PMSS Reading Camp 2010 Saturday

Saturday
10:13 am

Well, the last two days have been incredibly busy...sorry I've been gone since Wednesday, I'll catch you up. The campers have all been picked up now and Reading Camp 2010 is just about cleaned from Pine Mountain Settlement School. Though we're exhausted the staff are all close to tears--we'll miss these kids!

Last night we just barely got a campfire started on a very damp fire pit but to everyone's delight we all had marshmallowy, chocolatey fingers by the end of the evening (you can't have camp without 'smores!)

By the end of the week all of the campers had investigated creek life and learned about what Pine mountain was like hundreds of years ago when the Native Americans and the first settlers lived here. They visited Pine Mountain's sandstone caves and learned about the forest's medicinal plants. Of course, they also did a lot of reading. The mornings were all spent with our wonderful teachers in the learning center in stations like Comprehension, Free Reading, Strategies, and Writing.

On Thursday the kids heard stories and folk music from Appalachia.

This morning, the last morning of camp, the campers woke early to get luggage ready and have breakfast. Several kids told me that they felt like I always do at the end of camp: half of me is ready to stay another week and half of me is very ready to sleep in my own bed again! The morning went surprisingly smoothly. By about 9:45 (after a few teary goodbyes) all of the campers were off the mountain and on their way home.

Before I end my last Pine Mountain 2010 blog, I'll give you one more edition of Radio WRCR Camper Report:

By Matt
(on visiting the creek)
The toad was a brown frog. The toad it was a female. The female does not sing. The frog was on the grass. We also saw a red-dotted salamander. We also tasted leaves. The leaves tasted like lemon. I spit the leaf out. The beavers chewed a hole in the dam. I also saw a crawdad, water pennies which are little bugs, minnows and salamanders of different colors. Gazillions of butterflies.

By Dylan
When we made the flowers [in Environmental Education] we had a metal wire for the stem, 7 or 8 corn husk petals, and string. We wrapped the string 3 to 5 times. I enjoyed doing it and it took a lot of concentration.

By Dalton
I like my friends, they play with me all the time. The teachers like teaching me because they want me to have good health. There were cave crickets in the cave yesterday!

By Troy:
Reading Camp is fun! My best friends are Devin and Matthew P. Chris, my counselor, is cool. He lets us do anything as long as we don't get hurt or mess up our rooms. The food's good--I like the pancakes.

By Emily
Being here has been fun. I made a new friend, Dakota. She is my BFF. I love Reading Camp so much I wish I could come back every year! We got to read and play.

By Cammie
I like camp because my counselor is nice. She braids my hair. And my roommates are nice. Cecilia [a teacher] is very, very nice to me. We talk about Indians and last night read Domitila... and that's all.

By Katie
I love Ms. Sarah's class! We do the most funnest things! We wrote poems, did puzzles and cards that helped us with our vocabulary. And at E.E. [Environmental Education] I hope there's gonna be snakes and frogs. I love being here at night now and I have lots of friends.

There are many more wonderful camper reports, I wish I had time to share them all!

When they went home this morning the kids took with them a thousand great memories, new skills in reading and writing, a whole lot of TLC, and a big stack of books chosen from our Reading Camp library.

Pine Mountain 2010 has been wonderful for everyone involved. Among the campers, counselors, staff, and teachers there were at least four generations of people from nine states at camp this week, everyone of us bringing unique gifts and perspectives. We are ALL excited to come back. See you next year!

Clare
Reading Camp Support Staff

PMSS Reading Camp 2010 Wednesday

Reading Camp Day 3
1:00pm

No rain today! It is clear and cool on Pine Mountain today. Because today is Bastille Day (French Independence Day) we are all saying "Bonjour!" Every morning the staff chooses a new word that means hello. Monday's word was Guten Tag (German) and yesterday's was "Konnichiwa" (Japanese). Our snacks are Mexico themed today: in the morning, tortilla chips and salsa. In one learning center the campers practiced reading a recipe and made quesadillas which they will eat for snack this evening. And now for the most recent camper news stories from Reading Camp Radio WRCR...

By Mathew:

I like making the flower and the God's Eye and a birdhouse. It was really fun. And I have made new friends here.

By Dawson:
My name is Dawson and I like Reading Camp. And I made new friends. And they make good food!

By Paige:
I like camp so far. It's fun. We had a balloon war. And we made a birdhouse and a flower and a God's Eye. My God's Eye was brown and blue. At my home, I really do miss my animals, mostly my horse, Comanche.

By Dalton:
I like Reading Camp because all the teachers are fun and nice. The counselors are our friends when we don't have anybody like the first year when I come to Reading Camp.

This afternoon the campers will play some Korean games and learn Origami paper art. Tonight is movie night! After dinner we will watch the Disney cartoon Mulan, about the legendary Chinese girl hero. Then, bedtime stories and sleep!

In line for lunch today one of the girls said to me, "Oh, no! We only have three days left!" It's amazing that we are already halfway through Reading Camp Pine Mountain 2010, a very successful week so far!

Clare,
Reading Camp Support Staff

Tuesday PMSS 2010

Tuesday
10:23 am

Reading Camp Pine Mountain day 2 began as a beautiful misty day but by 10:15 we had torrential rain again. Luckily, the campers were already at their Reading Centers by the time the rain hit. Morning snack—Italian themed ham-wrapped melon—will be inside again today.

By yesterday evening the rain had stopped so the campers were able to play water games…a lot of balloons, a lot of giggling, a lot of wet clothes, and early showers. In the early evening, the teachers put on a show for the kids. This was a new idea this year. In previous years staff members have interviewed campers for newspaper stories that would be read at dinnertime. This year, to save paper, we turned it into a radio show. Radio WRCR, AM 42.9, was a huge success--complete with exciting news flashes, sound effects and news reports written by the campers:

Welcome listeners, Reading Camp on Pine Mountain is proud to introduce our fist radio broadcast, sponsored by Pine Mountain biscuits baked by our wonderful kitchen staff. We are giving you all the news that is the news as it breaks (and bakes).

NEWSFLASH!
Have you heard that yesterday was Skylar’s ninth birthday? Listening audience, please join us at home as we sing Happy Birthday!


Here’s a sampling of the camper reports:

Nametags
By Dylan

Everybody made a nametag so that people would know their names. They would put trees, flowers, and cars on the nametags. There were two kinds of yarn--orange and green.

Reading Camp
By Lauren

I came to Reading Camp in a van. And I was so happy that I was coming to Reading Camp. I saw my best friend Emily. Then I saw things that would amaze me.

By Zach:
At bedtime we read a story, Cinderella. Not the Cinderella that we know. It’s a different story than the cartoon. I’m having fun. My counselor is Matt.

By Randi:
Well, today was the first whole day of camp. So far, I’ve had lots of fun. Last year, I came and had lots of fun too. Last night we loved Cinderella stories called Alligator’s Gift. The pizza is awesome…tastes like my school pizza. I enjoying these woods!

By Brian:
When I got here my first time, it was alright. At the end of the day I got a little homesick, but when it was time to go to bed I was feeling alright. At breakfast today, I ate some good pancakes!

By Skylar:
When I got here I met a lot of new friends: Lauren, Sunnie, and Haley. And I was excited that I was coming to Reading Camp. The teachers here are so nice, I hope six days don’t go by fast, I do not want to leave…but the teachers are real nice.

By Kendra:
I love Reading Camp because I love reading and music. I’m a songwriter and a singer. It’s my best thing to do.

Editor’s note…Kendra told one of her teachers later that her favorite part of the day was the radio show: “My dad has a lot of radios. I bet he heard it!”

This evening the kids will go on a hike and we’ll hear another radio show. Come back tomorrow to hear about it!

Clare
Reading Camp Support Staff

News from Pine Mountain!

Monday

Reading camp day 1! The teachers, counselors, and staff have been waiting a long time for Reading Camp 2010 to happen—Sunday afternoon when the campers arrive is always an exciting and satisfying day. This year at Pine Mountain Settlement School we have nine states represented among the staff: Kentucky, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida. What an exciting expansion from that first experimental year at the Cathedral Domain when we had little more than twenty campers. The national Episcopal Church has taken notice of the exciting work we do—Reading Camp now takes place in several states and even in other countries!

Arrival day went very smoothly yesterday and for the most part exactly as planned…check in, see the nurse, reading evaluation, make a name tag, playtime...42 campers. That means that every camper who registered showed up. Unlike last year, Sunday was a beautiful day. Not too hot and not too wet. We weren’t so lucky this morning—sleepy campers woke to a very misty morning and by ten o’clock we were under a downpour. That’s not completely unexpected; after all we are in the mountains.

The campers woke up at 7:30 this morning and got to breakfast right on time at 8:15 (that’s a good omen for the week!). After breakfast they headed to the learning centers where they will work with our teachers on reading and writing skills. On the first morning that doesn’t always sound so fun to the kids but they’ll find out soon that what we do is nothing like the school they are used to. Our student to staff ratio is excellent this year so every child has a good chance of receiving one-on-one time with a teacher every day.

Our camp theme this year at Pine Mountain is “Around the World.” Every day the morning snack will be based on the food of a different country. From Morocco we’ll have couscous. From Britain we’ll have cucumber sandwiches. From Italy we’ll have melon wrapped in “prosciutto” ham. From Mexico it will be black bean salsa and tortilla chips and from the Mediterranean it will be hummus and vegetables.

After learning center time the kids will have lunch and then head to Environmental Education. They’ll spend the afternoon learning about the plants and animals of Kentucky and Appalachia and how to take care of the beautiful world around us. Throughout the week they might visit the Pine Mountain garden, go on hikes, and investigate our creek.

Every afternoon and evening we’ll simply play. This afternoon (assuming the rain stops) we’ll play water games. In keeping with our international theme, on other days the kids will do Origami paper art and Irish Dance with camp directors Leslie and Allison. We will also play games, tell stories, watch an international movie, and Friday night, make s’mores (you can’t have camp without s’mores).

Every night at bedtime a teacher will visit each room to read a bedtime story. This year the kids will hear different versions of the Cinderella story from all over the world. By midweek the campers will be exhausted and fall asleep pretty quickly after lights out.

We are all very excited about the busy week ahead of us. Come back tomorrow for a camp update and some quotes from the kids!

"I don't miss TV!"

Cleveland Camp, Day 3:
One of our campers declared that "this is the only camp I've been to where I didn't miss TV or watching sports." Despite the collective groan before camp about not watching any tv, the campers haven't asked once about it. Instead they are eager to share how many books they have read. One camper, who really struggled with reading at the beginning of the week, has made great progress in just a few short days. She has been eager to share with anyone and everyone that she read 7 books in just 3 days! More books than she has ever read in 3 days. Her counselor decided to make her a chart that says "Look how many books I have read!" so she can record them to show grandma when she gets home.

We've seen other children blossom as the week has gone on. One boy, who struggled to focus during centers on Monday and Tuesday, declared on Wednesday, when asked which center was his favorite, that "decoding, comprehension, writing, phonics, and strategies" were all his favorites.

The eagerness in the children to learn new things and read new books is wonderful to watch. From making their own ice cream to battling the "alligators" in the river during tubing, they have taken on new things, facing their fears and trying new things with just the right amount of encouragement from the wonderful reading camp staff. As the day ended yesterday you could find a group of boys quietly reading in the library with the teachers and another group crowded around a support staff reading them the next chapter in "Prates Past Noon." What a joyous sight!

Cleveland, Day Three!

The second full day of reading centers is over! At the writing center all the campers wrote letters
to their counselors. The counselors of course loved the parts talking about how tall, pretty or
buff they were, but the more telling parts talked about how the campers liked them because
they were funny, treated everybody equally, and probably worked with kids for a job because
they love kids so much. In the afternoon everybody went to Lake Farm Park, a real working
farm setup with different stations for children to learn about the animals. We learned about bees
and tasted honey, pet lots of different animals, including one particularly noisy sheep, and milked
a cow! All the kids were very excited to be able to interact so closely with the animals.

In the evening we had a special performance by a local dance company. Everyone had a great
time and the kids were an excellent audience. Afterwards they had a chance to get up and dance
with the dancers. They had obviously paid attention because they started reenacting some of
the moves from the show, as well as showing off some of their own moves. At night when the
teachers read the camp story before bed, you could hear some of the kids begging for one more
chapter! I have the feeling we'll all be begging for that at the end of this week.

Cleveland: Second day was a splash!

Swimming, hiking, fishing, and water games galore The kids had a blast! Today was the first full day of reading centers and all the kids were very engaged, that is until the gong sounds and they all scramble to the next one. After lunch they had their first day of swimming. Everyone had written about wanting to go swimming the first day they arrived so they all had fun splashing around. Several of our campers were eager to learn to swim. Thanks to our wonderful volunteer, Betsy, many of them had the opportunity to learn how to hold their breath under water and kick! Quishay, reluctant at first to try, was excited to show off her new skill! After that was hiking and fishing. Two fish were caught with sausage from breakfast and the kids squealed at the sliminess of the fish! Walking around the woods we saw frogs, snails and deer tracks. After dinner and journaling the counselors led the kids through a number of fun water games. No one was spared, campers, counselors and staff all were soaked by the end of the night.

Report from Cleveland's first Reading Camp!

The first day of Reading Camp Cleveland was a success! 15 kids from four different schools
in the Cleveland area arrived at Cedar Hills yesterday. They were met by a very enthusiastic
group of volunteers and have already settled in to camp. Within the first hour we had children
asking if they could take books back to their rooms to read. So much preparation has gone into
this week, it will be sad to see them go in just 6 days.

After the first day a camper was already lamenting that he was too old to come back next year.
I suggested he come back in a couple years as a junior counselor. He got very excited at the idea,
and started calculating how many years he'd have to wait to come back. He also started tackling
the logistics, asking how the application process worked and how he'd get an application when
the time came. Another camper voiced his opinion that reading camp should be two weeks, one
week just isn't enough.

The campers spent 10 minutes in each of the reading centers meeting their teachers and finding
out what they would be doing all week. In the writing center the kids worked on short stories
about their first day at camp. One camper wrote "Here at last! I am so very happy. I really
want to go swimming. I like my room it is colorful." Another camper wrote " Here at last!
I enjoy being here because it's about learning and having fun, I can't wait to go hiking and
swimming." A third wrote, " Here at last! I can tell I will have fun! There are many nice,
fun people here!" The campers enthusiasm for camp (and swimming) is incredible!
We are ready for a fun week of reading!

From directors Karen and Carl Carter

Transformations in Grahamstown

My apologies for picture quality, but so far, the only Internet access I have is through my phone. The illustrations may be a little blurry, but I hope the feelings come through clearly.

Below are Akhona (who was previously pictured singing the national anthem) and his counselor, Marty. They are intently watching the game which unfortunately turned into a loss for the home team to Uruguay last night. There is, however, still a winning story to be told. Akhona had never spent a night away from home before Reading Camp and told us from day one that he was NOT staying a week. He said he had to be home to watch Bafana Bafana play and gave us a running countdown of the hours before he was leaving. Marty had once experienced homesickness himself and took Akhona gently in with patience and understanding. Though a new counselor, Marty found a perfectly balanced combination of allowing Akhona to "cling" just enough to feel safe while encouraging him to stick it out. It has been amazing to watch Akhona's transformation from a glum and reluctant camper to the smiling, winking, and much more confident boy we see today.

Reading is, of course, at the core of why we're here, but whether in KY or South Africa, it is consistently the relationships and confidence developed at Camp which allow both progress in skills and produce the lasting transformations in young lives.

- Mary Jane Amick, member of St. Raphael's, Lexington,
is in Grahamstown serving at their Reading Camp

Mission House in Pictures Part II

Mission House in pictures

Observations of Reading Camp

"We visited the students from Harrison Elementary who are enrolled in 'Reading Camp' today. WOW!!! They love it! They don't even realize they're learning :).
Keep up the wonderful work you're doing."

- Toni Brown, MSW
- Laura von Epps, MSW
Harrison Elementary

Reading Camp in South Africa celebrates the World Cup!

Reading Camp continues in Grahamstown, South Africa, and what an exciting time to be at camp! The whole country is excited about the World Cup, and the campers and staff came together to cheer on South Africa before the big game!

A short message from Mary Jane Amick, member of St. Raphael's in Lexington, who is in Grahamstown, South Africa for Reading Camp:

"Singing the national anthem before the game. Popcorn, ginger beer, the Waka Waka and a gazillion S Africa flags. We'll have a lot of pooped kids in the AM, but this truly is a once in a lifetime for them! Let's hope the second half goes better!"

Out and about with Mission House Reading Camp

Learning centers continue to be fun, colorful places to learn:



On Tuesday afternoon, campers and staff visited the Lexington Police Department's Mounted Police division. Campers met the policemen who ride the horses, protecting downtown Lexington.

They also got to learn how the horses are trained. In the arena, the officers demonstrated how the train the horses not to be startled by the sounds of traffic and other downtown activities:

Reading Camp is a blast!

A great Monday afternoon at Mission House Reading Camp

Monday, June 14

We were at the Explorium - a children's musuem in downtown Lexington and some of the campers were investigating the horse exhibit. (We are using the horse theme this year at Mission House - so that worked out perfectly!) After I helped one of the children hop up onto the model horse, I was showing her how to steer. Gabby's eyes suddenly lit up and she exclaimed, "Oh! I know this! We read about this in a book this morning!"

It gave me a moment to smile and think how wonderful Reading Camp is - not only for the instruction provided in the morning but also for the rich real-world experiences the children get from field trips in the afternoon.

-Tracy Ellis, Mission House Reading Camp co-director, and member of Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington.

And they're off!

From Mission House Reading Camp, Monday morning:
Kids reading in the Pleasure Reading center with volunteers and Doogan, the reading dog!


Volunteers Virginia and Peggy with campers in the Phonics center.

Journaling away in the Writing Center.

Camp co-director Tracy with volunteer Phyllis.

Smiling faces as the campers write stories about themselves and get to know their teacher, Tony.

It's a colorful world as campers and teachers play games, write stories, read books, and get to know each other.

Counselors Rob and Hannah from Church of the Resurrection, Jessamine County.

Having too much fun with interactive storytelling in the Reading Comprehension center.


Stories, photos, and much more to come from Mission House! Stay tuned.

The transformation begins!!!

The volunteers for Mission House Reading Camp met and began planning this past Thursday, and over the weekend, Mission House started to transform!



The theme for Mission House Reading Camp is "Horses," which you can see from the banners on the floor in the pictures:










Camp co-director Charlie Dalton worked on hanging a horse mural,



while other co-directors Ginger Sauls, Candice Lucas, and Tracy Ellis worked on camper forms, teacher responsibilities, and mapping out the transportation route for the week!

We look forward to a great camp - starting TOMORROW morning!

Keep the campers, teachers, counselors, and directors in your prayers this week as they have a wonderful camp. Check back here for pictures and updates from Mission House.

Countdown to Summer Camp!

Hello, Reading Camp fans, campers, teachers, and parents!


We are in countdown mode to Reading Camp! 21 days until our first day camp, held at Mission House in Lexington, June 14-18.

In the Diocese of Lexington, we have two other day camps this summer, in Northern Kentucky and in Winchester. Our two overnight camps are at the Cathedral Domain and Pine Mountain Settlement School.


Volunteers are excited, campers are excited, and we can't wait to get started!


Would you like to provide brand new books to a camper this summer?
Each camper takes home a bag full of books at the end of camp. With over 150 campers this summer in central, northern, and eastern Kentucky alone, we need your help!
This year, we have an extensive list of books that we would love to give to campers. Email Allison, Associate Director, at readingcamp@diolex.org for the full list, or click here to view a shortened list online! Books can be purchased at Amazon.com and shipped to the Reading Camp office for distribution to the children.

2010 Reading Camp Dates

Our 9th Summer of Reading Camps begins in June this summer. Again this summer volunteers are expanding Reading Camp beyond the Diocese of Lexington with two new camps in Ohio, a second week in Virginia, and a completely new camp in Monrovia, Liberia.

Summer 2010

Mission House, Lexington, Ky: June 14-18

Diocese of Southern Ohio: June 20-25

Cathedral Domain, Lee County, Ky (overnight): June 20-26

St. Paul’s, Cleveland Heights, Oh: June 20-26

Bromley School for Girls, Monrovia, Liberia: June 24 - July 2

Emmanuel, Winchester, Ky: June 28-July 2

Grahamstown, South Africa: July 11-17 (overnight)

Pine Mountain Settlement School, Harlan County, Ky: July 11-17 (overnight)

Northern Kentucky, Trinity, Covington, Ky: July 12-16

Grace, Paducah, Ky: July 12-16

St. James, Leesburg, Va: August 2-6 (returning campers)

St. James, Leesburg, Va: August 9-13 (new campers)


To volunteer for a Reading Camp in the Diocese of Lexington, please complete the volunteer application that is ONLINE here. To volunteer or for more information about a Reading Camp outside the Diocese of Lexington, please contact the Reading Camp office at readingcamp1 AT diolex.org

Reading Camp in ... Liberia?

The Episcopal Church of St. James, Leesburg, Virginia began a Reading Camp this summer through a partnership with the Reading Camp ministry in the Diocese of Lexington. Volunteers from St. James, Leesburg held their first "Reading Carnival Camp" this summer with great support and encouragement from local schools and education personnel and are already looking to expand their program in three avenues.

1) Continue their summer/initial contact with their Reading Campers by piloting an after-school program on Monday afternoons. Already 14 of their 25 Reading Campers from last summer have applied to come on Monday afternoons. This program is being supported by many of the same volunteers who helped Reading Camp take off at St. James this past summer. This program is planned to be structured in a "Reader's Theatre" format. Church volunteers help the children learn readings of brief plays that are too difficult to memorize, but the student readers learn to read words in context. Volunteers work with children on reading scripts. One day everyone goes to a local thrift shop to get outfits that would fit their character.

2) Increase their Reading Camp program to two weeks next summer--one week for returning 4th grade campers and one week for new 3rd graders coming to Reading Camp for the first time. They're planning spending tons of energy to re-evaluate the curriculum to better tailor it to the different achievement levels of the students.

3) Through a parish connection with the Episcopal Church in Liberia, St. James is planning on a group trip of 23 young people from their parish to Monrovia, Liberia this June/July for the first Liberian Reading Camp. This partnership is through a connection with the Bromley Girls School (and its 180 students) just outside of Monrovia. Huge educational infrastructure needs remain in Liberia and helping the leadership of the Bromley Girls School further meet their literacy education needs is an excellent step in that direction. St. James already has a parishioner who is living in Monrovia and working with the school.

The stated plan is that the visiting young people from St. James will work with the older students there to put together learning centers for the younger 3rd and 4th grade students at the school. Another group of teachers from the Diocese of Virginia has already been on one trip to lend a little help in rebuilding their country's education system. Reading Camp is now a full partner in that work.

One of the more exciting points about the Liberia connection was with the Bishop of Liberia, Rt Rev. Jonathan Bau-Bau Bonaparte Hart, who, on hearing there was interest to bring Reading Camp to his country of Liberia, told the volunteers from Virginia, "Oh, you must talk to the Diocese of Lexington. They're the ones who do Reading Camp!" The Virginian volunteers excitedly replied, "We have been working with them already!"

How exciting that God's blessings through Reading Camp continue with the people of St. James, Leesburg, Virginia through their new after school program "Reader's Theater", the expansion of their Reading Camp program into two weeks this summer, and their further sharing of the blessing of Reading Camp through their connections with the Episcopal Church through the Diocese of Liberia.

~~~

More of the back story about how the the Reading Camp ministry spread to St. James', Leesburg, Virginia to become "Reading Carnival Camp" is available here.