There’s a Jeffco elementary school that’s found a way for kids to battle the summer blues before the summer blues even have a chance to start. Thomson Elementary hosted “Camp Tiger Claw” at the end of the school year, to provide answers to the dreaded question, “what should we do today?”
“If we’re bored, it’s like ‘Oh, I learned this at school,’” explained student Jorge Tellez Aguirre.
“The idea is to give students a fun way to end the year that also provides a break for team building opportunity for students,” added third-grade teacher Angela Finke. “The idea is really to give kids that might not be able to experience camp in a regular summer experience. “
“Our school is 70 percent free and reduced and that might not be an option for them. So, we want to give them a taste of that experience. “
That’s why there was a tent in one corner of the school gym, the launching point for all kinds of learning adventures. The two-day camp, inspired by similar efforts at Sheridan Green and Green Mountain elementary schools, offered a dozen class options for students in kindergarten through second-grade, like tissue paper sun catchers. And another dozen for third through fifth graders, like learning the limbo, or something close to it.
“We want to expose them to arts, crafts, games, technology challenges that they don’t get in a normal school year,” said Finke.
“So, I could gather up all of my friends, I could teach them how to do a song and different dances. I think that’d be kind of cool,” said student Ava Marshall.
The knowledge they pick up, like learning how to build Sphero carts, is hopefully carried over into the summer where they can do it on their own.
“Spheros require a lot of coding, so they could look into online opportunities over the summer,” explained Finke.
“It’s just a really fun time where students get to come together and cooperate. We’re both going to do breakout EDU tomorrow,” said Marshall.
That’s a game where students design clues to break out of an escape room.
“The engagement is super high. It is a lot of work. Thank goodness there are amazing teachers at Thomson, and they are willing to spend extra time after school and during their planning and lunch to help get this all together,” explained Finke.
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