VHFLC Spring Camp!

  
Last week, we wanted to see what our students were up to over at our VHFLC Spring Camp sites, and how they thought their time was best spent there.

We knew that a variety of treats were in store for them, including bowling for those based at Woodstock, swimming for those based at St. Cecilia, and a trip down to Pier Park for the students at Portland Village -- in which they got to hike through the woods, play on the huge structure there, and have a leisurely lunch in the sunshine. 

Madeline from Rosedale had a blast in the pool!

We stopped in at the Bridlemile camp site on Thursday -- the day after a field trip that many seemed to be buzzing excitedly about. "It was my first time on a TriMet bus!" said Grace, a Hayhurst student. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun," said Sophie, a Bridlemile student and Grace's friend. 

On their outing, the students got a chance to visit the Oregon Historical Society, and to learn about how our state came to be through the lens of brave explorers, pre-television (what a thought!) World War I and II print material, and contemporary photographers with the agenda of communicating the rich story of Oregon's landscape through pictures.

Students especially got a kick out of the photography exhibition, called "Framing the Oregon Landscape". Living in a city, as the majority of our students do, it can be very easy to fall into a place of distance from the incredible nature available to us here. With this in mind, you can only imagine the curiosity elicited by not only having the dedicated time to examine a large collection of expertly captured images of Oregon terrain, but also the wonder in experiencing such a varied group of perspectives and interpretations as well.

Students, being sharp as they are, seemed intrigued by the idea that we, unlike cultures past who may have navigated the world by foot or cart (and who couldn't help but notice their natural surroundings on a daily basis), often need reminders to 'stop and smell the roses', and to remember that enjoying nature is a fundamental part of being human and being healthy. Of course, they were also keenly aware of the fact that such issues most often plague 'grown-ups', who in general "are too busy or stressed" to enjoy "all of the beautiful stuff around"...

Upon returning to their school site, some of the kids seemed inspired by this prompt to focus on nature. Simone from Rieke made a special springtime board as a gift to her family. "Spring is when all the flowers bloom and it only happens once a year," she said. "It's a very special time." 

Wise words from Rieke's Simone!

Grace's fortune teller

When we asked the others what they liked doing the most during Spring Camp, Grace and Sophie echoed Simone -- "art!" they chimed. Grace took the opportunity to build a spring fortune teller (all with very bright fortunes), and Sophie whipped up an origami hat, peppered stylishly with hearts and peace symbols. "I want to learn how to make origami too" said Shane from Rieke.
 

 

Graham from Bridlemile, who looked intrigued by the framed mirror-making project being led by teacher Lindsey, said he liked practicing chess with his friend Oscar when he had the time. Others seemed to be cozy with the chessboards as well, while a number of students expressed enthusiasm at being able to get better at sports like soccer, and to build extensive lego/block worlds (below).

Some of the VHFLC chess experts

A one-of-a-kind flying machine and landing base!

Lions and tigers and... Angry Birds!... Oh my!

Meanwhile, at St. Ceclia, students placed their springtime focus on getting in touch with their bodies through yoga, and on repurposing discarded materials into mazes and mini basketball hoops. It's a great time to embark on projects based on transformed materials now that we've entered the months of spring cleaning. Write in with any ideas that you and your family find fun and useful!

Yoga at St. Cecilia

 Peyton (left) and Sofia, from St. Cecilia, turn old materials into new!