Running a Successful VBS/ Summer Camp Schedule

Thank goodness, the 2 week long VBS/ Summer Camp was over! We celebrated our successful camp by going out to a all you can eat Sushi at a Japanese restaurant in Waterloo and bathed in the success and glory of our camp!

I finally could let my hair down after supervising 22 children aged 5 - 12 plus 9 teenaged leaders-in-training. It was a more than 9- 5 job, with shopping for all the supplies and groceries to make lunches for the volunteer camp leaders. It was hard work but a fun time. I guess there is always teaching blood in me. After working in education for more than thirty years, and being retired, I enjoy this opportunity to work with children again.

Kids are smart, creative and fun to be with. They can tell when a camp is organized, well planned and staff is caring.  I love that when they tell me this camp is the best one they have attended and that they really love it and want to come back every year! Kids do know their stuff and recognize quality programs. The success of our camp is due to three things.

1. A well thoguht out program -  We have a tight schedule packed with a variety of activities starting  from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. each day.  We realize that children get bored easily and their attention span is about 15 - 20 minutes, therfore we pretty well have a different kind of activity for them every 30 minutes.

2. Experienced and caring staff - Though all the camp leaders are volunteers, we take this camp very seriously and work hard to plan and make sure our programs and camp leaders meet the needs of the children. We provide an annual  3 day intensive training camp to our teen volunteers prior to the opening of the camp and to make sure they have a good understanding of the needs of young children and how to deal with them.

3. Sufficient Funding  - Since our camp staff are all volunteers, and we are a non-profit organization,  we put all the camp fees back into the program, therefore we could afford to buy material to run the program and we do offer a lot to the kids. For instance, every year at our  2 week camp, we offer all the campers two nutritious snacks a day, one in the morning and in the afternoon. Kids get a glass of juice, ( the real stuff, not sugary punch ), and either fruits, biscuits, crackers and cheese, corn chips with salsa, ice cream and dried fruits etc. In order to reward our volunteer leaders, we provide a yummy daily lunch to them and keep them fed and happy. In turn, the leaders work hard for the children and have a lot of fun working together.

Our children are happy and they behave well at our camps becasue of our excellent programs. We are very proud of the programs and schedule we have designed and would like to share with other churches and organizations that run VBS / camps in their communities. Below is our daily schedule this year:





Time

Program



8:30a.m.

Sign  in


Game Stations



9:15a.m.

Singing



9:30a.m.

Outdoor Exercises


4 Stations



10:15a.m.

Break - by Gp. Table


Snack






10:30a.m

Skit Presentation



10:45 a.m.

Story Time



11:00 a.m.

Arts & Crafts



11:50 a.m.

Clean Up Time



12:00 p.m.

Lunch



12:30 - 1:15p.m.
Board Games Station



1:15 - 1:25p.m.

Clean Up 



1:30 - 2:00p.m.

Reading/ Rest 

2:00pm

Snack

2:15 - 3:30p.m.

Lesson / Activity 


Junior Group


Senior Group  switch activity at 2:45pm



3:30 - 3:40p.m.

Clean up 



3:45p.m. 

Gp Time - Singing



4:00p.m.

Sign out & Good bye



4:15  - 4:45 p.m.
Debriefing & Planning 


All leaders

Playing Olympic Games in VBS / Summer Camp

Seizing the Olympic Games as a Valuable Teaching Moment!



VBS Kids Practising Basketball Techiques 

 This was the 4^th year of the  Waterloo VBS Summer Camp and we  kicked off the camp with a big bang last week!  As usual, I packed up all the material that would be needed for the camp in our Mazda 5, 6 boxes and numerous bags in all and my supportive husband drove me to Waterloo, dropped me off and took the bus back to Toronto.



Junior kids Practising Soccer Skills 

  All nine camp leaders were all pumped up after a three day training camp the week before in Toronto. This year’s leaders are Zhenle, Michelle, Hanna, , Eiston, Aaron, Allen, Joe, Yuan and Yunxiang. These young people are from aged 13- 17, all highschool students who never worked or have any part time jobs. They were volunteers at the camp for two weeks, got no pay, but a free home made lunch each day and a lot of experience working with kids.

When we had our last big planning session on Saturday evening at Zhenle’s house, I suggested that since the Olympics would be held in July, we should use this as our theme for the sports program to introduce  and teach the children a different Olympic sport each day. The leaders loved this idea and each jumped at signing up for an Olympic sport to teach.

Voila! We had our sports program all figured out for our campers and an exciting one for our leaders to teach. We divided all the children in the camp into 4 teams :

Canada, USA, Britain and China.

The youngest children, 5- 6 years old, were on the Canadian Team, Canada being the youngest  country;  USA and Britian, for the 7-9 years old; China for the oldest children from 10 – 12 years old.

The following were the sports which the camp leaders signed up to introduce to campers for the two weeks of camp. Each day, one of the camp leaders researched and taught the kids some rules of a Summer Olympics sport and helped them to practise the skills needed to play that sport.
Kids loved the drills and exercises and had a lot of fun learning about the sports. They looked forward to our Olympics activities each day.





Hurdles nset up for our VBS Summer Camp
Hurdles were Made from Cardboards - free from supermarkets!

 Day 1 – Diving

Day 2 – Basketball

Day 3 – Hurdles

Day 4 – Running Long Jump & Standing Long Jump

Day 5 – Fencing

Day 6 - Soccer

Day 7 - Triathlon

Day 8 - Badminton

Day 9 - Running

Day 10 - Olympic Games Contest!

The children at the camp just loved coming to the camp and their parents could not thank us enough. Everyday I received positive feedback  and rave reviews from them.





Leaders Demonstrating Technique of Fencing with Foam Swords
Note: Fencing with one hand only, keep the other hand behind your back 



“ My daughter told me that she is on the Canada Team and she loves the games and sports!” A parent told me.

 

Children Loved the Running Long Jump !

 My three sons could not stop singing in the car all the way home! They love the church and camp songs they are learning here. And they told me that each one of them is on a team named after a country. They are very happy at your camp!”



Yes, I could see the happy faces of the children in my mind and this is the reward I get for running the VBS summer camps for the past decade and more.

R.T., Waterloo, Ontario
July, 2012

What a VBS/ Summer Camp could do for Teens

 I have been volunteering to direct and run a VBS summer camp for kids in Toronto since 1997.  A few mothers and I became concerned that our teenaged children between the age of 13 – 15 years old were just sleeping in everyday till noon and hanging around in the house not doing much during the summer months.  However, It was not the teens' fault that they were sleeping in and not doing much because :

1.       They were at an awkward age. Between the age of 13- 16, they were too old to go to camps which were mainly for kids 12 and under.

2.       They were too young to be hired for summer jobs due to their young age and lack of work experience.

We thought if our kids were simply hanging around, then we could get them in one place and let them  hang out together and do something fun and learn a few things.

So I approached the minister of a community church and proposed a summer camp for the neighbourhood children.  With Pastor David K.'s blessings, we started with 5 mothers, and a dozen of kids ( our own kids plus a few neighborhood kids) and in 1997 started the first summer camp in  the Agincourt - Scarborough community.

The main objective of the summer camp was to provide a fun experience and a quality program for the neighbourhood children. Another objective was to provide work experience for the teenagers so that they could accumulate valuable and employable skills which would assist them to land that first job that was so difficult for young people.

In the subsequent summer camps, I directed the camp program, and at the same time actively recruited highschool and university students as volunteers and trained them to be camp leaders for the following years. The VBS/ summer camp started as a one week program, but the teens loved it so much that they wanted to volunteer and do it for two weeks the followinjg year.  After the second year, the teens wanted to increase to three and then four weeks, working all for free!

Today, the Living Stone Summer Camp at Kennedy and Steeles, Toronto,  is not a one week event but is a 7- 8 consecutive weeks camp providing a full day program to children aged 5- 14. The camp has served hundred of children in the community since its first year. Since then we applied and obtained federal government funding each year and has been able to employs 6-8 full time students and provides work experience to about twenty – thirty teenagers each year. The  majority of students who have volunteered there are usually aged 13- 17. After a couple years of volunteering and gaining experience, they could apply to be paid camp counsellors. Because of this positive experience of working with young children, a few volunteers discovered their interest and talents of working in education and made their career choices to become teachers.

Being accepted into the faculty of education in Ontario university is quite an accomplishment and is prized and celebrated by the applicants and their parents.  I am proud to say that because of the training and experience provided by the Living Stone Summer Camp, all three university students who were hired as directors of the VBS/ summer camp and another camp leader were accepted into the faculty of education in various Ontario Universities and are now full fledge licensed teachers teaching in Ontario  public schools! There were many other volunteers and camp leaders also got jobs related to education in the Ontario school system or in other professional fields due to their work experience at the camp.

The Living Stone Summer Camp has matured and is well established to the point that it no longer requires my supervision and assistance.  After fifteen years, the parents in the community look forward to its opening every July and start registering their children in April.

As for me, I have moved on and have been invited to start a new camp for children in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, and this is where I have been this week and will be there next week.

R.T. Waterloo

July 21, 2012

A Hindu Canadian Wedding - A New Experience for Me



Groom & Groomesman at the Altar

 Due to the long winter months in Canada, most of Canadian weddings take place in the summer months of June- August . We attended a family member’s  wedding in early June and last weekend we had the honour of being invited to a Hindu Canadian couple’s wedding held at the Crystal Fountain Banquet Hall in Markham, Ontario, which is about a forty minute drive north from downtown Toronto.



The Bride Walking to the Altar

 Though I have attended numerous weddings, I had never attended a Hindu wedding in my life. Therefore,  this was a new experience for me and I looked forward to it with great anticipation. I love learning about other people’s customs and cultures and living in Toronto, Canada, there is no better place for it. Our population is diverse with different people from every corner of the world as Toronto is one of the favourite cities where immigrants tend to settle and put down their roots.

Since the invitation card stated that the wedding would be from 10:30a.m. – 12:15p.m.,( on a Sunday), my husband and I got there right at 10:30a.m. on the dot. But where was everyone? There were only a handful of people in a banquet hall that was set for about six hundred people. However, as we were looking  for our seats, we saw the groom and his groomsman sitting on the mandap – a glitzy altar specially built for the wedding ceremony, adorned  with flowers, fruits and accompanied by two Hindu gurus sitting on the floor with a multitude of  items placed in front of them.

There were some kinds of ceremony going on, but without explanation, we did not know what was going on. We were fortunate that there were a few people from Stan’s company also attending this wedding and a couple of them were of Indian decent; they arrived about 30 minutes later and were able to explain some of the rituals to us. 

Bride & Groom Putting on the wreath 3 times

While most Canadian wedding ceremony take about 40 – 60 minutes, this Hindu wedding ceremony was longer,  a little more than two hours but very interesting indeed. No wonder people were trickling in throughtout the enitire ceremony because they knew it would be a lenthy one so they timed their arrival and most got here just before the bride's procession.



Both Mothers-in- law took part in the wedding rituals.

I learned that during a Hindu/ Indian wedding, there were many people involved in the ceremony besides the bride and groom. The groom was on the altar accompanied by his groomsman and the gurus for about an hour.After the bride's procession with her female relatives walking behind her the bride and groom performed a number of rituals as directed by the gurus. Some of the rituals  were putting the flower wreath on each other three times, eating something that the gurus gave them three times and performed other rituals three times ( three times represent good luck ).   Family members from both sides such as parents, siblings and relatives participated and each had a part to play in the ceremony as well. They participated in the ancient ritual by going up to the altar doing what was required of them and sprinkled rice on the heads of the newly weds.



Friends & colleagues congratulated the new couple.

After the family members did their part, the MC declared that the wedding ceremony was over and the buffet lunch started. While some guests headed to the buffet lunch, other guests started lining up to congratulate the new couple and at the end, all the guests waited patiently and congratulatedthem, sprinkling rice and having a picture taken with them!



the guru directing the wedding ceremony



It was a new cultural experience for me. Every time I attend a special cultural event such as this, I am awed by the diverse cultures, peoples, religions and races that we have in Canada and the respect and acceptance we have of each others’ differences. Yes, as individual Canadian, we may have a lot of differences in terms of our own cultures, language and religion. But as Canadians, we are the same and we have the same values: peace, freedom, compassion, honesty, and respect for others’ differences. I truly believe that it is these values that bind us together and enable us to live harmoniously in a free society. I am lucky that I live in Canada, a great country!



R.T. Toronto

July 14, 2012

Chinese Tea Ceremony at a Canadian Wedding

A bridal shower in honour of Michelle before the wedding

Summer months are very precious in Canada. There are only a few months that Canadians can get married, and have their wedding ceremonies or bridal pictures taken outside with short sleeve weather.

These outside wedding picture months are namely June, July and August.

Relatives and friends got together at the bridal shower

Consequently, majority of Canadian weddings do occur during these three months. In the span of these three months, we have and will attend three weddings. In early June before I headed out to PEI, I shared  my sister's bliss and attended her younger child's wedding in Burlington, Ontario.

Pre wedding events are happy moments for families and friends

 I love weddings because these are happy events that draw family members together from all across the country.

 Er. was able to take a break from work in New York and was in Toronto for a few days. Er is incredible when comes to attending family events. Though he has been living in the U.S. for almost ten years now, he always tries his best to come home for these special family events.

He has not missed any wedding or funeral and his extended family certainly has appreciated his time and efforts. My husband and I certainly look forward to his homecoming for Christmas; he has not missed spending one Christmas at home with us all these years and we love having him home!

Alan and Michelle's Wedding Reception - The Burlington Botanical Garden

Alan and Michelle got married at the Burlington Botanical Garden, an absolutely beautiful venue with gorgeous flowers, exotic plants and unique architectural pieces placed throughout the garden. It was easy to get to and about an hour drive from Toronto.

Signing the wedding registrar at the wedding

On top of that, they had picture perfect weather that day. ( Occasionally in early June, we  have had some crazy weather such as hails or even snow in Toronto, Canada. One year, we had hail balls as big as golf balls in June and they totally destroyed the beautiful flowers we planted earlier.)

Michelle and Alan were blessed from the started with great weather on their wedding day. Every one of Alan's and Michelle's' family members made their efforts to attend their wedding, flying in from across the country. 

The wedding ceremony was held outdoor under a big canopy with much shade  for the guests. The bride, walked down the path on her mother's arms and  looked stunningly beautiful and radiant!








As a young person, I never understood why people cry at weddings.

 But as I have aged slowly over the years, I, too, could not hold my tears at weddings.

The happy new couple!

Now I understand, these are tears of joy and happiness for the new couple and wishing them the best as they exchanged their vows before families and friends.

Cutting the wedding cake

There were a number of things I really enjoyed at the wedding. For instance, I liked the respect both Alan and Michelle had shown for their different cultures, families and friends.

They made sure that everyone who came and celebrated with them got a picture taken with them.

They had a precise picture taking order worked out ahead of time and the groups were called one by one. Though there were many people, they both made efforts to chat and thank all the guests.

Tea Ceremony - that was another part of the wedding that I enjoyed.  Alan and Michelle's made sure that the Tea Ceremony was part of the wedding program. It took place in a garden with a beautiful waterfall and water cascading down one side of the garden wall.

 The new couple asked to have special chairs set in this garden  so that the older family members could have ample seats on which they could rest.

Tea Ceremony - Showing Love & Support to the Newly Weds

The Chinese Tea Ceremony is an ancient tradition in which the bride and groom  are welcome into their respective new family by the immediate and close family members on both sides.

It usually starts with the groom's side, with the oldest person i.e. grandparents, followed by parents and then the older siblings, and uncles and aunts etc.( Family members younger than the bride and groom are not part of this ceremony. They are on the side observing and supporting only. )

Close relative sharing encouragment during the Tea Ceremony

Both the bride and groom will offer a cup of tea to the older family members who will take a sip from the tea,welcoming the new couple and offering encouragement and words of wisdom about marriage and family.

The bride was touched to tears at the Tea Ceremony

After these few words, the older family member will present a gift to the bride or couple depending on the gift, usually a piece of heirloom or jewelry, or a red envelop with money inside.  ( This is in addition to the regular wedding gift.)

It is one of the most touching moments in the Chinese parents' and the son's or daughter's life. It signifies the acceptance of bride/ groom into the new family and the support and encouragement that their parents/ immediate families will give them in the future.

The couple was quite emotional about the ceremony, especially the bride who was tearing in the middle of it.

Close family members offer gifts to the bride during the Tea Ceremony

 When it was our turn for the tea ceremony, Stan and I shared our word of wisdom and presented to Michelle a white pearl necklace.  

It was a pleasure for me to put it around her neck. Alan and Michelle's make such a lovely couple together!

Relatives and friends shared the couple's happiness

After the tea ceremony, and some drinks at the open bar, it was time for a sit down dinner.

At a Canadian wedding, it is customary  to make the new couple kiss each other by banging our silverware on the tables or on the dishes and making noises to demand these public kisses.

 Alan and Michelle came prepared!

They informed us that in order for them to kiss each other during this wedding reception, each table or group must work together and sing a song with the word love in it. This was a very creative idea from the new couple.

Alan's cousins and relatives celebrated with them

I attended numerous weddings in Canada, but this was the first time the wedding couple made the guests work for their kisses.

Alan and Michelle had many creative friends and relatives!

There were many love songs sung that evening, such as Elvis' Love Me Tender, the Beatles' Can buy me love, Alan's parents sang Jesus Loves Me,  even O Canada! Yes, indeed, there is the word love in our national anthem.

Cousins Performing Their Song of Love for Michelle and Alan

The highlight of the love songs was the performance by the couple's cousins, our sons - Er., Jonathan, Pat,  Jordon and a friend, who got together and did a little number for us all!  It was a lots of fun and a great celebration!

 The dancing started right after dinner and everyone stayed and danced till midnight. The reception area was spacious and elegant.

There was a lot of room to move around including a special place for drinks, a quieter place for guests to sit and  converse with each other.

May God bless you as you start a new life together!

 
Michelle and Alan were very happy and so was everyone. We wish them all the best as they start a new and wonderful life together! May God bless them!

R.T.
Burlington, Ontario.

July 15, 2012
p.s. for more pictures on Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony, please google the following link:

http://rtam1206.blogspot.ca/2014/04/a-happy-family-occasion.html

for another entry titled A Joyous Family Occasion -28/04/2014.

The Canadian Dream

The heat in Toronto was unbearable!  Last week, the temperature hovered between 30 - 36 degrees and with the humidity index, it felt like in the 40’s. I dared not venture outdoors for a few days. Every time I opened the patio door to my garden, immediately a torrent of hot air hit me in the face  and I quickly retreated back into our air-conditioned house.

The Fern - Our little cabin up north!

Ah, this is why Canadians love our little cabins and cottages – a place where we could escape the summer heat for the entire duration if we could do it, or take off early on Friday afternoons and race to the lake for the weekends during the summer months.

 A place by the lake side - A Canadian Dream; this is our tiny piece of water front

Living the Canadian dream for many Canadians is being by the lake with friends and family during the summer months.



Our country haven away from the city!

The Fern – is our little place by the water up north,  between the town of Bracebridge and Huntsville, ,in the township of  Muskoka. It is just a teeny tiny shed, absolutely no comparison to Goldie Hawn’s summer mansion nor those palatial homes owned by  hockey players in this area. Heck, ours is a primitive cabin, no plumbing, electricity nor water. 

Relaxing by the lake

But it is our own place up north, by the lake, built lovingly by my husband, our best friends and me a number of years ago.

We love escaping from the city, going up there in the summer and especially in the fall when the trees on the hill turn burning red. We just love it!


 

Lots of happy time with loved ones and friends at the lake

Unfortunately, the lives of city

people are too busy. We don’t have time going to The Fern often, may be three to four times a year if we are lucky. Since my husband is still working, we could only go north during the summer weekends which are not too many anyway.



This year, we had not gone up once until last weekend. We drove up last Sunday after an early church service. It felt great leaving the noise, the pollution and traffic congestion behind and heading out to the country. We could feel our mood started to lighten up and our spirits soaring as the clouds shielded the sun and the breeze caressed our faces. The smell of freshly cut hay and the freshness of country air greeted us and we could feel the tranquility and beauty of the countryside.

What a calm and soothing feeling! This is why we never get tired of being up at our little cabin and we have been going there for years.

One of our neighbours was riding on his special hay cutting machine, going up and down cutting hay for his horses.  He looked relaxed and enjoying what he was doing.  As we were getting closer to our place, we became anxious. 

We could hardly wait to see our cabin for the first time this year. Did any big trees fall down since we were up last fall? Did the spring flood water from the lake damage our cabin? Was our cabin still standing and in good condition?  Did anything get broken?   Was the place vandalized since it was uninhabited for almost ten months?  Did any wild animals get in and claim our cabin? Knowing our Canadian winter could be harsh and we had not been there for a little while, I could not help wondering about the condition of The Fern.

Though the grass was long and the place looked wild, we breathed a sigh of relief when we drove into the lane of our lakeside cabin. Yes, the cabin was still there standing tall and intact, undamaged!  Although half of the roof of the outhouse had been ripped off, there was no beehive or bees this time.

Doing the little repairs

Our best friends, Don and Doug also came up to help us open the place for the season.  They were the one who gave us the most help when we were building this place. They like The Fern and enjoy staying there as much as we do. 

We got busy right away, cutting the grass, sweeping, getting rid of the cobwebs and cleaning the cabin. We even managed to make it to town and did some shopping for some wood and decorations, and spruced up the place a little, adding and painting the trims and making our little cabin look cute and cosy!

Enjoying the sunset in the Muskoka area

We sat by the lake, drinks in hands, lounging and enjoying the company of good friends, relaxing at our little cabin in the beautiful cottage country.  What is there better to do than this on a hot summer day?

R.T.
 Three Mile Lake
July 9, 2012