Janasha Cross is a natural leader. Our campers recently
took a field trip to Venice on Vine, and an employee said she was impressed
with Janasha. Not only did she pay attention and follow directions like she
always does, but she helped ensure that the other campers were doing what they
should as they created several pizzas together.
Janasha (right) with Mr. Jeff (middle), learning ballet
At 9-years-old, Janasha is the oldest camper. Peaslee is
almost a second home to Janasha. Along with this being her fourth summer in
summer camp, her mother is a teacher in the infant room, her younger sister
attends preschool here and she takes weekly private piano lessons through
Peaslee's piano program. There is no doubt that Peaslee has played a part in
the confident, mature person Janasha is.
Janasha has learned a lot about social interaction this
summer. She loves that she gets to make new friends through camp and definitely
considers herself a people-person.
Respecting others has been the biggest lesson she's
learned at camp. She says that being kind to others, even if they are unkind to
you, is something Mr. Jeff stresses to all the campers.
"Mr. Jeff taught me that if someone's mean to you,
if you're nice to them, maybe then they'll be nice to you," she said.
Nascear Simms just turned five this summer, making him
the youngest summer camper. However, he has spent the last year in Ms. Faith's
preschool classroom, so Peaslee is a very familiar place to him.
He's really enjoyed himself at camp this summer, he says
"play" is what he enjoys most, meaning playing Connect-4, basketball
and other games. It makes sense, then, that he said that Mr. Jeff was his
favorite summer camp teacher.
"I love him because he's got good games," said
Nascear.
Nascear (right) playing drums
Other games the campers play include football, kick ball
and similar outdoor activities. The group goes swimming three days a week as
well, which often includes water games during their free swims.
Summer camp has helped him explore creative expression,
something that's valued at Peaslee. Drawing is one of his favorite ways to
express himself.
"I've drawn everything," he said.
"Drawing makes me feel good."
Kejirah Coleman, a current camper at Peaslee, has been
coming here for 3 years. Kejirah
is 7 years old and will be attending Rothenburg Preparatory Academy as a
third-grader this fall.
The activity that she enjoys the most during summer camp is
swimming.
“I like swimming because it makes me feel good when it’s
hot, and because I get to hang out with my friends, Renisa, Kimora, and
Janasha,” she said.
Swimming is an important part of our curriculum, because most inner-city residents don't have access to pools. Campers have the opportunity to learn how to swim, and to pass that on to their family and friends.
Kejirah also believes that swimming and reading are the most
important things that she has learned during summer camp. She enjoys reading Junie B. Jones and Amber Brown books. She can’t wait to
teach her younger siblings to swim and read.
Kejirah and her friend Renisa
Kejirah also enjoys gardening, especially when she has the
opportunity to water and harvest the plants, and of course, eat beans.
She also mentioned that her favorite
field trip was when they went to Venice on Vine. She was really excited that they got to make and eat their
own pizza.
Kejirah is sad that summer camp is ending soon, but can’t
wait till next summer.
Beats and rhythms from all over the world are a large part of the summer camp experience at Peaslee. African drumming lessons with Baba Charles Miller is a large part of camp curriculum.
Yesterday I sneaked into the drumming room and shot a few photos of the campers drumming away. Click here if you would like to see how drumming plays a large role in the life of Peaslee Neighborhood Center in general.
For generations, African-Americans have been deprived of
many opportunities, including the ability to learn how to swim. Many of the slaves that came from
Africa lived on the coast, which enabled them to become avid swimmers. When they were traded, and moved to the
United States as slaves, swimming was the first right to be taken away. The slave owners didn’t want them to
escape. After two generations of
being unable to swim, the skill and knowledge slowly diminished.
Kejirah having fun at the pool
60 percent of African-Americans don’t know how to swim, and
are three times more likely to drown.
After Kari Mellott, Child Care Director, learned these facts, she was
driven to include swimming lessons into the summer camp program.
“Camp provides access to swimming, and
without these types of services, these kids won’t have these
opportunities.”
The campers
participate in swim lessons and open swim three times a week. She hopes that they will utilize the
skills they learn to contribute to the community, such as being part of the
swim team or becoming a junior lifeguard at the Cincinnati Recreation
Commission. Kari also sees
swimming as an opportunity for them to utilize their time, and stay out of
trouble.
Taveon enjoying himself at open swim
Janasha, who is the oldest camper at the age of 9, loves
swimming. She likes going to the
pool because, she can hangout with her friends, have new experiences, and learn
new activities.
Janasha says that,
“I like how I can save myself and others, because now I know how to swim.”
She wants to teach her younger sibling,
Olivia how to swim when she gets older.
Being the oldest in the group, she is able to help Ms. Eden with her
classmates to teach them, which she enjoys. Right now they are learning how to flutter kick, but they
have learned how to not be afraid of the water, how to go under, and how to
feel the water as they move.
We find it very important to teach our inner-city students
how to swim, because of their limited access to pools. They can take what they have learned to
teach others and their family. The
students will be able to take their skills and use them throughout their lives.
"Good night beetle. I'll see you later," said camper Renisa, after observing the beetle bug she found while planting a bean plant. He had burrowed himself in the dirt for a good night's sleep. Our campers are encouraged to look for the elements of nature and make observations in order to learn. And they found a lot of these elements yesterday on their scavenger hunt in the Permganic garden.
Permaganic Co. is an eco-garden in Over-the-Rhine that serves as an educational resource for the community. Gardening is a large part of camp curriculum at Peaslee. We have our own backyard garden in which many hands-on lessons are taught. While this garden is a great at-home resource for our campers, we value hands-on experiences in our neighborhood. Therefore weekly field trips to Permaganic are a part of this July's camp curriculum.
When the group arrived, they started with a scavenger hunt. Bird feathers, plants with a furry texture and tomatoes were just some of the many things campers were searching the garden for. It was fun to watch them take what they've learned through our garden education program and put it to use in a game. One of those times when the campers don't even realize they're learning.
Nascear harvested a beat!
Peaslee Garden Coordinator Sara Reddick thinks these weekly field trips are important.
"It's good to introduce the kids to different ways of gardening and different spaces in their neighborhood that are full of nature and wonderful things," said Sara
Permaganic is more of a farm-style operation with fruit trees and a wider variety of plants. So the campers got to test their own knowledge in a new environment as well as learn new things.
After the scavenger hunt, the campers planted bean plants. They each marked their seed with a stick and watered them.
The heat was beating down, so the group went inside for a snack and song. Angela from Permaganic had boiled the beats they harvested. Most of the campers loved them and kept asking for seconds. The trip was wrapped up with fun chant and stomp about gardening and healthy eating.
When you think of summer camp, you probably think of singing new songs, swimming, gaining new experiences and enjoying warm weather. Well, here at Peaslee Neighborhood Center, our camp has all of the above, but with purpose. This summer we welcomed 10 campers, ages 5-10, to our roster for our day camp that runs Monday-Friday. Each summer camper brings their own unique gifts and talents to Peaslee. Camp is the vessel in which they can explore these talents.
Follow this blog to read about all the latest Peaslee camp happenings. You'll find photos, stories from counselors and campers, and other exciting things. This camp experience is vital to the education and growth of our children, and we hope this blog shows you just that.
Click here to contribute financially or browse through our wish list of much-needed items. If you're interested in volunteering, contact our Volunteer Coordinator Jenn Summers at (513) 621-5514 or volunteer@peasleecenter.org.
Another great way to stay connected with Peaslee happenings is through our Facebook page. Click here to view our camp Facebook album, which we will continually update throughout the summer.
