We are King/Queen of the world!

Ridge Crest became a royal palace today! Each of the kids got to make their own crowns and became royalty! It was fun to see Fieso, Selina,Austin, Denzall and Alli having such a great time showing their inner- royalty. After our crowns were decorated with the "finest" jewels we decorated the shirts that we tye-dyed last time. Each shirt had a picture drawn on it by one of the staff members that represented each child. Their were cupcakes, lions, dragons, smiley faces, crowns and much more. It was alot of fun painting the shirts and the kids loved to see their visions come to life. Because Tye-dye was such a hit the other day we decided to do some more. We Tye dyed bandannas a bright orange today. This definitely helped to bring Summer indoors. Next time we will make sure to decorate them with the kids as well. Today Fieso as always was excited by all the music around him, he jingled his bells and kept the beat of the music. Selina was excited about the cupcake we put on her shirt with the word sweet underneath although silly would have been more fitting for her. She loves to kid around and makes us laugh all the time. As always we had a great time listening to music and jingling the bells in between crafts. Each child had a great time expressing themselves today and becoming a royal. We have a little while until our next session but I am sure it will be a great time.

Another Day, Another Great Experiance

Today was our second visit to Ridge Crest to work with the kids there. It was another fantastic time with fantastic kids. Today bought excitement and new challenges. We Tye dyed t-shirts today which was alot of fun for the kids but even more so for the volunteers I think, Kates hands looked a tad blue after dipping all the shirts into the blue dye and because of many of the kids difficulties with motor skills we had to rubber band the shirts for them. We had a great time making play dough as well, it was a bit messy but the kids loved the feeling of it going through their fingers and that they could make it any shape they want. It was amazing to see how some flour, salt, and water can bring such enjoyment. Of course we made the play dough colorful with food coloring and once again my team of volunteers found making the play dough colorful to be rather fine entertainment. We made picture frames and treasure books with the foam stickers that make the kids go wild. The animals and flowers in our pack of stickers sends some of the kids into fits of giggles and large smiles. It was a great time once again. Of course there was plenty of music involved as there always is. Each child received bells and shakers to make noise as the music was blasting away in the background. Its so great to see what music can truly do. Each kid reacts in their own way to the music they are hearing. Some scream for joy while others relax. Its amazing to see the different reactions and how each perceives it in their own way. The arts are a truly powerful thing.

Here are some pictures from last week, Pictures from this week to come soon!

The first Experience !

Today was the first day my staff of volunteers and I got to work with the kids we have been so looking forward to work with. We had a lot of fun to say the least. We made bird houses today so that the kids could hang them in their small play area outside and see the birds fly around their colorful projects. The kids loved this activity, sticking colorful flowers, insects and animals all over them. All of the kids seemed to be interested in the colors and animals they were seeing. My staff helped each child one on one place the stickers onto the bird houses. Each of them made one whether they could do it themselves or with alittle help. After the bird houses were complete we moved right along into noise makers, the typical paper towel roll and beads with closed ends. When the music started the kids were shaking their new creations like no tomorrow. To decorate the noise makers once again we put stickers on them. The animals seemed to really go over well to decorate things. Stickers seem to be a big hit! Overall today was a great day,  getting to meet the kids and  be able to finally have a chance to work with them. Each of them have their own unique personality that they share and there was no shortage of personality today. One of the young girls that we were working with today was so excited every time we would dance or move around, she giggled and giggled and giggled. It was a lot of fun to watch the joy that she had just from hearing the music and watching us all dance along. The new experience has already taught me things I never thought I would learn. It has taught me how to adapt very quickly because each activity is easier or very difficult for different kids so you have to be able to come up with a plan B or even plan C on the spot. Overall I think for our first time there it went extremely well and I can't wait untill next week when we return.