|
 Church member Annie Hieronymus said it was the first
year they had done this program. She and school age teacher Jody
Ruff put their heads together and came up with the idea to have some
special activities for the children.
Hieronymus said it is good for both the kids and the church to have
these ongoing relationships. Initially, the kids were not sure what
to expect, but they had fun.
Hieronymus goes to Christian Child Care each week and provides a
mobile library for the children to check out books. A few times a
year, other church members join her and read to the various classes.
She and others worked with the younger group.
Activities for those going into first and second grade included a
story time and crafts to go along with the story. On Monday, each
child decorated a different animal from the book Giraffes Can’t
Dance. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they each decorated an octopus, a
jellyfish, and a fish to represent characters from the book Rainbow
Fish. Friday, the children finished their craft and played games.
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Children going into third through sixth grade worked with Cathy
Maciariello of the Atlanta Public Library.
That group first learned about emotions, and played observation
games where they had to guess what looked different on a child who had left the
room. On Tuesday, each child made up a story with providing a word when it was
his or her turn. Wednesday, they learned how to draw faces and decorate masks.
Friday, they completed their masks and did a pantomime for the younger group.
Maciariello said the pantomime was meant to teach empathy and was about a
baseball game. There was a pitcher, batter and home run, and another child asked
if he could play. They said no and he felt bad, but then the others decided to
let him play. He hits a home run and they give him high fives.
By the end of the week, the children were saying how much fun they had and
asking if they could do the camp again next year.
[Angela Reiners] |
