Day 4: Last day of camp

Pictured top: Lexi, John, Jake, Jocelyn, Joey, Tyler, Charlotte, Greg, Amy, Jeff, Tori, Mrs. Birdsall, Chaitanya, Mason.
Pictured bottom: Aidan, Robbie, Harley, Shane, Mariah, Katie, Riley, Mason, Madison, Will, Johnathan.

Well the final day of camp was upon us. For only having been there three days, it sure felt like we had known the children and each other a lot longer. We began the day baking zucchini brownies in preparation for the afternoon party. In three groups the children measured the ingredients, grated the zucchini, cracked the eggs and mixed it all together.

The dog sat on the donkey's shoulders, the cat on top
of the dog and the rooster perched on the cat's head.

Once all of the brownies had made their way into their pans and into the ovens we gathered for some circle games and a new story. Today's story was of the Bremen Town Musicians (a story that the teens already had practice at from our first day without the children). This is a story of four old farm animals (a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster) who can no longer work and travel to the town to become musicians. They are still walking through the forest when it begins to get dark, so they decide to rest for the night. But the rooster sees a house a little ways away and when they go to see if they can rest there they find robbers inside. So they hatch a plan to scare the robbers away (at which they succeed) and live in the robbers' house happily ever after.

During the story we began to smell the chocolaty brownies cooking which made us all hungry by snack time. Snack was followed by an outdoor recess and when we returned from recess the smell of brownies had wafted through the halls as well.

Now it was time to put ourselves to the test of acting out the story of the musicians. Being the second day for the children to act out a story there were more volunteers and a great deal of enthusiasm. After all of the actors had taken a bow, it was time to draw some scenes from the story to create their books for the day.

Mason, Shane, Tay Sean,
Jonathan and Charlotte

Lunch and recess followed the bookmaking and when we came back inside we played some games. We attempted a game of huckle buckle beanstalk, but found that they were a bit too young to keep themselves from pointing out or touching the hidden object before all of the other children had found it. So we moved on to a rousing game of duck duck goose.

John plays clapping games with Aidan's back

Shane helps Joey feed himself
the brownies and ice cream.

Finally it was time to EAT those brownies we had been smelling all day. So with a dollop of ice cream on top we tried our concoction— and they were very tasty!

It was almost time to leave so we gathered all of the childrens' books, pencil cases and put their t-shirts on them for a final group photo and they were off.






To see additional photos from today click here.

The children were gone, but the children inside all of us live on...

Day 3: Some painting, stories, live performance and pancakes make for a good day at camp!

Greg and Katie paint a t-shirt.

As the children arrived today they went straight for their teen partners—already buddies in one day alone! We began by painting t-shirts (and tables, fingers etc, but did a good jobs of keeping it off our clothes) with colorful designs that the children will be able to take home on their last day when they have dried. As soon as all of the t-shirts covered in wet paint had been stored safely out of reach, the group gathered for a round (or two or three) of "Old Mr. Rogers" (who lies in his grave...). This is a song with a story and characters that the children get to sing and act out at the same time.

The story of the Vingananee

Then as the children settled down a bit, Mrs. Birdsall got out her storytelling shell and began the to share the African story of a monster called the Vingananee. This is a scary story about four friends, Spider, Buck Deer, Lion and Rat who have a farm. Rat is the cook and one day the Vingananee comes and ties Rat to a tree and eats all of the food. Each of the friends tries to stay home one day to fend off the Vingananee but none succeed. As the monster approaches he chants:

The Vingananee wrestles the Lion for the pancakes and stew.

I'm the Vingananee and I'm very hungry 
give me your pancakes give me your stew
or I will eat you!


And finally it is the tiny Tree Toad who is victorious! (To find out how, you will have to join us for camp sometime!)

All this talk of pancakes and stew made us all hungry and fortunately it was time for snack and a short outdoor recess.

When we returned to the classroom it was time to reenact the story of the Vingananee in a live performance. Both children and teens volunteered to play each character including a pot, griddle and a three person monster! Being the first time many of these children had acted out a story in a class like this they caught on very quickly and both the audience and those on stage laughed uncontrollably each time the Vingananee wrestled with one of the four friends and left them tied to a tree. With a fresh reminder of the story, the children began to draw pictures of scenes of the story with colored crayons and assistance from their mentors. These pictures would later go into a book along with the story that they will take home and share with their families.

Playing a round of Rock, Paper Scissors.

After a break for lunch and longer outdoor recess we returned to the classroom ready to make some pancakes in a jar and finish up the Vingananee drawings and books. When drawing became too tedious for some of the more lively children the teen leaders were quick to come up with short breaks and alternative stationary activities such as the always popular Rock, Paper, Scissors. To make the pancakes, the children gathered in groups and to measure and pour ingredients into a jar and shake, shake, shake it until they could shake no more and pass it on to another person in their group. Then there were toppings to choose from to spice up the pancakes and plenty to be eaten. With the books and pencil cases all finished and the pancakes all gone it was time to say goodbye to the children for the day.

To see more photos from today please click here.

Pictured here from left to right: Chaitanya, Madison, Tori, Will, Jocelyn and Greg.

Day 2: Meet the children and take off running!

Tying shoes: a group effort!

Running and rarely stopping, that was the theme of the day. Our 12 soon-to-be first graders all arrived early this morning starting off as a shy crowd, but the curiosity we could all see in their eyes from the very first moment turned to solid friendships by the end of the day with their teen mentors and the other children.

John helps Aidan stitch his pencil case.

We began the day working on one of our handwork projects, the cloth pencil cases, while we waited for all of the children to arrive. These pencil cases are hand stitched by the children and later decorated with glitter glue to help keep track of whose is whose. 

Once all of the children had arrived and we had a good start on the pencil cases, we gathered everyone into a circle at the front of the room for some rhymes and circle games. Starting off shy, the children marched as instructed around the circle, but by the end if Mrs. Birdsall caught one of them moving after she called out "freeze" a huge bout of giggling arose from the entire group.

Then it was snack time. We brought out crackers and the watermelon that not a single child who passed by it that morning failed to notice. Following the snack break it was time to go outside for recess where all of the children and teens climbed the playground equipment or played ball until it was time to return to the classroom.

Greg collects Jonathan from the monkey bar

Riley grinds cornmeal for bread.

As the group gathered at the front of the room again, Mrs. Birdsall brought out her story-telling shell and shared with the group the story of The Little Red Hen. The children learned how the little red hen planted, watered, harvested and ground the corn without any help from her lazy friends. And only those who had helped got to eat the cornbread she made. We brought out corn and a grinder and the children ground the corn into flour and then in groups baked some of the little red hen's cornbread for themselves.

Once all of the bread was in the oven we took a break for lunch and some more outdoor play and when we returned to the classroom, each of the children sat with his or her mentor to draw some scenes from the story. These pictures became part of a book with the story of the little red hen that each child took home.

Chaitanya draws the Little Red Hen with Will.

As soon as we returned from recess we could smell the cornbread cooking and finally it was time to taste it. It was delicious! And each child also got to take a small loaf home.

Everyone left with smiles on their faces but from both the children and the teens, it sounded like a naps were in order.


To see more photos from today please click here.

Day 1: Enlivened Literacy Camp with Side by Side 2011

Before the children arrive…

Today the teen mentors came together for a short training and preparation session before meeting with their young ones tomorrow. The morning focused on leadership and the leaders from entrepreneurs such as Phoenixville native, Kyle Schutter, who has started a company in Kenya to the people who inspire each of us with this leadership and its effects in our own lives. From our parents to our friends we all find our heroes in people who inspire us to do good in the world, be kind to others and offer a helping hand wherever a need is seen. To each of the children joining us for this camp, their teen will become one of their heroes even in the three shorts days we will spend with them

The day carried on with a time to eat, a quick demonstration by some of the seasoned mentors of how to finger-knit (Mrs. Birdsall warned that a finger-knitted bracelet or necklace would be our ticket out today) and final adjustments were made to the multicolored capes that will be used for theatrical renditions of stories told to the children each day.

After lunch and after everyone had proved his or her skill at finger-knitting we learned a few games that will keep the children entertained in the down moments during the next three days. These included "huckle-buckle-beanstalk," "corners," and the "bubblegum game." 

The day wound down with a story told by Mrs. Birdsall after which we tested our skill at putting the story on paper with beeswax crayons and then tried out the multicolored capes in our own theatrical rendition of the Bremen Town Musicians. 

To view additional photos from today please click here.

Welcome to Enlivened Literacy Camp 2011

We welcome you to the Enlivened Literacy Camp 2011 with Side by Side's blog. This blog will document the day's happenings through photographs and stories. We hope you enjoy it!