Dear All,
It is the spring equinox and as I write, our little piece of paradise is coming alive after a long sleep. Forget-me-nots are peeking up everywhere and the bluebirds have arrived busily building their nests. This is the time I begin to get busy and prepare for the Hummingbird Hill Art camps.
I have so many fond memories of summer camp. One of my favorites comes from a conversation with three amazing young girls, all age 6. Story, the youngest of the three, was joyfully painting a beautiful night sky. She commented, “I think I will paint Jupiter because when it rains there, it rains diamonds.” At first, I thought, “What a wonderful imagination she has!” Quickly, her two painting companions became fascinated by the idea of diamonds raining on Jupiter. Of course, my daughters, who were helping with camp, grabbed their phones and googled it. Sure enough, it rains diamonds on Jupiter. Amazing! After a lot of apologies from me, the conversation became a whirl of questions and excitement! And this very small young lady answered and described her knowledge of rain on Jupiter. I thought to myself, “I am the luckiest art teacher to have this opportunity to work with children in an almost one-to-one, small group, peaceful setting.
Many of you have asked why I keep camp sizes small, from 2-8 children. This wonderful conversation I just shared with you is part of the reason why. With a small camp group size, each child is noticed and conversations can be shared. Every child’s voice is HEARD. I feel that being heard is one of our greatest human needs. Our small camp groups become communities. Children have a better experience connecting more closely with their peers.
For me, as a teacher and facilitator, I love the one-to-one time I have with the campers. Time is a gift that allows me to sit down with each child and listen to their ideas, teach the art skills in an encouraging way, and guide them to express their imagination through art and nature.
I look forward to having all of your children back for our fourth year of art camp.
With love and wonder,
Anne Meyer
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