Today is the last official day of Gilbert Heights Camp Fire SUN program!

Thank you to everyone who supported us our first year at GH! We can’t wait for next year.

Also – A special thank you and good luck to Mr. Sterling who has a new adventure! You will be missed!

Gilbert Heights kids had SO MUCH FUN at last night’s Camp Fire Centennial Celebration!

We had a GREAT TIME learning and performing the flash mob dance and participating in the activities.

One more week of after school program and then it’s time for a break – come see us for summer lunch!

Last week the Mill Park first through third graders went on a field trip to the Oregon Zoo.  We saw bears, lions, zebras, elephants, eagles, owls and so much more!  I think the first graders really enjoyed seeing the penguins since they just finished learning about them in school.  It was exciting to see the animals and learn about them.  Thank you to all the parent/sibling volunteer chaperones that went with us!  We are looking forward to another field trip to celebrate Camp Fire’s 100th birthday this week!!  See you there!

Hi I (Alex) and Art have a report to you about the “reptile guy.” Everyone in campfire liked the Reptile guy and his reptiles were amazing; like the 2^nd largest frog in the world, frilled lizard, a baby snake, and a tortoise. The scariest thing that he brought was a tarantula, but its poison would hurt less than a bee sting. Now you’re wondering why he brought a tarantula. Well he brought the tarantula to show us that it’s not as scary as people think it is.

Hollyrood students practice youth voice and choice every morning.

When the students arrive they are greeted and given distinct options to choose from. If students don’t like the choices presented by the instructor they are encouraged to exercise their third-choice muscle, meaning that they may also present their own project idea. Recently student have been learning how to collaborate and build together, using our new marble set, students create tall structures that require multiple brains and paws to make it work!

Some students have been learning how to paint on alternative materials (wood and canvas bags) and have perfected the art of weaving yarn into a simple fabric.

Check out the photos of our curly birds. Some have wings, some have smiles, all are colorful, glittery and imaginative!

If you want to see them in person come to our Centennial Celebration 5/20!

The last few weeks at CSS Camp Fire has been very fun and busy. We finished up our first spring clubs with a bang. In our pirate club the students made pirate outfits, boats, treasure maps and a 6 foot replica of a pirate boat. The magic/wizard club also did some cool activities. We made wizard hats, rings, and magic wands; we learned some new magic tricks too.

The last two weeks we have had a lizard club. Brett, the “lizard guy,” has come to program with some great animals. We have seen a tarantula, African lizards, large snakes, and turtles. The students are really enjoying the program, and learning a lot!

Earlier this year a group of five 5th graders got together to write and film a short movie about the Justice System! This movie was entered into the YouthFILM Festival held on May 6th at the Hollywood Theater. The movie was awarded 2nd place. GREAT JOB MINUTE MEN MOVIES!!!

Last week was “Teacher Appreciation Week”.  We planned a day to express our appreciation of the teachers at Mill Park for all the work they do on a daily basis teaching students and supporting Camp Fire by allowing us to use their rooms and encouraging students to join.  The students wrote messages about their teachers on strips of paper which we turned into a paper chain to hang in the staff lounge and Lisa’s class made treats for the teachers.  Puppy chow and fruit bouquets were on the menu.

While preparing for Camp Fire’s 100th birthday and appreciating our teachers we have also been planning our service learning project in Katie’s class, making plans to build a bunny house for the school bunny in Sophie’s class and continuing to add to our repertoire of recipes by cooking up new dishes in Lisa’s class.  We’re having loads of fun!!

At Camp Fire, we really care about our community. This week students, parents, and teachers with a connection to Camp Fire will complete surveys that will help Camp Fire get a full spectrum picture of our community so that we, as an organization, may be serve our Sunnyside Environmental School.

All this week Camp Fire kids are working on a service learning project. Last week we did some heavy brainstorming in a big group and determined that it is our responsibility to be good global citizens. When instructors Caitlin Dwyer and Maia Chong asked students what community issues they care about (local, national, or global), many students showed a deep concern for the well being of Haiti and her people. In the brainstorm, we thought of many ideas on how to best help Haiti. Ultimately, the kids voted that it would be a good idea to do a fundraiser, of which, 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Red Cross to bring humanitarian relief to the island of Haiti.

In short, come to our bake sale! We are selling fresh baked cookies each day afterschool for the entire week!