Virginia Chance School - Summer Under the Trees
2016 Theme Descriptions and Schedule
Each week includes art, music, books and games specific to the theme, as well as time in the Preschool Garden for preschool
campers and in the Learning Greenhouse for elementary campers. Each group will also have a weekly opportunity to care for
our school chickens!
Theme
Week
Description
Ages
(as of October 1,
2016)
Let the Games
Begin!
Week 1
Tie up those laces and roll up your sleeves – it’s time to start the fun! Play
6/6 - 6/10
traditional outdoor games and have a chance to create your own. Learn
th
2yrs – 5 grade
about muscles, exercise and good sportsmanship while we begin our
summer playing hard!
Good
Vibrations
Week 2
Summer is the perfect time to get your groove on! Design and create an
6/13 – 6/17
outdoor music station. Make your own instruments and create a band.
th
2yrs – 5 grade
Choreograph a dance or have a parade. Everyone’s a musician this week as
we explore the science of sound.
Dig In
Week 3
Our most popular camp theme! This week is all about dirt! Making
6/20 – 6/24
mudpies, planting, and squishing our toes – the things that make summer
th
2yrs – 5 grade
special! Wear your old play clothes for this week of digging, sifting, pouring
and creating with dirt.
Adventure
Camp
Engineering
Escapades
Week 3
Take our outdoor theme to the extreme! Learn to pitch a tent, build a
6/20 – 6/24
campfire, practice your orienteering skills and hike safely through the
rd
th
3 – 5 grade
woods. Make a lunch on a campfire, blaze a trail. Take advantage of the
Week 4
natural beauty at Virginia Chance School during this unique camp
6/27 – 7/1
experience.
Week 4
When you are Under the Trees, building takes on a whole new meaning!
6/27 – 7/1
Blocks are just the beginning as we explore all the ways to design,
th
2yrs – 5 grade
construct, and assemble, and even take apart. Use a wide variety of unique
materials and spend the week designing, tinkering, inventing and creating.
My Wild
Week 5
Do you know what animals are native to Kentucky? Can you identify
Kentucky
7/5 – 7/8
Kentucky’s native trees and plants? Discover the natural wonders of your
(no camp
own home state during this week of Kentucky exploration. Hike, do tree
Home
Monday 7/4)
rubbings, and create with materials from Kentucky’s natural beauty!
Back to the
Week 6
Our community is rich with local farmers and farming resources. Take a
7/11 – 7/15
week to explore what happens on a farm, where our food really comes
Farm
from and what it takes to connect with and support our local farmers. This
week will include lots of cooking and taste-testing, as well as special
visitors and activities all about our local farms.
th
2yrs - 5 grade
th
2yrs – 5 grade
Color Me
Week 7
Explore the dazzling world of color! Investigate how color works through
7/18 – 7/22
science experiments, create vivid works of art, and play colorful games.
Fun!
Junior
th
2yrs – 5 grade
Celebrate the end of camp with our annual camp-wide Color Run!
Everyone is invited!
th
Weeks 1 – 7
Don’t worry! You are not too old to be Under the Trees! Now you can learn
6 grade and
6/6 – 7/22
what it takes to be a camp counselor! Choose one or more weeks and
older
Counselor
spend part of your time at camp with a group of younger children
Training
use this time to gain experience.) Junior Counselors staying until 3:00 will
(Counselors-in-training will never be responsible for other children but will
meet with a certified American Red Cross Instructor for instruction in the
Babysitter’s Training Course. By the end of the week, you will learn the
basics of caring for younger children, handling emergencies, choosing
activities, recognizing and handling a variety of behaviors and even starting
your own babysitting business. At the end of the week, you will receive a
certificate from the Red Cross as a Certified Babysitter and a certificate
from Chance School as a Junior Counselor! Non-Chance School graduates
must include a recommendation form from a teacher before registration is
accepted.
. . .the way summer
was meant to be