Apple Milk?

Dec 5

One of the greatest satisfactions of our Creative Camp is watching our TaleTree campers find pure, unfiltered joy through sharing. Three weeks ago, a young camp member named Joshua (5yo) shared a drawing involving Pac-man, the Mario brothers, and an elusive drink called Apple Milk. Of course, he included himself as the main character, too! While sharing his elaborate, silly story Joshua could hardly contain his excitement and was giggling the whole way through. Meanwhile, his peers threw their heads back in laughter and searched for other funny details.

Moments like these are important in how they further encourage a sense of camaraderie through sharing laughter about Joshua’s Apple Milk story. Sure, it can seem trivial at first glance, but consider how after receiving so much love for that one project, Joshua continued to expand the same story with the same characters over the next 3 weeks. He added newfound twists and turns, and each time, his fellow campmates remembered even the smallest of details. If anything changed the next week, they noticed right away and wondered why a certain character was missing or why the color of the straw changed. And if it did, why was it important to change that detail in the story?

This simple delight found in sharing is proven to increase confidence, and it would only seem that the excitement of peers encourage deeper exploration, more detailed storytelling, and strengthen the ties of friendship over time. Creative Camp is not traditional schooling, but there is so much value in how our camp kids learn through each other. Interpersonal skills and modes of communication are qualities that should last a lifetime, and our team is working hard to foster more moments like these.

Remember, the simplest of moments may really be some of the most important and complex. Can you find Joshua’s drawing of the Apple Milk adventures?

“Stories are memory aids, instruction manuals and moral compasses.” -Aleks Krotoski

Challenge 1

Live from Channel 5, we have _________ reporting from the living room over the Thanksgiving holiday… Will you be celebrating Thanksgiving this week? What kind of foods will you be feasting on? Dress up as a news reporter and give a report of your holiday celebrations and interview the people around you!

Challenge 2

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday for most of us but don’t forget that there are also less fortunate people in our communities who don’t have family, food or a place to stay. Think of the things you would like to do for them.

How can you show your support?

Challenge 3

Create an intricate, detailed pattern using only black ink on white paper.

Challenge 4

Has your dad or mom sat in front of you and just looked at your face for a min or two lately? It’s time for you to make them do some work. Haha. Have them look at you for a while and draw your portrait. Bring the work and explain what you like about the portrait.