Art & Sensory Mini Summer Camp - PJ Party & Yucky Fun

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning."

-Diane Ackerman, Author

Camp has continued to be the highlight of my summer and we just completed another great week. 

A number of the kids have gotten to know each other in past weeks and it was nice seeing them interact with each other by helping and inspiring new ideas.

These are just a few of the photos of the fun we had...

The kids painted a mural of a bedtime classic, Goodnight Moon, drawn by Kathleen using paintbrushes and pink foam rollers. (I can't even hear the words Slumber Party without remembering foam rollers!)

They could also design their own Pajamas using crayons, construction paper shapes and glitter glue.

We drew lots of beds on the driveway with chalk that we used for a fun listening game with the kids.

Snack was sweet potato pancakes in the shape of bears and a "Tucked in Tight" snack the kids created using a graham cracker for the quilt (later decorated with icing), marshmallows for the pillows and animal crackers. After tucking in our animals we sang some goodnight songs before eating them (this was a practice in patience but they all did well).

This was most of the kids' first time doing a potato sack race and they loved it! We also brought out some big balls to roll and throw around (thank you so much Sara for these!)

The kids enjoyed telling each other about their beds and the stuffed animals that keep them company at night. 

 We sang songs and read bedtime stories. 

I started laughing and was actually amazed at how all of the kids began yawning and laying down as Kathleen read Goodnight Moon. This was the end result and no one told them to do this...

Another day this week we let the kids get extra messy with lots of fun materials and tools to explore.

It usually takes the kids a few minutes to get acquainted with the messy textures but its not long before they are experimenting with the various tools and mixing the different colors and materials.

One of my favorite childhood memories is making mud pies in our family's greenhouse so I knew this would be the ideal way to end our messy day.

The kids had the option of adding colored and scented conditioner to their pies and also glitter.

Looking forward to sharing more photos soon...

In the meantime, you can check out other camp days by clicking on the following:
Art & Sensory Mini Summer Camp - Part 1
Art & Sensory Mini Summer Camp - Candyland

"A child loves his play. Not because it's easy but because it's hard."

-Benjamin Spock, American Pediatrician