Canaries!!

Canaries!!
Loving on my Canaries (Fall 2013)

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Summer School: Week One

Hey guys!!

It's official...summer school has begun! We wrapped up the first week today and things went pretty well. The kids are getting to do a lot of things they don't normally do during the school year. We have classes in photography, science, art, dance, sports, and, of course, English. They are going well and the kids are having a ton of fun!

We have been a little short-staffed at the school I'm working at, so not only am I helping with the English classes, I have also been giving classes in dance and art. The first day was quite interesting...I'm somewhat lacking in dance and artistic skills. So, in my first dance class we did head, shoulders, knees, and toes in Spanish and in English...then we played Simon Says. And in my first art class we spent an hour coloring pictures. In my art class yesterday, however, I had a plan. I brought in plastic fruits and vegetables for each of the children to draw, color, and then label the colors in Spanish and English. To my surprise, they loved it! They all spent an entire hour choosing different fruits and vegetables to draw; one boy even drew his in a fruit bowl all together. I thought for sure they'd be bored after one or two fruits, but they really enjoyed themselves.

Today I was back in dance class. Being that I can't really dance, I wasn't very excited about it, but it turned out to be a great class! First I had the kids split into groups and choreograph their own dance. Then each group performed their dance for the class. Some of them were very much into it and others were very much not. That was my entire plan for the class, but it only took up about half the class, so I decided to teach them a few dances that I know. (Many years of summer camps and VBS really came in handy with this!) We started with The Chicken Dance...that was a hit! Afterwards we moved onto the Cha Cha Slide and then the Cupid Shuffle, which were even bigger hits! All of the kids really had a great time and, although it was a bit tiring, it ended being a really fun class. Those kids love line dances! Next time I have to teach a dance class, they're going to learn the Electric Slide and Cotton Eyed Joe! :)

It's been a great first week of summer school and I'm looking forward to the next few weeks (even if I have to teach dance and art again).

Thank you all for your continued love and support! See you back in the States in a few weeks :)
Love Always,
Rachel