So, the Spring camp happened…just like that. One minute I was busily stocking up on art materials, next thing you know the kids are waving goodbye and running off into the horizon.
The camp was very much like a whirlwind in more than one way. Exhilarating, noisy, windswept (thanks Mother Nature), messy, and over way too fast. I was left barely standing at the end of it. Most of it is hazy in my mind, I do remember a bit of it though…
We learnt about Spring festivals and celebrations, picked leaves, twigs, spiky things, and some of my neighbors’ weeds. We did some gelatin printing, some mono printing, and refused to do the screen printing. We painted with watercolors, drew with crayons, chalks, pens, masking fluid, and a gold pen that I specifically instructed everyone not to draw with. We clapped out syllables, wrote haikus, and tried to speak Hebrew words. We cut fabric, ripped paper, and very nearly ripped my curtains a few times. We rode bikes, played really, really, bad baseball, Apples to Apples, and a weird game called ‘Santa’s Sack’ – don’t ask.
Good times, good times…and, of course, I  built heavily on my existing knowledge of seven year olds, which will come in handy for the upcoming Summer camps (for the purposes of this blog, a seven year old is anyone who has, is, or will be seven in this current school year…or the next).
Here is what I learnt
– Seven year olds LOVE to be read to. I thought they may have grown out of story time, but no – they love it.
– If a seven year old wants to tell you a story, be prepared, make yourself a snack, it will take a very long time. They don’t do abridged versions.
– Seven year olds believe in magic (even if they tell you they don’t, they do), it is one of their most endearing qualities. I love discussing unicorns, dragons, and spells with them, it makes me believe in magic too.
– Seven year olds are very forgiving when you make a mistake, or play a sport very badly. They are more understanding than adults.
– When you go for a walk with a group of seven year olds, even to the end of the street , you must always (ALWAYS) take Band Aids.
– Even the toughest seven year old will ask for their mommy when you put a Band Aid on their knee.
– Seven year olds can hear certain words in any circumstances, even with earmuffs on from the other end of the neighborhood. Those words include, but are not restricted to candy, booger, Frozen, and treat.
– All seven year olds spontaneously break into a round of songs from Frozen when faced with a little free time (how do they remember all the lyrics? They find it so difficult to remember where their jackets are.
– Speaking of jackets. Some seven year olds never take them off, some never put them on. Either way, bring on Summer.
Thank you to all the lovely seven, and almost seven year olds who made this camp so much fun!
