Session I, Week 1: R.O.Y.'s Fun First Morning

The three youngest Summer Spree morning groups, Red, Orange, and Yellow, are off to a great start this morning! All three groups have jump-started art projects and special classes, and have been learning a lot already about our water systems.

Jenn's Red Group, the youngest of the kids at Summer Spree, were already very excited about art camp when I ran into them on the way back to their home base from the garden. They'd just come from digging out the beginnings of the trench along the edge of the garden, and were pumped to get into their cool room and take a group photo with Jenn and their helper, Marisa.

2013's first Red Group. Hard to get five 4-yr-olds smiling at once! (Sorry, Jenn!)

Members of the Red Group cooling off in the AC from the 90 degree heat with some creative necklace making. These big beads are perfect for their little hands!

A year older than the Red Group, I found the Orange Group, with teacher Sarah and assistant Sarah, working on some water colors in their classroom. Using masking tape to secure the paper to the table, the kids did not want to stop mixing and matching colors. The boys would only stop for a second to smile at the camera before, "Sarahhh! Can I have some more paperrr?"

Sarah's Orange Group getting their creativity flowing with some water colors.

The Yellow Group is planning a big project this week to turn a corner of their classroom into the 5 layers of the ocean. When I came in to see them, their teacher, Jenna, was reading them a book called Octopus Alone, about an Octopus travelling around his home near the coral reef. Jenna was getting the kids started thinking about the animals under water such as the Octopus' jellyfish and seahorse friends. After the story, they began to create their own coral reef scenes first in pencil then brought to life with watercolors on watercolor paper, a new material to the children in the yellow group.

Above & Below: Yellow Group outlines their coral reef artwork in pencil.

All three groups and teachers are off to an awesome and art-filled first morning! Keep checking the Summer Spree Blog for updates on the Red, Orange, Yellow, and older groups as the sessions go on!