Our weekend was filled with lavender. We could be found out at the park running old fashioned carnival games for kids and playing lawn games. Our bus once again provided the in-city shuttle. We also were the beneficiary charity at Olympic Cellar’s winery concert featuring Fat Chance.
On top of all that, on Sunday five members went on an exclusive girls field trip to see the Seattle Storm and collect autographs from their favorite Storm players (the week doesn’t begin on Monday, and sometimes the club is hopping non-stop!).
We were proud to host a Celebration of Life for Billy Nagler and as the gym filled with friends, family and community members we saw many of our longtime supporters.
Morning camp
It was by the numbers this week and our campers took to math work sheets and puzzles, geometric art and parabolic curves, enjoying a little brain exercise. They used food coloring to dye water and then dipped droppers into the color and “painted” shapes by dropping the color onto their paper. They also counted and tracked how many drops it took to fill their shapes.
Our lucky group of campers got off the Olympic Peninsula this week with a trip over to Seattle with our Port Angeles Club to watch the Seattle Mariners take on the Texas Rangers. The M’s even picked up a win and our kids were able to catch the whole game. Club members were invited on the field to walk around before the game. It was a beautiful day for a trek over to Seattle and nothing is better than getting to see it first hand.
The campers continued to do work in their garden, played some double-dutch jump rope, gym games and got plenty of outside time with all the sunshine.
Brain Gain, Positive Action
Our Brain Gain Sessions this week centered on emotions. Club members discussed 20 different emotions and emojis were perfect graphics to get them talking about how one feels when they are sad, shy, relaxed and so forth.
Led by unit director Dave Miller, participants shared how this translates to their club experience. When kids first come to the club they are often shy or nervous but eventually they begin to enjoy themselves and they meet kids or see friends.
The group also indicated they wanted to try for three emotions in their clubhouse at all times —no angry or sad kids, but all (1) happy, (2), calm and (3) silly.
During the afternoon session of Positive Action, our members listened to “Energy Bus For Kids,” a story about staying positive and overcoming challenges. Members understand that they must fuel the energy bus fuel and they are the driver. They can put the right things in their life and be in control.
Junior Rangers
Each summer we bring both clubhouse together in a joint adventure, and this was the week. Kids from the Port Angeles Club and Sequim’s Carroll C. Kendall Club both set out for Nature Bridge at Lake Crescent. Our members were given life jackets, a paddle and sent out on the crystal clear lake.
Not many of our youths get the opportunity to be out on the water let alone in a Salish canoe. The smiles were constant as they worked together to paddle the canoe across the lake and hear from the rangers on how Lake Crescent was formed and some of the native folklore.
While not everyone could pile in the canoes for the paddle, some laced up their shoes and hit the trail making their way to Marymere Falls on the short hike.
