We had a wonderful summer at the Boys & Girls Club sending our youth on dozens of field trips, creating hundreds of crafts, playing loads of games, watching several movies and doing all the project based learning things we could cram into ten weeks of school break.
We’ve helped prepare the kids for the school year by hosting the annual Back to School Fair with our community partners – 500 kids got school supplies thanks to you!
Our summer lunch program was successful serving lunch at five sites in Sequim and six in Port Angeles. Not only did we feed children, but we provided jobs to nine young interns this summer.
Garden Club
Our Master Gardner leaders took the Garden Club members on a field trip this week to Heronswood, a tropical garden in Port Gamble. The members had worksheets and a guided tour and learned so much in the grounds tour.
They saw a dinosaur plant from Chile, tea plants, an edible kiwi plant whose leaves act like catnip to cats and heard about another plant that sticks out its “tongue” to place pollen on visiting bees.
Their guide showed them a technique called “air layering”: By wrapping a branch in moss and then covering it in plastic wrap followed aluminum foil, the plant will put out roots. When started in the spring you can cut it off and plant it come fall.
It was a wonderful trip shared with our volunteers and our kids came away with some Dogwood fruit they could plant.
Morning Camp
Our last week of morning camp was a short one with our closure for the long weekend to reset the club for the school year.
They kids enjoyed a music theme and made their own marimbas and drums. They used drumsticks to paint canvas art, and made their own bell instruments by winding pipe cleaners and bells on a stick.
They explored rhythm and pattern, a morning camper would beat on the lead drum a pattern and the members would repeat it by hand clapping. Each of them took turns leading the group.
Believe it or not, it was one of the quieter activities in the club as the kids were silent as they concentrated on the pattern to repeat.
Teens in D.C.
The youths had an amazing time back east in Washington D.C., and came back more invigorated to pursue their dreams.
For two of our kids — Heidi who studied American Sign Language in High School, and Addie, our Youth of the Year with a hearing disability — the highlight was a stop at Gallaudet University, a private university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. The teens toured the university and were amazed by the building design that catered to the deaf, they were impressed with the programs and Heidi came away with the desire to attend college there.
On their last day in D.C. the group logged 15 miles of walking. They started at Arlington National Cemetery, took a river cruise and walked around the mall stopping at all the monuments (Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington) and the Vietnam and Korean War memorials.
Garden Club members explore Heronswood, a tropical garden in Port Gamble, during the last week of the Boys & Girls Club’s summer activities. Submitted photo
Garden Club members explore Heronswood, a tropical garden in Port Gamble, during the last week of the Boys & Girls Club’s summer activities. Submitted photo
Garden Club members explore Heronswood, a tropical garden in Port Gamble, during the last week of the Boys & Girls Club’s summer activities. Submitted photo
