Center for Inquiry School 84 & Sidener Academy
Over spring break, our IPS camps at Center for Inquiry School 84 and Sidener Academy took advantage of a couple days of nice weather.
Students spent most their time outside on the playground. A group of girls at CFI developed their own dance team, showing the directors a couple moves. They took a brief break for science experiment—mixing acetone and Styrofoam cups to create putty.
Later, the students went back outside and created a banner to denote their time at the camp. Most wrote their names, while a couple—including one of our program directors, Coltin Metzger—slapped on a colorful handprint.
Before going inside, the camp director Kelle Rogers, had the students rattle off a few chants to show their love for AYS:
“From east to west, AYS is the best! From north to south, AYS rocks the house!”
Fox Hill Elementary & John Strange Elementary
Fox Hill and John Strange began their spring breaks the next week—March 27 and March 28, respectively. While the weather did not hold up quite as well for them, campers did not let a little rain get them down.
The students took advantage of craft time—making canvas art, beaded bracelets, sock penguins and speakers. Campers at Fox Hill also weaved coasters to take home to their parents.
If you go to John Strange Elementary over spring break, the kids will teach you a thing or two about card games. Students not only did crafts, they played War, Trash and Egyptian Slap Jack.
Frank H. Wheeler Elementary School
Speedway’s Wheeler Elementary brought in Theon Lee—a poet and spoken word artist and member of Indy Pulse. The nonprofit organization uses spoken word to educate youth, and help empower them to develop their own voice.
After setting up and plugging in his gear—a microphone and a couple speakers—he asked the question, “Who here knows what beat boxing is?” Some hands flew up, and he brought up three kids. Hovering his hand over the three students, he made a different sound for each. Almost as if he were drumming on the air above their heads, he created an ongoing beat that had the children laughing and awestruck.
He then started explaining a game he calls, “Ones, Twos and Threes.” Each number is assigned a different sound. The kids then developed teams, and had to remember what sound accompanied each number. So, Lee would write out a sequence— “2, 1, 1, 3”—and the kids would, as a team, beat box the line back to him.
Directors served as the judges. By the end of the game, the kids’ skills caused a three-way tie between all the teams.
Between crafts, playgrounds and beat boxing, AYS campers took a break from school—but never took a break from learning something new.
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