director, has been a long-time supporter of the Perry County Reading Camp. The kids were able to visit the Mars Invasion exhibits, and explore water erosion, gravity, centrifugal force, and much more.
Our campers looked forward to this all week, and they were thrilled to get to visit the Challenger Center. After they explored the exhibits, we made homemade icecream in a bag (if you haven't tried this, do it this weekend!!), and then, suddenly, camp was over. I handed the kids over to their parents, and hugged Dwight, Shelly, Tyne, and Jimmie Dunn, who would be heading to Pine Mountain. I have to say that the counselors are amazing people. This would make the third camp in a row for Dwight and Tyne, and the second for Shelly and Jimmie. We work hard to make camp an amazing experience for the campers, but for me, the experience of the counselors has always been just as central. I feel so blessed to have gotten to work with Major Tim Cory, the instructor for the Perry County JROTC. I've never respected anyone more--if you want to be encouraged about the education system in general, teenagers overall, and the possiblity of adults making a very real difference in the lives of young people, then you need to meet Major Tim Cory. I can't emphasize how lucky I've been to get to know him. I count his friendship as one of the great gifts of Reading Camp. The JROTC kids have been incredible, and I look forward to working with them again.
Friday afternoon, the last kid pulled out of the parking lot, and the counselors pulled out in my van, loaded with materials for Pine Mountain. The Perry County Reading Camp was over for another year. We helped eighteen kids to become better readers, and the lives of the teachers and counselors were enriched in the process. Is there really anything more to say? This ministry is so important. The phrase "what would Jesus do" has become a one-note pop-culture joke, riffed upon, satirized and ridiculed. I'm no theologian, but I can tell you this: Jesus would do Reading Camp. Maybe he'd be that inexperienced teacher we stick in Pleasure Reading, the one who looks a child in the eye and says "Read to me. We've got time."
Maybe he'd be the counselor who not only puts up with but finds a way to love the clingy, needy child hanging off his elbow and demanding constant attention.
Maybe he'd be the support staff person who prints out, sorts, and cuts photos, making sure all the children have some to put in their journals.
Maybe he'd be a parishioner, writing a check and offering support.
Or maybe, just maybe, Jesus would be a little child. Maybe he'd be a child who didn't read so well. A child who was always in trouble at school, who acted out and up, who made teachers roll their eyes and grit their teeth. A child who just needed a little extra help and little extra love. Who knows how Jesus would show himself? I don't claim to know. But I know this: Jesus would do Reading Camp.
-Jenny Williams, Camp Director and Reading Camp Steering Committee member.
Northern Kentucky Day Three Report
The day began early, with recounts of many hours of reading the night before from the campers. Then off to the reading centers...a typical day (if any day at camp could be called typical) at Reading Camp. I arrived a bit before lunch (I am a counselor), and along with the other (mostly male, remarkably enough) counselors, enjoyed being regaled with short stories from the kids of what they did in their centers, which ones they liked the best, writing and pleasure reading, and that everyone's favorite fruit seemed to be bananas.
Shortly thereafter it was off to our first outing of the day...Bi-okoto, which is a cultural institute of african dance and drumming. We learned about the continent of Africa, the second largest continent, and about how there are 450 different languages and dialects spoken in Nigeria.
Then we learned how to play each type of percussion instrument our group had and played a very musical song. African dance was next. We learned dance moves that were about respecting ourselves, the earth, our ancestors, and the rules. After another bus ride it was off to the most awaited activity of the day...the pool! It was there that I was informed by Tiffany that she “wished this camp would last forever!”, to which I heartily agreed.
And after a late snack at the pool it was back on the bus to head back to Trinity for the final moments of another day at Reading Camp. The kids were all tired but were promising to read tonight and bring in their library card forms in the morning as well as being so excited about tomorrow.
- Volunteer Jessica Otten is a Reading Camp coiunselor from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
Shortly thereafter it was off to our first outing of the day...Bi-okoto, which is a cultural institute of african dance and drumming. We learned about the continent of Africa, the second largest continent, and about how there are 450 different languages and dialects spoken in Nigeria.
Then we learned how to play each type of percussion instrument our group had and played a very musical song. African dance was next. We learned dance moves that were about respecting ourselves, the earth, our ancestors, and the rules. After another bus ride it was off to the most awaited activity of the day...the pool! It was there that I was informed by Tiffany that she “wished this camp would last forever!”, to which I heartily agreed.
And after a late snack at the pool it was back on the bus to head back to Trinity for the final moments of another day at Reading Camp. The kids were all tired but were promising to read tonight and bring in their library card forms in the morning as well as being so excited about tomorrow.
- Volunteer Jessica Otten is a Reading Camp coiunselor from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A murmur of hope
The library at Pine Mountain Settlement School comes alive each morning as learning centers begin at 9:00am. The voices of children and teachers fill the building with a happy hum. I call it a murmur of hope. Teachers and staff comes to Reading Camp with hope that the campers will succeed in gaining confidence in themselves. They hope to reach that place inside each child where a spark is kindled. The children respond to the individual attention they receive and their voices are like music as they enter into dialogue with the teachers and play the games that make learning fun. I wish everyone could hear it. The music doesn’t end at the learning centers. Our wonderful counselors and support staff make it possible, in harmony with the teachers, for the children to play, sing, and learn about friendship. They also have the advantage of the excellent environmental program provided by the Pine Mountain Settlement School staff.
-C.C. Johnson is a member of St. Raphael’s, Lexington and is volunteering at four Reading Camps this summer
-C.C. Johnson is a member of St. Raphael’s, Lexington and is volunteering at four Reading Camps this summer
Pine Mountain One-Liners
Some people call them “out of the mouths of babes” or “kids says the darnedst things" type comments, but at Reading Camp, there’s often a little more to it than that. Many of the kids who come to Reading Camp arrive shy having never been away from their parents before, spent a night away from home, or ever had much success with reading. And sometimes, the simplest of words or phrases from them remind the volunteers in attendance why they do this.
"Helllllooooo Nurse." –-One camper, ready to receive his evening medicine.
"Allison, I talked to John David, and he just needed to work out his anger. He's fine now." --Jacob, who took it upon himself to make a homesick camper feel better (And John David has been smiling ever since).
"Where are all the girls?"
--Dalton (with the award-winning smile) who was perplexed when he couldn't find any of the girls during evening snack time
"Can I have that book?"
--Katelyn, who didn't seem excited to read anything when she arrived at camp
"My favorite part of camp is the Learning Center, and that place where we made bat boxes." --Ruby
"One of my writing center classes was interrupted today when the three children, Jacob, Kayla, and Dalton, wanted to talk about how sad they are that they cannot come back next year. (They're entering fifth grade this year and will be too old to come to Reading Camp). I told them they can come back when they're sixteen and they can be counselors to children just like themselves, who will need help with their reading. Jacob gave me a big grin and said "Really?" Kayla smiled and was thinking. Dalton's eyes grew wide and with a huge smile, he gave me the biggest hug ever!"
--Tracey Meyers, volunteering for her second year at Pine Mountain, and a teacher in the Writing Center
"I am going to fail next year so I can come back."
-- Kay Kay, T.J., Tasha, who attended Reading Camp last year and came back this year for the second and last time.
"Ever since I've been here, I've become obsessed with reading."
-- T.J.
"Can I read two pages?!"
-- Jacob
"Helllllooooo Nurse." –-One camper, ready to receive his evening medicine.
"Allison, I talked to John David, and he just needed to work out his anger. He's fine now." --Jacob, who took it upon himself to make a homesick camper feel better (And John David has been smiling ever since).
"Where are all the girls?"
--Dalton (with the award-winning smile) who was perplexed when he couldn't find any of the girls during evening snack time
"Can I have that book?"
--Katelyn, who didn't seem excited to read anything when she arrived at camp
"My favorite part of camp is the Learning Center, and that place where we made bat boxes." --Ruby
"One of my writing center classes was interrupted today when the three children, Jacob, Kayla, and Dalton, wanted to talk about how sad they are that they cannot come back next year. (They're entering fifth grade this year and will be too old to come to Reading Camp). I told them they can come back when they're sixteen and they can be counselors to children just like themselves, who will need help with their reading. Jacob gave me a big grin and said "Really?" Kayla smiled and was thinking. Dalton's eyes grew wide and with a huge smile, he gave me the biggest hug ever!"
--Tracey Meyers, volunteering for her second year at Pine Mountain, and a teacher in the Writing Center
"I am going to fail next year so I can come back."
-- Kay Kay, T.J., Tasha, who attended Reading Camp last year and came back this year for the second and last time.
"Ever since I've been here, I've become obsessed with reading."
-- T.J.
"Can I read two pages?!"
-- Jacob
Reading for pleasure
One of the very important reading centers at Reading Camp is the pleasure reading center. While other centers (Phonics, Decoding, Strategies, Comprehension, and Writing) focus on learning and fine tuning skills, the pleasure reading center helps the students build confidence on the skills they already have, become more comfortable with books, and help learn that reading is a fun activity. It is in the center that the children can choose a book of their own to read alone, with an adult, to another camper, or even to a reading dog!
Northern Kentucky Day Two Report
Northern Kentucky Reading Camp Day 2
July 15, 2008
So I was hoping that by today I would have a story that would reach the masses. You know, one that would really tug on the ‘ol heart strings. The cornerstone of this week’s camp, you know? One that makes us scream… “THIS IS WHY WE DO THIS!” Nope not yet. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we’re making some great progress here at the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp, but no one’s waking us up at 430 in the morning getting dressed to start reading.
But here’s what has been happening:
*Yesterday in Ms. Gay’s reading strategies, the kids were learning difficult adjectives. We looked over and there was this girl jumping up and down throwing arms up with wide eyes…exuberant. She was describing exuberant.
*Yesterday with the puppeteer the kids learned the difference between an antagonist and a protagonist. This morning, Kara asked Ms. Nicole from the writing center to come read her journal and she had written a little story about “Joe the protagonist.”
*Ms. Lisa in reading comprehension shared a poem with the kids about how clowns shake hands. Then had them put on clown shoes and shake hands like the clown from the poem.
I am super impressed by our teachers. These ladies are so mindful of the individual needs for these children and are willing to come early or stay late to think about the next day and how the kids can be helped. Again with the dedication!
Also a special thanks to George Ella Lyon who came to speak with the kids about the writing process! She, as always, is a special friend to Reading Camp and we are thankful for her participation in our first ever Northern Kentucky Reading Camp.
Finally I would like to also thank Carrie from Gigglebox. She brought a wonderful program from her new puppet and theater company we really enjoyed having her.
Again, things are progressing and we learn more about the kids and their behaviors and needs we are looking forward to what’s next!
- Ringmaster Hillie Gaither is a volunteer camp director from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
July 15, 2008
So I was hoping that by today I would have a story that would reach the masses. You know, one that would really tug on the ‘ol heart strings. The cornerstone of this week’s camp, you know? One that makes us scream… “THIS IS WHY WE DO THIS!” Nope not yet. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we’re making some great progress here at the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp, but no one’s waking us up at 430 in the morning getting dressed to start reading.
But here’s what has been happening:
*Yesterday in Ms. Gay’s reading strategies, the kids were learning difficult adjectives. We looked over and there was this girl jumping up and down throwing arms up with wide eyes…exuberant. She was describing exuberant.
*Yesterday with the puppeteer the kids learned the difference between an antagonist and a protagonist. This morning, Kara asked Ms. Nicole from the writing center to come read her journal and she had written a little story about “Joe the protagonist.”
*Ms. Lisa in reading comprehension shared a poem with the kids about how clowns shake hands. Then had them put on clown shoes and shake hands like the clown from the poem.
I am super impressed by our teachers. These ladies are so mindful of the individual needs for these children and are willing to come early or stay late to think about the next day and how the kids can be helped. Again with the dedication!
Also a special thanks to George Ella Lyon who came to speak with the kids about the writing process! She, as always, is a special friend to Reading Camp and we are thankful for her participation in our first ever Northern Kentucky Reading Camp.
Finally I would like to also thank Carrie from Gigglebox. She brought a wonderful program from her new puppet and theater company we really enjoyed having her.
Again, things are progressing and we learn more about the kids and their behaviors and needs we are looking forward to what’s next!
- Ringmaster Hillie Gaither is a volunteer camp director from Trinity, Covington with the Northern Kentucky Reading Camp
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Some amazing progress is being made in the Learning Centers!
While standing in line for lunch today, I spoke with Joyce, the Head Teacher at Pine Mountain's Reading Camp. She gushed with good news from the mornings' centers.
Some background:
Yesterday we had a little boy named Sam in the centers who had trouble spelling some of the most common words. He had to ask for help on spelling "my" and had difficulty recalling how to spell question words like "who", "what", and "where". Several teachers were concerned and trying to brainstorm ways how best to help this boy. When Tracey, my mother and a Writing Center teacher, asked for advice this morning regarding this particular child, I said, "Just wait and see what happens. The forms his teacher sent us said that his reading level rose from 1.3 to 3.7 by the end of this school year. See how he does today."
And so....... the lunchline conversation with Joyce:
"Allison, such good news in the learning centers this morning. I was working with Sam and he is a completely different child from yesterday. I told the children about the activity for the morning and Sam took off writing a story and covered an entire page." I smiled in response.
"When the centers were over and I was telling your mother about, Elizabeth (Pleasure Reading teacher) came running out of the library, saying, "Sam was a new child today! He couldn't wait to read." Goosebumps. "And finally the Strategies teachers come bounding out and repeat the same story. Sam was right on topic, answering questions, reading, writing.... He came out of his shell."
And this is the brilliance of Reading Camp. Children realize that they're going to be lifted up and encouraged, and they just blossom in the Learning Centers. I spoke to almost every child in the line for lunch yesterday, and every single one said, "This is the best Reading Camp ever!"
"I had so much fun this morning."
"I read a book on horses/bugs/dogs and I have to go back and finish it this afternoon."
Reluctant readers suddenly become eager to learn and to improve, and they just take off.
-Allison Asay is a camp director and member of Christ Church, Lexington and serves on the Reading Camp Steering Commitee
Some background:
Yesterday we had a little boy named Sam in the centers who had trouble spelling some of the most common words. He had to ask for help on spelling "my" and had difficulty recalling how to spell question words like "who", "what", and "where". Several teachers were concerned and trying to brainstorm ways how best to help this boy. When Tracey, my mother and a Writing Center teacher, asked for advice this morning regarding this particular child, I said, "Just wait and see what happens. The forms his teacher sent us said that his reading level rose from 1.3 to 3.7 by the end of this school year. See how he does today."
And so....... the lunchline conversation with Joyce:
"Allison, such good news in the learning centers this morning. I was working with Sam and he is a completely different child from yesterday. I told the children about the activity for the morning and Sam took off writing a story and covered an entire page." I smiled in response.
"When the centers were over and I was telling your mother about, Elizabeth (Pleasure Reading teacher) came running out of the library, saying, "Sam was a new child today! He couldn't wait to read." Goosebumps. "And finally the Strategies teachers come bounding out and repeat the same story. Sam was right on topic, answering questions, reading, writing.... He came out of his shell."
And this is the brilliance of Reading Camp. Children realize that they're going to be lifted up and encouraged, and they just blossom in the Learning Centers. I spoke to almost every child in the line for lunch yesterday, and every single one said, "This is the best Reading Camp ever!"
"I had so much fun this morning."
"I read a book on horses/bugs/dogs and I have to go back and finish it this afternoon."
Reluctant readers suddenly become eager to learn and to improve, and they just take off.
-Allison Asay is a camp director and member of Christ Church, Lexington and serves on the Reading Camp Steering Commitee
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