It’s been a busy 6 weeks at the Nellie’s Summer Children’s program.

The 15 campers ranging from the ages of 6-12 immediately made new friends and were very welcoming to one another.

With the incorporation of team building activities such as snowball messages, suggestion circle the campers were provided the opportunity to express their personal experiences in a safe environment throughout the program. It was great to see the open discussion occurring as the children engaged with one another.

The campers also had the opportunity to showcase their artistic talents numerous times throughout the program.  All the games we played such as I Like My Neighbor, Chairs, Heads up Thumbs Up gave the children a chance to build their social skills in addition to making friends.

An important goal of the program was to develop leadership skills. Providing opportunities for the children to be responsible and leaders helped them foster their self-worth. Doing suggestion circles where we got the campers to brainstorm on a “real-life” problem that they may encounter was way for the children to express great suggestions and feel like their ideas matter.

A highlight of one of the art workshops was when we had a special visit from Acts of Kindness who helped the children crotchet bracelets, necklaces, etc. All the campers were really proud to take home their art projects. Another activity the children enjoyed was baking which was wonderful community-building activity. Being able to work as a team to make food, and then to sit together and eat is a great experience. Everyone was eager to participate and got to practice taking turns and respecting everyone’s contributions.

The campers also went on field trips such as the AGO, the ROM , the Toronto islands, etc. Exploring the city in which they live and interacting with their community at large was something that children really forward to each week.

As the program has now come to a close, we wish all the campers a great school year!