Helping Families,
Building Communities
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Educating Children, Helping Families, Building Communities |
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SUMMER CAMP 2008 KICKS OFF WITH A BANG
After a long, cold winter SUMMER CAMP 2008 is finally here. July 7th kicked off the first day of a long summer. While camp is traditionally split into two groups based on what grade level the participant is going into, the first day brought both groups together for a field day in Central Park. An intense game of dodgeball ensued and the younger kids proved that they could throw just as hard and dodge just as fast as their older opponents.
The most impressive aspect of the summer camp is the amount of field trips the children go on every week. In the first week alone, group one visited Belvedere Castle and the Children's Museum of Manhattan and group two split some pins at Ball Park Lanes, a Bronx bowling alley, and spent the day at the New York Aquarium. The shark and sea lion exhibits both left group two mesmerized. They practically had to be pried away from the shark tanks.
In week two, both groups headed out to Times Square to visit Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium which boasts a strange and rare collection of artifacts and photos from all over the world. Some of the highlights included the "Shrunken Head" exhibit with dozens of real shrunken human heads, the "Torture Chamber" with its collection of medieval torture devices, and the notorious Black Hole, which got everyone a little dizzy. The next day, group two visited the Museum of Natural History for a lesson in everything from dinosaur fossils to the big bang theory. Meanwhile group one galloped through the flowers at the New York Botanical Gardens and spent some time cooling down in the sprinklers. Even Ms. Felice and the counselors ended up getting soaked.
In addition to traversing the city, the mornings at Booker T. are dedicated to academic enrichment. Often times children lose a lot of skills during the summer months. In order to keep things fresh, Booker T. kids do math, writing exercises and reading daily. Once a week, they also take part in cooking lessons. In the last two weeks, the kids have learned how to make tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna macaroni salad, quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, and hot dogs. Group two also volunteers every Friday at the All Soul's Soup Kitchen, helping to feed New Yorkers in need of a hearty meal. They always leave satisfied to have helped out someone in their own communities.
We will keep you posted on what is happening at Booker T. this summer. In the mean time, click here to view photos of group one or group two. Enjoy!
Page Last Updated: Tuesday, July 22, 2008