Brain Gain
As the members continued their second week of “Kids Take Heart,” our health and nutrition segment continued. The program is facilitated by staff member Ryan Juel, who will take over as kitchen coordinator in the fall. After covering anatomy last week, she spent the week covering the nutrition side.
Members learned all about balance and eating right. They learned the difference between a portion and a serving and how different they can be. They were advised to follow serving guidelines for the age and size as well as activity level. They were shown how to balance servings of protein and fruits and vegetables. Each participant worked one on one with Ryan to develop goals. They will work independently on their goals but know that they will have a mentor at the club looking after their efforts and encouraging them along the way.
Morning Camp
It was a journey down under last week as the campers explored Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.
Each morning, club members started the day with country facts and coloring pages. They bubbled with excitement as they played gym games and did relay races where they were forced to walk like penguins and other Arctic animals. Artic Animals could also be spotted in their artwork last week as they used paper and cut out animal masks.
The boys and girls also made aboriginal dot art and Koru paintings. Koru art is New Zealand art of the Maori people, where the spiral and curve designs depict life and growth.
The members were very engaged hearing camp leader Zane Carey share of his year studying abroad in Australia. They viewed pictures and heard tales of his adventures.
Junior Rangers
Our two clubhouses joined together to celebrate the culmination of the Junior Ranger field trips to the Olympic National Park. The clubs gathered at Lake Crescent Lodge with park rangers and our partners from Nature Bridge. Participants brought their completed activity books with answered questions about hikes, crossword puzzles and word searches.
ONP rangers hosted lunch — “create-your-own-PB&J” — and they all celebrated receiving their badges in a ceremony. The junior rangers received a certificate of completion, a badge and pedometer for their participation in the successful program. Members that weren’t able to join us this year already are excited about their opportunity to become a junior ranger next summer.
What a week
We have been celebrating and preparing this week. Celebrating the success of programs that are coming to completion and preparing for back to school and new programs this fall. Members have been out of the club a lot this week. Our running club members met up with other Boys & Girls Clubs and our Brooks shoe partners for a “Run Happy” clinic.
The gardening club participants wrapped up their season with a field trip to the Master Gardeners Demonstration site.
Both clubhouses made the trek to Tacoma for a visit at the Point Defiance Zoo and aquarium. The boys and girls saw polar bears, wolves, beluga whales, reindeer and sting rays and visited the petting zoo.
Back in the club, members were helping staff prepare for the upcoming Back to School Fair and assisted by sorting thousands of school supplies donated by the very generous community. Summer lunches continue to be served at nine sites and we are serving nearly 400 meals a day. Our teens ventured off to their weekly hangout at Lake Crescent and Robotics Club had a great time making the Lego dance.
