Welcome to the
The Michiana Family YMCA strengthens the foundations of our community through well-being and fitness, camps, family time, swim, sports and play, and other activities for people of all ages, incomes and abilities. We’re more than just a place to work out. At the Y, we help build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all with the core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility at the heart of everything we do.
With a commitment to nurturing youth development, promoting healthy living, and fostering a sense of social responsibility, the Y ensures that every individual has access to the essentials needed to learn, grow and thrive.
LIFE CAN BE MESSY
18 July 2011
Summer Adventure Day Camp kids are getting ready for a jam-packed week of icky, sticky, silly stuff! Gloop, foaming monsters and trail of ants are in store... This is an exploration they are sure to remember for years!
We will be experimenting, making a mess and getting active. Tomorrow is a field trip to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. We leave at 8:30 and return at 5:30. Bring sunscreen because we'll be outside all day! A sack lunch in provided.
Children love to learn new things and figure out how things work.
Through observation and trial-and-error, we help kids experience everyday events in fresh ways. When children actively apply, carefully examine, and determine the significance of information, they are developing critical thinking skills, which give them life skills important in school and future work places. Scholastic.com offers ways for you to experiment with your kids at home:- Kitchen science. Experiment with food items whose preparation can be reversed, such as gelatin desserts, Popsicles, and ice cubes (make, melt, reharden). Or work with foods whose preparation cannot be reversed, such as toast, fried eggs, chocolate milk, and baked potatoes.
- Bathtub science. Try to make the bath toys sink. Add some other objects and see if they sink or float. Hairbrush? Toothbrush? Several kinds of bar soap? Washcloths? Add some corks and try to keep them from floating. Scrub the tub afterward, noting how rough powder scratches off the dirt on the tub.
- Bedtime science. Shine a flashlight on the mirror and see where the light bounces. Get under the covers and try to see things with the light off. Make it really dark, and talk about not seeing anything and how you know about colors only with the light on. Take turns holding the flashlight and making shadows on the wall. A shadow is where light is blocked; even though it seems alive, a shadow is just blocked light.
- Science games. Make ramps to test which cars race down them the fastest. Compare wheels and sizes. Keep records of the fastest cars. Make a balance beam for children to navigate, and talk about balance and how you keep it. Provide cardboard tubes and tape for children to make tunnels to roll balls through. Changing angles changes the speed. Encourage observation and conversation.
- Play science. Set up a clinic with stethoscopes, bandages, a homemade eye chart, pillows, folders and paper, a height chart, and a scale. Note that doctors and nurses are scientists, because they observe people and try to fix what's wrong. Set up a lab with bottles, measuring spoons, salt, sugar, and flour. Provide aprons and goggles.
Making a mess can be wonderfully freeing for your child. It also helps to develop kids' sense of adventure and risk-taking. Susan Loughrin, an arts consultant and creativity coach, wrote in her own blog that making a mess, "gives kids permission to take their own thoughts seriously."
We will be making our messes with butter, milk shapes and create-a-challenge.
Play every day. It is well known that being physically active plays a role in reducing childhood obesity. At the Y, you don’t have to be an athlete or in love with exercise equipment to practice healthy living. In fact, when your family makes play a priority, you’ll probably find yourself having so much fun that you won’t even notice how active you are. Adding short periods of playful activity to your day helps provide you with the energy that you need to live a full and balanced life. It is also one of the keys to avoiding a variety of chronic conditions down the road, and what better way to spend time with your kids now?
Robin Schepper, executive director of Let's Move, imagines a nation where all children have an opportunity to play and be physically active. "What would we see? What would we hear? I know I would hear laughter. I know I would see smiles. I know that there would be real connections among kids. They would also be healthier and more likely to perform well in school."
We are nurturing the potential of children every day. And we're having fun!
Join us!
