Schools out, we’re in: Sequim’s Boys & Girls Club kicks off busy summer

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 27, 2018

The Carroll C. Kendall Club didn’t skip a beat as the kids transitioned from school year to summer. The clubhouse doors unlocked at 7:45 the morning of June 18 and we welcomed 100 members before noon.

The last day of school was buzzing with happiness as the club filled with kids celebrating the last day of school. We served them all a hot lunch to fuel them up after their half day at school. We said goodbye to members we know will spend their summer at home, with family, in other towns or with parents that also enjoy the summers off. We will surely see them return in the fall, taller and excited to tell us what they have been up to.

For many others, we will continue to see their smiling faces and together we’ll share in the summer experiences, making 2018 a one to remember.

This year, our summer programming takes on the theme “Summer By the Books.” Our morning campers will enjoy a literary week of activities, games, crafts and field trips centered on one of 11 subjects such as “Comics” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” exploring the work and humor of Dr. Seuss.

Our afternoon programs will encourage reading though several programs “Brain Gain,” “Stride Academy” and what we refer to as “Feed Your Brain” programs that encourage poetry and creative writing, offer a reader’s theatre and some dedicated tutor time for those that need it.

Sitting on the front desk you will find a large stuffed elephant which members can win by reading a book and turning in a “re-tell” for a chance to enter the drawing. We will bury our heads in books, hit the computer keyboards and screens, jump into physical games, create incredible art and make 2018 a summer not to forget.

Morning Camp

The week wrapped up with a movie showing of the popular animated film, “The Incredibles.” While the second version is hitting theaters now our kids were able to watch the original that debuted several years ago.

The movie tied nicely to our “Comic” week. Members wrote their own comic strips, read some classics and explored comic books and super heroes. Of course the crafts they created infused a lot of cut comic strips. They made magnets, picture frames and even painted scenes on newspaper backing.

They hit the gym for their very own attempt at some super hero skills, moving from station to station to climb the cargo net and scale the 25-foot rope like Spiderman.

Nature Bridge

Thanks to a partnership with the Olympic National Park, 40 of our members were able to spend a week at Nature Bridge engrossed in outdoor science and nature. Each day of the week incorporated a theme to teach the members how to understand the environment around them — observe, question, test, analyze and share.

Most days started off at Barnes Point and continued with a walk to Marymere Falls, a trip to Salt Creek for tide pool exploration, and to the Elwha River for exploration along the river and its mouth.

Educator Emma had our boys thank the river by kissing it. The campers climbed Mount Storm King and concluded the week with a canoe paddle on Lake Crescent.

More activities

We had a fun first week and some of our favorite school year programs kept on without pause. Parent volunteer Ehmey Liggins comes in every Monday for a cooking session with the kids. This week she gave a large group of kids bags of grapes and they constructed caterpillars. Not only was it a fun food craft but it was a healthy, delicious snack, too.

The art room was set up with various stations to make bead necklaces, rubber band bracelets, draw chalk art and sculpt temporary art in a table covered with shaving cream.

Sherwood Manor invited a group of members to visit their residents. The kids and seniors shared stories, ate cookies and had lemonade. We are very excited to spend the summer with the boys and girls of our club and are confident that it will be memorable one for them.

For more information, contact the club at 360-683-8095 or see www.bgc-op.org.