California Dreamin' Day Camp

 "Dopp Cottage" day camp, day one, was a success!  This one was Ari's camp, which meant it was mostly me.  Ari would rather be an artist than a teacher, and easily slips from being in command to being immersed in the creations she has planned for the kids.  That's perfect for me, because then I get to take over!  I don't get to do that with Golda and Ruby, so this was kindof my turn.

 15 kids made salt dough and then molded it into sand dollars, etching patterns on them with bamboo skewers.

 We read a story about a boy who puts a letter in a bottle inviting the fish to his house.  We wrote letters from the fish to the humans.

 We had story time on the back porch.

 We talked about "The Starfish Story" and made a Starfish Stick out of paper we had designed.  The paper, we had sprayed with paint water from spray bottles.  Each kid made a different pattern and they turned out cool.  I don't worry about the end result too much.  I just want the kids to create.  So some of the results are less than professional!

 We read a story about the boardwalk, handed out tickets for suckers and popcorn, and popped the popcorn on the stove.

 Also made sharks with our paint water technique.

 Googly eyes are me new favorite thing.  These seashells are so funny with eyes!  Sorry it's upside-down!

And we made necklaces from some of the seashells with holes in them, and had lunch.  The next camp is Tuesday night, and Golda is doing it.  It's called "Starry Starry Art Night," and the kids will paint, star gaze, craft, and learn about artists through stories.  It only costs $5 a kid, so please send your kids!  I can't wait!