Yesterday we had a wonderful surprise for the campers! Not only was a firetruck coming to visit the Ben James Camp but also a police car and two race cars! Engine 6 from Station 6 (Spryfield-Herring Cove) came to visit us for the second time this summer, but this time with a different crew. Constable Jason Wilson from the Spryfield Police Department brought his Police Car for the kids to sit in and pretend to drive! He even turned the lights on to show us what they look like! Our third visitor was Meehan Racing, thanks to Counsellor Olivia, we got to see (and go inside) two race cars! All three visitors gave the campers goodies including fire hats, pencils, cardboard fire trucks, activity books, Meehan racing stickers and Halifax Regional Police badges! It was a wonderful way to spend our last morning of camp! Thanks again to our guests, the kids were ecstatic!
Can't believe we're halfway through the summer! We said goodbye to our 9-11 year-olds and can't wait to have them again next year! Next week is our Adult group (ages 15-21) and we are very excited to meet our new campers! Enjoy the photos and I'll be posting again next week! Catherine
0 Comments
This week we had a lot of fun in our big gym at the Spryfield Lion's Centre! We played on scoreboards, sunk into the ball-pit and enjoyed time in the quiet room (Finding Dory Themed I might add!). We made "fizzy dough" and played with it outside on a tarp. Some kids made volcanoes with it and others kneaded it into dough, either way it's super fun. Campers enjoyed splashing around in our outdoor pool to cool off! I only managed to get a few pictures from our trips to Chocolate Lake and the Wave Pool because there were lots of other kiddos around and we don't have their photo consent. However, our daily swims really helped us cool off on those hot days and campers loved wading, swimming, building sand castles, sitting in tubes or sliding into the water! Alex surprised us again with even more instruments this time for Music Time! The keyboard was a big hit this time around and campers took turns playing it along with Alex on his guitar. The Ben James camp enjoyed a visit from Little Ray's Reptiles and we got to meet some really cool animals. We were brave and touched them gently, they felt so scaly and cool!
Stay tuned for a post about our busy Friday Vehicle Visit! Catherine Back again for some more updates on our Camp Two campers! On Friday, we took a special trip over on the ferry to Dartmouth! We rode the #20 bus all the way from camp, downtown, almost to Scotia Square. We had a short, downhill walk to the ferry terminal. We showed some campers a map of Halifax Harbour and explained where we would be going and they were very interested! The ferry ride was nice and sunny and most campers chose to sit on the top to get the best view. There were tons of smiles as we crossed the harbour and I believe the ferry ride was one of the highlights of the week. We had nice weather on the Dartmouth side and played at the Alderney Landing playground. This playground has a spongy surface around it and was fun to jump and play on. We ate a "picnic lunch" on the grass and then took the ferry back over to the Halifax side. We cheered each other on during the walk up the hill to the bus stop and although our bus was late, our campers did a wonderful job waiting for it and then sitting for the lengthy bus ride back. We spent the rest of the day swimming and having fun!
On Monday we adventured to the Westmount School Splash Pad and Playground for the second time this session. It was already beginning to be a very hot day so we were super lucky to be the first group at the Splash Pad. This allowed me to get some photos because there weren't other kids in the background! Because of the weather calling for a 60% chance of showers in the afternoon, we chose to go to the wave pool. Because it was such a hot day and didn't end up raining, we had the pool almost to ourselves! Campers had a great time swimming in the waves. Today was another busy day and we only have three more days of Session 2. Today was not only a rainy day, but a very rainy day. However, the weather didn't stop us! We watched the movie Cars in the morning and pushed our kite-making and flying to tomorrow. In the afternoon, we went out in the pouring rain and walked to the wave pool for a swim. The campers were great troopers in the rain and we had a wonderful time at the wave pool. When we arrived back at camp we got to hunt for glow bugs! We turn off all of the lights in the gym and the Senior Staff and Volunteers placed "Glow Bugs" (plastic easter eggs with battery-powered tea lights inside) all over the gym. This activity was a huge hit with the campers. Unfortunately I missed the glow bugs today, as I was needed elsewhere, so I can't wait until we do them again and I can get some photos! I hope you don't mind the long-winded post but I just had to share everything because we've been having such a great time! Catherine (Camp Coordinator) This week has been full of day trips! On Wednesday we took the bus all the way to Hop, Skip, Jump in Bayer's Lake. The campers did very well with a bus transfer at the Mumford Rd. station! Hop, Skip, Jump is an indoor playground and it's a big hit with the kids! Counsellors did a great job keeping up with their campers, even though our bones are a little bit older! We ate lunch in a nice party room and got back on the bus. Because it was a beautiful day, we went right to Chocolate Lake! Knock on wood, we have had lovely weather this week. Everyone had fun at the beach and it was a beautiful afternoon. We took yet another bus to get back to camp and there were no complaints about riding the bus again! Yesterday (Thursday) we started off the morning by going to the splash pad at Westmount School. There are lots of sprinklers and a few really great playgrounds. It was funny because the sprinklers go on and off and some campers got surprised by a soaking when they were standing close to a sprinkler that was off for a little while. We had a nice picnic lunch in the shade before taking the bus straight to Chocolate Lake. This was our third beach day in a row and we're hoping for a fourth today! Upon arriving back to the centre, it was Music Time with Alex (one of our Senior Leaders and also a Music Therapist). We got to hear some talented kids sing, play the guitar and play the piano! We sang along to a mix of kids songs, oldies and some songs we know from the radio! It's time I start setting up for today so we can have a great Friday at camp.
-Catherine This week we have welcomed campers to our 2nd session of the summer! This session, campers are 9-11 years old. I haven't taken many photos yet as I am just getting to know everybody but lots more are to come! Yesterday, we painted bird houses, raced sailboats in our little pool and played Red Light, Green Light in the gym. Because the weather wasn't great in the morning, we made the decision to spend the afternoon at the wave pool. Campers had a great time splashing around in the waves! Today, we made moon sand during craft time and got to play with it later in the morning. Again, moon sand was a big hit! Our afternoon was very busy, as we went to Chocolate Lake on the bus on one of the hottest days of the summer! It felt great to cool off and this session we have another keen group of swimmers! Some campers chose to play in the sand or on the playground instead and that is totally fine! Today was an early swim day, so we had time to take a trip to the garden. The garden we go to is up a big hill behind the Wave Pool and is called the Spryfield Urban Farm. We had some beans and spinach growing from our visit with Camp Group One, two weeks ago. Campers planted some lettuce seeds and watered our existing growing plants! We even decorated the garden with some of the birdhouses that were painted yesterday. After a snack and a nice downhill walk back to the centre, it was time for campers to go home. We are looking forward to a trip to Hop, Skip, Jump tomorrow!
Have a lovely evening, Catherine (Camp Coordinator) Today we had an extra special visit to Ben James camp! The firefighters from Station 6 came to see us and brought their truck! First, they came into the gym and talked to us about some of the equipment they use on a regular basis. One of the fire-fighters got fully dressed in his gear to show us what firefighters look like when they're working. He even crawled by each one of us and got us to yell "help" to practice in case we were ever in a fire. We talked some more about safety. Next, we got to go outside and look at the Fire Engine! Not only could we look, but we all took turns sitting in the back of the truck, the driver's seat and the passenger's seat where the Chief sits. Some of us held the hose at the front! We also had the chance to try on the jacket and/or the boots and pants! They were a LITTLE too big for us though! Campers were given some goodies at the end, including a fire-helmet, a pencil, an activity booklet and a cardboard truck we could assemble. We lined up along the wall of the centre outside and the fire fighters got in the truck, turned it around and turned the lights on to show us! Thanks again to Station 6 and we look forward to seeing you again this summer!
- Catherine (Camp Coordinator) Today was our last day with the campers from Camp One! We're going to miss them but we're ready for the next group too! Today started off a little bit rainy but we listened to the weather report that said it would clear up in the afternoon and spent the afternoon at the beach! Good thing because it was quite hot! This morning we had some great activities. We had dress-up clothes out and a "Photo Booth" where campers could get their photos taken. We also had a fire-truck obstacle course where campers could drive a toy fire-truck around pylons, through tunnels, under the trampoline and finish by dumping "water" (disguised as blue ball-pit balls) on the campfire! (Not real fire, but the battery powered tea-lights made it look quite real). This activity was in preparation for an actual fire-truck coming to visit our camp!! Please see my next post for photos from this visit! I finally got some pictures of the kids swimming, (without getting splashed holding my phone, yay!). I have also included some photos of our "Finding Dory" themed Quiet Room so that campers coming later in the summer can get a sneak peek! Thanks for a great two weeks Camp One and we look forward to seeing you all next year!
- Catherine Today was another fun-filled day at Ben James Summer Camp! Campers started off the morning by playing in the ball pit, riding the scooter-board train and having marble races using pool noodles as a track. Next, campers went on a Nature Hike through the beautiful trails right behind our centre! Sorry not to have any photos of the Nature Hike and Scavenger Hunt, I must have been too busy enjoying the scenery! After lunch we went on the bus to Chocolate Lake. It was another beautiful afternoon at the beach! When we arrived back at the centre, we had "Music Time with Alex" which is a preferred activity for a lot of our campers. Alex came with many instruments including guitars, a banjo and a stand-up bass. We loved when Alex played the lowest notes because we could feel the vibrations! Tomorrow is our last day with the 6-8 year olds and we're really going to miss them! It's been a great two weeks thus far!
Yesterday (Wednesday, July 13th) we took the bus all the way to Bayer's Lake to Hop Skip Jump! Hop Skip Jump is an indoor playground. We had to make a bus transfer, but we didn't have to wait very long for the second bus and the campers did a great job! The kids were so fast in Hop Skip Jump that the counsellors had to work very hard to keep up! There were definitely some sweaty foreheads when we were finished playing! The campers were busy climbing, sliding and swinging and they all had a really great time. We ate our lunch in a party room and then got back on the bus, heading for Chocolate Lake. It was our first lake day in about five camp days and the weather was beautiful! Unfortunately, the water was a little cold, but some of the campers got right in, while others enjoyed playing in the sand or on the playground. I have a good feeling that the campers slept soundly last night! Us counsellors are excited to head back to Hop Skip Jump with the other groups!
- Catherine We had a great and sunny day on Tuesday, July 12th. We did end up going to the wave pool instead of Chocolate Lake in the afternoon because the weather was calling for thunder storms and we wanted to be safe just in case. I'm sure you all witnessed the thunder and lightning at night when it did happen though! I slept right through it after a busy day of camp. On Tuesday, we built kites from kits and went to the nearby field to fly them. We had our fingers crossed, hoping that there would be just enough wind and our wish was granted! The kites flew beautifully and the campers got them going up really high! Lots of fun was had. Also on Tuesday, we played with "fizzy dough", made towers out of plastic cups and enjoyed the scooter boards. Four more days for this group!
- Catherine |
ContributionsThese photo's are taken by the summer camp management team. Archives
August 2020
Categories |