Waldorf School Offers Summer Camps

By Tanjua Damon

Birds were the feature of the first week of Waldorf Summer Camp. Children aged 4 to 12 discovered the unique qualities of birds through nature and art.

Ginger Hanrahan and Diane Robetelle are the camps directors. The Waldorf School has put together four independent weeks of summer fun with based on what can be found in nature.

The birds camp ran from July 8 to July 12. Artist Suzanne Perry brought birds to life for the youngsters through the creation of rice paper birds as well as clay bird models designed by the campers. The participants also worked with fleece and embroidery during the weeklong camp.

“They are making things and doing a lot of hand work,” Ms Hanrahan said. “This is how everything was done in the old days. They are learning from the most basic things. I think that’s a lot of the Waldorf way.”

The students are learning about textiles, textures, and conceptualizing in the most organic ways, according to Ms Hanrahan. The program also provides students the opportunity to work with eye-hand motor coordination.

A field trip to Green Chimneys was also taken so the students could see a variety of birds up close and learn about their various qualities.

“[It’s] good,” Aleksi Tichler said. “I liked the trip to Green Chimney. There was a bald eagle. Birds are beautiful and colorful.”

Each day the students learned different facts about birds. They learned their calls, they things they eat, and the habitats in which they live.

“I like it a lot,” Sarah Grose said. “It’s fun to learn about birds.”

The Waldorf School has two more camps this summer that are open to anyone interested. July 23-26 is a camp about nature and July 29 through August 2 is a camp about water. For more information call 364-1113.