Camp Coming to an End

As I reflect on the week, I realize that I have forgotten how young these six children are on numerous occasions. I have been teaching them as if they were fifth-graders in my fifth-grade class. And. . . they have totally been up for the challenge. They have been working on mysteries in history for grades 4-6, read a book that was at the 6th-grade reading level, and solved science experiments that were intended for my 5th-grade class. They range from 5-8 years old while a typical child in 5th grade is either 11 or 12! We had some very high level discussion and conversations over the week.

Yesterday we all watched a Scooby Doo episode dealing with witchcraft and wicca. It tied into the unit Ede was studying with the kids. They really enjoyed learning about witchcraft and thought it was CRAZY that people actually accused others of being a witch for minute reasons. Like a lot of other events in history, this didn't make a whole lot of sense. When it was swimming time, the kids played "witch hunt."

Today they began to write their own mystery. All kids were engaged and WRITING for at least 20 minutes! They had some great ideas so far. Aiden is going to write 14 chapters in his "Lost Snake" mystery. His characters are going to travel to the different continents and oceans to look for it. Ella is writing a mystery that begins "It all began when the window was left open." It's about a missing hamster. She already has written in a red herring. Maddie is writing about the seven chairs. Haley's idea was about a missing (very rare) seashell.

We got into groups to solve the "Mystery of the Stolen Laundry." The kids had to do math and scientific experiments to eliminate suspects that could have stolen Karla Clueless' laundry. They all had trouble staying organized, especially when they had to chart 8 different types of "laundry powder."

We read some more science mysteries. Zeke was able to figure out that a candle inside a pumpkin would not stay lit after the holes were covered and the top was placed back on. He was able to explain it very thoroughly as well! Maddie and Zoë were both able to recall that the sun is the largest star in the sky. Of course, they all recalled that the sun was the largest star. . . they were just stumped after the story was read.

We discussed our jobs in literary circles again. Since it was our last day of camp, I told the kids they would get an extra bead for doing an extra job. Zeke, Haley, Zoë and Aiden took me up on the offer :) They have really been working hard on thinking of higher-level questions. They have also had some great discussions over the book this week, too.

I am looking forward to meeting one last time, on the 22nd to recap everything they've learned. Hopefully, some of the kids will have finished the Westing Game and/or their mystery and we can share! Each and every one of them started thinking on a higher level and got better at sharing their ideas. It's been a great week and they are all looking forward to camp next summer!!