Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula
Editor’s note: This is the sixth of a weekly series of activities happening at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula. For more information, see positiveplaceforkids.net or call 683-8095. — MD
True Value stores across the nation partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs across America to paint a brighter future and our club was no exception.
The Port Hadlock store donated 20 gallons of paint and our junior staff members and unit director Dave Miller accepted the donation and has plans to refresh the clubhouse interior prior to the start of school. Quick work was made of the middle school room — it already has a fresh coat of paint and new finish on the floors.
Morning Camp: Decades of Fun and 21st Century
We journeyed through time taking a closer week of eras more familiar to our campers and their families as we explored the 1950s and 1960s.
Classic board games were brought out and members played games like children in the 1950s did in an era before electronics. They engaged in a hula hoop contest before spending some time in the 1960s.
The campers tie-dyed T-shirts by banding shirts before dipping them in the psychedelic colors. The popular shirts were a fashion statement in their day and our members were happy to make one of their own.
The following week campers explored the future and enjoyed the classic movie, “Back to the Future.”
A field trip to a much closer destination was taken to Kitsap Memorial Park, a favorite rest stop during farther trips. The park offers a large playfield and playground and our younger members that are typically too little to join farther destinations were able to come along. They appreciated lots of free time to play and a when Unit Director Dave Miller brought out boomerangs, he had their full attention. Before leaving, they competed in a friendly game of baseball.
Brain Gain: Our Solar System
The week began with members thinking about where they fit into the solar system, what street they live on, which state, country, continent, planet and so forth. Members reviewed the composition of the Earth by layering honey, to represent the Earth’s inner core; corn syrup, to represent the outer core, dish soap for the mantle and vegetable oil for the crust.
The visual demonstration helped the members understand each layer before they constructed their own play dough model.
The week continued with an investigation and several fun experiments focused on the Earth’s gravity, including launching rockets.
Junior Rangers: Sol Duc Falls and Hoh Rain Forest
The mineral spring pools are a favorite stop for club kids — like most kids on summer break they can’t wait to take the plunge into a pool and they got a chance to visit. Campers learned the water comes from area rain and snow melt, that has seeped into the ground and the gases coming from cooling volcanic rocks then warms the water to temperatures of 99-104 degrees. They were told the name Sol Duc was derived from an Indian word meaning bubbling water and was known to the Quileute Tribe for its curing properties.
Out at the Hoh Rain Forest, Junior Rangers could marvel at the lush green beauty even on a sunny summer day. They hiked through to the Hoh River where they stood teetering between two eco-systems.
Pickleball, basketball camps
Sequim Picklers play pickleball at the club during inclement weather and spend a few weeks a year teaching our members the sport. They co-hosted a camp for any club members interested. Volunteers from their group came in everyday for two hours to spend time teaching basic skills and simple strategies culminating in a tournament.
This was followed by Jordan Miller, a Sequim High graduate basketball player, leading youth through drills found on the court at Sequim High School. The kids loved playing with a soon-to-be college athlete and even enjoyed running “suicides” (intense line sprints).
