TAPA SUMMER CAMP
TAPA kicked off the summer with an amazing HAPPY CAMP! From June 30 – July 3rd we did art, music, yoga, cooking, dance, and African drum classes that made us so happy! Campers – both new and veteran- were so happy to see their friends, party with their buddies, and do a full day of HAPPY activities.
In music class, students sang happy songs, learned the TAPA camp song, and used percussion instruments for a variety of activities. Campers marched, moved, and sang along every morning. During outdoor games students played kickball, worked in centers on gross motor skills, and did plenty of obstacle courses. In addition, our tiny parking lot was beautifully decorated with lots of sidewalk art. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” was the focus of art class and campers created huge collages of the caterpillar and all the delicious foods he ate.
We all went on fast trips around the world in cooking class. We made passports and visited Mexico, Italy, the Caribbean, and Germany as we made delicious foods for each country. We did animal poses and used our bodies to tell stories in yoga class each afternoon. And campers were just as excited as the volunteers and teachers to have drum class with Sidiki Conde! He was back for his sixth summer to teach us authentic African drumming and dancing. The campers were so excited to play with Sidiki – it made everyone so HAPPY!
Mother Nature blessed us with perfect weather and we were able to eat outside under our big tent every afternoon. On Thursday Edith Heinsohn made a gluten-free, nut-free, rainbow smiley face cake that had everyone asking for seconds. It was truly a great way to end our HAPPY camp.