A Summer Filled with Friends and Fun.Can You Think of Anything Better?
By Sylvia Arias, Program Coordinator

Summers in Miami are hot, humid, sticky, and.did I say hot? But, for our Fun in the Sun Summer 2004 campers, this summer will be unforgettable!

For those children enrolled in Session I, "Rolling in the River", the first two weeks of camp were filled with a whirlwind of activities. On the first day of camp, Ceramics on Wheels came with boxes full of sun catchers, an art project for the campers to paint. There were different themes but many children chose to paint sun catchers with a fathers' day theme, in preparation for the weekend. The field trip was to Quiet Waters Park, a large water park located in Coral Springs, Florida. The group enjoyed a full day at the water park, cooling off and trying to beat the heat!

The following Monday, we had a visit from Glass Productions. These special guests taught the children a VERY important lesson.how to make their own dessert! The campers worked together to build a GIANT banana split. One group cut up bananas, another scooped the ice cream, a third group was in charge of the whipped cream, and the final group topped the project off with Hershey's syrup and sprinkles. And after many hours of toiling over this difficult task, the campers were rewarded with plates full of sugar. Don't worry; we kept them busy with races and games after that, in order to burn off all the extra energy before sending them home to their parents!

The second field trip was to Kabooms Amusement Center, where the campers enjoyed a variety of activities, including skating, laser tag, whirlyball, and video games. Then we wrapped up the week with more swimming at TY Park and plenty of activities/games at camp. The campers have started a new project with fuse beads, which they enjoy very much. They place beads on a template, in whatever color pattern they like. Then, a staff member irons wax paper over the beads, and this melts the beads together so that they can stand alone, without the template. The campers have made several different designs, including cats, butterflies, children, and houses. We have almost run out of beads, even though we started the summer with a bucket full of a few thousand. This has been an extremely popular activity.

We are now beginning Session II of our summer, where the campers will be able to "Discover Secret Treasures", and enjoy trips to the Museum of Science and Boomers. We have new activities planned for each day, and any time that a camper gets to spend at the Sunny Isles Beach summer camp, is sure to be a memorable experience!

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