Eights/Nines Choice Class Season Overview
Please note: below you will find 2024 choice classes; 2025 classes will be published in the Spring
Choice Classes meet Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
| Session 1: June 24th- July 5th | ||
| Block A: Culinary Arts Quidditch Build Your Own Board Game | Block B: Floor Is Lava Let's Make a Mural World of Weaving | Block C: Game Show Soccer Skills Life Size Games |
| Session 2: July 8th- July 19th | ||
| Block A: Little Red Bakery Wearable Art Texture Dances Karate | Block B: Tiny Worlds Summers Putt-Putt Marionette Masterpiece Improv City | Block C: Dungeons & Dragons Project Runway Great Campish Bake Off Basketball |
| Session 3: July 22nd- August 2nd |
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| Block A: Life Size Puppet Design Pillow Polo Clay Creations | Block B: Comic Book Making Wearable Art Basketball | Block C: Woodshop Cake Bake Painting With the Sun |
Session 1
Block A: 9:30-10:30
Quidditch and Floor Hockey (John Henry Katinas) – Your camper’s dream of flying on a broom stick chasing the golden snitch is here… well, kind of 🙂 Join us for our very own version of the magical game of Quidditch!
Build Your Own Board Game (Leah Rice) – Roll the dice, pick a card, spin the spinner! Do you like baord games? Ever want to make your own? In this class campers will start by playing and learning more about some classic board games and then quickly move in to making their own. Kids will work in groups to design and build fun, original games. Campers will then get to play each others games, and on the final class game designers will host the wider camp community in their very own board game cafe!
Culinary Arts (Faith Johnson) – In this creative cooking class, campers will explore how food can be beautiful as well as delicious. Projects will include stained “glass” sugar cookies, design pizzas, fruit salad bouquets and more!
Session 1
Block B: 1:30-2:30
Floor is Lava (Nora Woolley) – Campers will work solo and in teams to navigate a variety of site specific obstacle courses. But, make contact with the floor…aka burning hot lava…and it’s game over! Equal parts physical challenge, team-based strategy, and room-sized game design, campers will put their creativity and dexterity to the test in a different themed challenge course each class.
Let’s Make a Mural (Inga Manticas) – In this collaborative art class, campers will work together to make a colorful mural to display at camp. The group will decide on a theme (i.e. underwater world, planets in space, a class portrait, etc) and paint the background together, then artists will work individually on their own contributions to the mural (i.e. undersea creatures, planets, self-portraits, etc) that will then be collaged onto the mural. We’ll work on our team-work and collaboration skills, and practice artistic composition.
World of Weaving (Cheryl Woodley) – Welcome to the wonderful world of weaving where campers will be using burlap and vibrant colors in yarn to weave their own works of art. Campers will weave whateer inspires them, from an image in nature, a pattern or a thoughtful message. Towards the end of the session, campers will work on creating a burlap quilt together!
Session 1
Block C: 2:30-3:30
Let’s Make a Game Show (Sylvia Jane Sackheim) – Campers will create their own original game show with hosts, contestants, and prizes! We will decide as a group what type of show we want to have – game, quiz, challenge, etc. and then together we will learn about all of the moving parts required to make a game show playable. For our final class, we will invite contestants (other campers/counselors) to come play our game!
Soccer Skills (John Henry Katinas) – in this class campers will practice a variety of engaging drills and games designed to improve soccer skills – from dribbling and passing to shooting and defending. This class is for players of all skill levels, as we will tailor our instruction to meet the needs of each soccer star. Along with the physical activity we will emphasize teamwork and being a good sport. Let’s GOOOO!
Life Sized Games (Klarizze Posadas) – IIn Life Sized Games campers will get Jumanji-ed…sort of.. by making larger versions of classic games so they can be the pieces used in the game. We will review the rules of some classic games and campers will adapt them to recreate the larger version where they will participate by becoming one of the game pieces themselves! campers will challenge their problem-solving skills, creativity, and strategic planning while having fun!
Session 2
Block A: 9:30-10:30
Little Red Bakery (Isaiah Sullivan) – Stepping into the role of a baker, campers will practice their culinary skills by creating several delicious baked goods. Bakers will mix, knead, bake, and taste all of their creations. At the end of the session, we will open the doors to our very own bakery and provide tasty treats for our friends at camp!
Wearable Art (Inga Manticas) – Campers will make an array of wearable creations in this class. We’ll start with some basic jewelry-making (beading, wire-wrapping objects, and other creative techniques). Projects will also include working with fabric – finger-weaving, making scrunchies and other small accessories, and t-shirt design. Campers will be able to explore and express their personal style, while learning to make their own flair with art materials.
Texture Dance (Christine Elmo) – What are textures and how can we use our bodies to dance them? This is the question in Texture Dance, a dance improvisation class. From the smooth flow of silk to the rhythmic patter of rain, campers will discover how texture can inspire and enhance their movements. With supportive instruction and an emphasis on individual expression and exploration, Texture Dances offers a dynamic space for campers to discover their unique dance style and a curiosity for movement.
Karate (Vinnie) – An introduction to the basic moves and ideas of Karate. Activities will focus on building strength, flexibility, coordination, and spatial awareness.
Session 2
Block B: 1:30-2:30
Tiny Worlds (Clara Campos) – In this construction/art class, we will create tiny worlds using our big imaginations. Projects will include forest gnome homes, tiny apartments, tiny art museums, and more! Materials will include boxes, wood, cork, cardboard, string, wire, buttons, and many other tiny things, perfect for creating our own tiny worlds!
Summers Putt-Putt (James Miner) – Do you love the challenge of a good miniature golf course? What’s your favorite obstacle, a windmill? A narrow tunnel? A volcano? In this class campers will work together to design their own unique golf holes. We’ll use a wide variety materials to make fun obstacles for our peers to try. At the conclusion of each class, we’ll play a round of putt putt and hope for the elusive “hole in one”!
Marionette Masterpiece (Cheryl Woodley) – Campers will create their own marionette puppets. The class will explore the way marionette puppets are made and how they are used. Then, campers will choose their own puppet to fully design and create. They will then add this puppet to the class show to take place at the end of the season!
Improv City (Nora Woolley) – Discover the fun of spontaneous theater as you delight in a variety of improvisation-based theater games that encourage ensemble, imagination, storytelling, rule-making/rule-breaking and healthy risk taking (that rhymes!). What is it like to flex your comedian, dramatic, maestro, animal magnetic selves in one class? How about in one exercise? Enter a ton of different worlds, even put on an entire play at the drop of a hat, and learn what it is like to say “yes and” while committing to all of the wonderful sides of yourself.
Session 2
Block C: 2:30-3:30
Dungeons & Dragons (Dana Riebe) – Over two weeks, campers will be taken through a short campaign fighting dragons, saving magical creatures, and letting their imaginations flourish. By the end of the session, campers will have a good understanding of this classic role-playing game, and how to create and play their characters with skill!
Project Runway (Inga Manticas) – Campers will put their fashion skills to the test, as they face off in groups designing outfits for counselors. However, each class will have a special theme or required material they must incorporate into their look (no sewing needed!). Campers will need to use their problem-solving skills, creativity and teamwork to finish their outfits.
Great Campish Bake Off (Sara Janoff) – In this choice class, campers will challenge their creativity & learn cooking skills to create unique desserts! Campers will have opportunities to follow recipes for easy, no-bake desserts, use cooking tools like measuring cups, blenders & mixers, and delve into their own recipe planning! At the end of the session, campers will get to take home a recipe book filled with all of their creations!
Basketball (John Henry Katinas) – This class is designed to improve our fundamentals and have fun. Campers with some experience playing basketball are encouraged to join as we’ll design drills for skill development and play in games on a full court.
Session 3
Block A: 9:30-10:30
Life Size Puppet Design (Andrea Messaoud) – This summer Campers will be transported into the world of Folklore while also bringing some of their favorite folktale characters to life. . Each week we will read a different folktale from around the world and work as a group to create a puppet from that folktale, we will end each session choosing which folktale to perform with our large scale puppets for other camp groups. Campers will have the option of painting, sewing, and gluing a large scale puppet. They will work carefully to design their chosen character, and will practice acting out the story. After our performance and at the end of the session each camper will have the opportunity to take their large scale puppet home.
Pillow Polo (John Henry Katinas) – Have you ever heard of Pillow Polo? Well come check it out! It’s a classic game that combonies aspects of soccer and floor hockey. It’s a super fun, active, team game unlike any other!
Clay Creations (Cheryl Woodley) – Campers will use their imagination and creativity to make a variety of clay creations. They will learn how to utilize many different clay making techniques to add the appropriate details and texture to their creations. Then they will be able to add color to their clay work and it will be put on display for all to view!
Session 3
Block B: 1:30-2:30
Comic Book Making (Jordan Segal) – Pow! Bam! Screech! If you like comics this is the class for you. Campers will learn about a variety of comic book styles and then create their very own awesome comic books! Whether making an individual book, a series, or entire graphic novel, campers will explore what makes a comic book fun and exciting, and learn about the process of making their own books to enjoy and share.
Wearable Art (Inga Manticas) – Campers will make an array of wearable creations in this class. We’ll start with some basic jewelry-making (beading, wire-wrapping objects, and other creative techniques). Projects will also include working with fabric – finger-weaving, making scrunchies and other small accessories, and t-shirt design. Campers will be able to explore and express their personal style, while learning to make their own flair with art materials.
Basketball (James Miner) – This class is designed for students to develop basic skills and consequently build confidence through skill-building games. Dribbling, passing, and shooting can all be improved while having fun. All skill levels are welcome!
Session 3
Block C: 2:30-3:30
Woodshop (Adrian Jevicki) – Welcome to Woodshop! Campers will embark on a journey of craftsmanship and creativity as they explore the art of woodworking. From carving to sanding, they’ll learn essential woodworking techniques while creating their own masterpieces. With hands-on guidance campers will gain confidence and skills in working with wood, all while fostering their creativity and imagination.
Cake Bake (Christine Elmo) – Come bake with us! In this class we will explore baking from start to finish. Kids will choose from yummy recipes, then we will shop for ingredients we need, and finally get to baking and tasting our creations! By the end of the session, we may even create our own baked goods delivery shop and share with the wider camp community.
Drawing With the Sun (TBD) – Campers will experiment with making cyanotypes and shadow tracings – art techniques that use the sun as a helper! To start, we’ll use leaves, twigs, and other natural and man-made objects to make collages that will translate into cyanotypes on photosensitive paper. Then we’ll experiment with cutting paper to make unique cyanotype compositions. We’ll also make tracings of shadows that we “collect” outside, which we can combine with graphite rubbings to make works of art that reflect our environment! It’s all fun when you’re Drawing with the Sun!