Thanks for a Great Summer!

Today was the last day of the 2012 Summer at Laurel Camp season.  It is hard to believe how quickly it passed!

The morning began with FREAKY FRIDAY: BEACH DAY!  Despite the rain, campers were in quite the beach mood!  The campers strutted their stuff and voted on the campers from Magic Tree House camp and Daring Camp they they felt had the best beach day outfit.  The announcement of the winners was anxiously anticipated throughout the day, but finally announced in the afternoon! 

Magic Tree House Campers enjoyed going on a treasure hunt today!  It was definitely a memorable end of the week as campers discovered treasure under the Magic Tree House!  They made pirate hats and had fun telling pirate jokes.  To cap off a wonderful last day, the campers ate popcicles and got into a fun game of kickball with the Daring Campers!

Daring Campers worked more magic today!  Each camper has perfected his or her magic trick that he or she has been working on all week.  They were quite excited to perform for the Magic Tree House campers and counselors in the afternoon.  Another highlight of the day was a timed alphabet scavenger hunt!  At the end of the day popcicles were a sweet treat!     

It has truly been a fantastic summer.  We kept cool in the heat, we kept dry in the rain (sometimes we got wet, but getting wet from the rain is so much fun), we splashed in the pool, we took adventures down to the creek, we ate popcicles, we had FrEaKy FrIdAyS, we played games, we experimented, we frolicked in the woods, we challenged ourselves with Project Adventure, we got to go on some really amazing field trips, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores, we caught more crayfish than we can count, we went on scavenger hunts, we got dirty, we ran and played in the sprinklers, we took long nature hikes, we discovered things about ourselves, we made new friends, we had an awesome group of staff members, we shouted LET'S HAVE FUN at the top of our lungs every morning- and that's exactly what we did.  Thanks for a memorable summer. 

We hope that you will help us make 2013 just as great!  Have a fabulous school year, see you next year!  

A Little Bit of Rain Never Stops Us!

Although today started a bit rainy we made the most of our last day of swimming and our second to last day of camp!  The summer has certainly flown by!  

Some highlights for Daring Campers were palm reading maps, making really fun magic 8 balls, and a trip down to the creek where campers invented a magical island! 

Some highlights of today for Magic Tree House Campers were, making pirate hats, making treasure chests and a trip to the creek.  One camper said he "loved finding a water spider at the creek!"

Don't forget tomorrow is BEACH DAY for Freaky Friday!  See you then!!

Mystical Magicians Juggling Show

Pirates at the Beach

Tricks and Treasures at Butler Campus.

Magic Tree House Camp and Daring Camp started their day at Ursuline College's swimming pool. The campers enjoyed splashing around in the cool water and a few swimmers even played a game of Sharks and Minnows!

After swimming, the Magic Tree House campers made treasure maps and hooks, just like Captain Hook from Peter Pan, that they can wear on their own hands! They also spent time in Laurel's own Magic Tree House and continued to read about Jack and Annie's exciting adventures.

When Daring Camp returned from swimming, they continued learning about all the things a good magician should know. They colored slider puzzles (because a good magician must be smart), made invisible ink (because a good magician must be sneaky), and learned how to make a stink bomb (because a good magician is also a good prankster).

Both camps ended their day catching crayfish at the creek and relaxing in the shade near the water. Tomorrow is Field Trip day for both camps; don't forget to wear your green camp shirt!

Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon

Today was the start of the Magic Tree House camp's Pirates Past Noon week! It got started with an ARGHH!, as the groups sat down to vote on a name to call their group this week. One group is called the Black Pearls and it led by Danielle Dachler, a learning specialist at Laurel School, and Hayley Elszasz, a recent Laurel graduate.  The other group is called the Buccaneers and is led by Meghan Davis, an after school teacher at Laurel School, and Andrew Horner, a college student at Hobart. 

The morning began as campers made Pirate Flags!  They continued the fun up in the tree house with the adventure of Jack and Annie. After lunch boys and girls enjoyed playing on the playground, a trip to the creek and some really fun large groups games in the afternoon with Daring Camp!  They particularly enjoyed Love It, Like It, Hate It!  

Tomorrow is swimming, please remember to wear bathing suits under clothes, and bring a towel!  See you then!

Daring Camp: Dare to be a Magician!

The Daring Camp for Boys and Girls kicked off the week of Dare to be a Magician today!  Leading this magical group this week is Kim Soeder, 4th grade assistant at Laurel School, and Christy Cardillini, a Laurel alumna and recent college graduate. 

The morning began with Project Adventure!  Project Adventure uses our low element course at Butler Campus.  It is a team building activity that encourages kids to communicate and problem solve as a team.

The afternoon allowed the campers to learn and practice magic tricks with a partner.  They will be performing their tricks for other campers this week.  They also made magic wands in the afternoon that they painted and added decorations (and magical powers) like pom-poms and jewels.  At the end of the day the campers enjoyed playing some large group games with Magic Tree House Campers!  

Please remember, tomorrow is swimming!  Bathing suits should be worn under clothes to camp and campers should bring a towel!  See you then!

A DINO-mite End to our Dinosaur Week!

Magic Tree House and Daring Camp started their morning by admiring everyone' FrEaKy FrIdAy: Pajama Day outfits. Each camp voted for their favorites and later in the afternoon two Daring Camp winners and two Magic Tree House winners were announced. Each winner got to pick a prize from Miss Knauer's coveted goodie basket.

Following their FrEaKy FrIdAy voting, Magic Tree House made dinosaur fossils with pasta and weaved colorful dinosaurs. They also finished reading about the adventures of Jack and Annie and spent some time at the creek catching crayfish and relaxing in the cool shade.

Daring Camp joined Mr. Allen for Project Adventure, following their FrEaKy FrIdAy voting. The campers participated in teamwork challenges with the parachute, practiced spotting, did the Mohawk Walk, and even had a few minutes to try the Spider Web. In the afternoon, the campers made volcanos and even had the opportunity to erupt them!

Both camps ended the day with water balloon games and a chance to play in the sprinklers! A great end to a great week!