Aidan Virtual Summer Wrap Up

As Aidan's Virtual Summer comes to a close this Friday, our camp leaders, Phillip Katinas and Nicole Barba share some highlights from the past six weeks! 

Fitness and Fun Update from Mr. Katinas

Our "Fitness and Fun" class has been an absolute hit this summer! With many students joining daily and others popping in from time to time, we've had a great sense of the Aidan community throughout camp. We've made the most of our limited spaces: our living rooms and bedrooms have transformed each morning into fitness centers. We have held multiple scavenger hunts inside of our homes, and we have made our own fitness board games and bingo boards. 

Two of our highlights of the summer have come from our special themed days. Early on in camp, we had a "Build a Fort" activity. On a perfectly rainy day, all of the students made forts in their homes. After gathering flashlights, we enjoyed sharing spooky stories from the safety of our forts. Another highlight came from our "Bring Your Pet to Camp" Day. Normally something that we could not do at a regular camp, we had the chance to meet all of the animals that our students' animals care for. Dogs, cats, chicks, and fish filled the Zoom screens, and we heard stories about these beloved animals and even saw some tricks! We also had wonderful discussions about our "dream animals" to care for as a pet.

Although challenging at times, with an expected share of technological hiccups, our virtual camp has served as an excellent way to stay in touch with our community. It's been an absolute joy to stay in touch and stay active with the students of Aidan!

Creative Corner Update from Ms. Barba

The Creative Corner certainly held up to its name! Our artwork has been inspired by nature, different artists, and even the children themselves. I've enjoyed receiving lessons from Primary children on different techniques to use while painting as well as learning how to make different projects from the Elementary children. 

As we explored, we saw how different materials could be incorporated into expression. We enjoyed painting using flowers, leaves, toilet paper tubes, tissue paper, glue, fingers, and, of course, brushes. Splashing paint across the paper while moving around it was exciting, too. We read and told stories, built vehicles out of recycling materials, and moved our bodies into different yoga poses.

Some of the favorite themes this summer have been: Creating the Ultimate Party, where we made decorations, accessories, games, and practice dance moves; Expressing Feelings through color, puppets, making instruments, self portraits, and moving our bodies to show an emotion without facial expressions; and Dreams where we made night landscapes, lightning bug sun-catchers, and butterflies. 

It has been a joy this summer to watch the creative process blossom into new ideas! I loved how the children supported each other and encouraged one another to share. Everyone showed patience and kindness as we talked and shared each other's work as well as when technology was not always our friend. Art has different purposes and the children are well on their way to using art as a tool for creativity self-expression.