Taking Advantage of the Weather

Good Afternoon friends,

Another day at OSC, the cold wintery days have decided to leave us and the warm spring weathers are beginning to make its appearance. Last week, the weather was clear and sunny. On Tuesday, Brianna had organized an exciting game of Capture the Flags in the beautiful weather that is showing itself once again. Unlike any of the traditional Capture the Flags game one may have played, this version allowed the kids to enable their creativity, thinking outside the box and problem solving skills. The children had to think outside the box to find a place to keep their noodle-shaped flags. The most creative spot was one that was placed at the top of the swing set.

How to play Capture the Flags(simplified):

1.    Choose playing field: field, playgrounds, gym

2.    List of Materials(can be improvised): flags, pinnies, cones, hula hoops

3.    Number of Players: recommended 15-20+

4.    Divide the players into two balanced co-ed teams

5.    Introduce the rules: the boundaries, flag zones/placements, how to successfully capture the flag, tagging opponents, what happens after being tagged

6.    Assigning teams a side of the playing field

7.    Let the games begin!

The children had an enjoyable afternoon roaming around in the outdoor environment. Not only did they enjoy themselves, their competitiveness created an intense atmosphere making the game rather interesting to watch.

During the game, one of the most nail-biting moment was when both teams were tied at a stalemate; with one flag left each to capture; the team by the far playground had Andrew, Alarii and Aidan on the offence and the team on the small playground by the swing set that had Emily, Macy and Anette on defence. Neither team had made a move, as each player on their team was waiting for the right moment to make that superb play to save the day. As time got closer to the end of the game; Andrew, who was sitting on the swing, made a bold dash for the last flag and within seconds, he had the flag in his hand and had set himself apart from the players on the other team. Glancing into the field, all that could be seen was this image with six or seven other children behind him. As he crossed that boundary on his teams’ side; the game had officially ended. What a game!

Capture the Flag, was an activity that encouraged the kids to stay active and fit in a world that is heavily dependant on modern day technology. There are many lessons that could be learned that afternoon however, the most important message to walk away with was that with the mentality of endless pursuit, one can accomplish anything in life.

Until Next Time,

Kevin W

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Our visit to Terra Nova

Greeting all,

I want to take a moment to share our adventure with you from last Wednesday. Once a month our Sr. OSC program offers an afternoon out-trip somewhere within our local community. This month's trip was to Terra Nova Adventure Playground. It was a pleasant afternoon full of exploration and fun, and despite a few clouds, it was a blast! 


"Climbing trees is fun... 'wooden' you think?"
"The water is that-a-way..."

"I gotta sneeze, I gotta sneeze..."

"HEY COME BACK.... IT'S MY TURN!!"


"Did you hear the joke about the kid having mood-swings?"













































If you're looking to join us on the next out-trip, look for our sign-up sheet located beside our sign-in binder.

*All out-trip sign-up sheets go out one week prior to the trip!

That's all for now,

Matt
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Creating Your Own Comics

Hey everyone,

Earlier this week, Keefer organized an activity to inspire creativity and artistic mind in the kids. Comics have been an entertaining pastime for myself and I'm sure for many of the kids. The idea of this activity was for the kids to create their own comics, their own superheroes that reflect their hidden interests or simply create something that they enjoy.


Keefer had his own collection of comics which he created when he was younger, which inspired kids to create their own. At the beginning, there were many puzzled faces as deciding on a character seemed quite tricky. I was asked multiple times, "What should I do?" and "Is this a good name?" and I just told them to leave it up to their imagination. It only took a few minute for their creativity to start flowing and the ideas started popping up. From Mayhem Girl to Captain Cool, their innovations were endless! Everyone has a different theme that was unique to their comic strip. Needless to say, I was quite impressed by the dynamics of the storyline and the visuals presented in the comics. It was enjoyable and rewarding to read their finished products.


You don't have to be the most articulate or artistic person to create your comic as it only takes a beginning idea and that's where your imagination takes off.

Until next time, 


Michael C

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A Day at the Library!

Hi, my name is Emilia, and today some friends and I visited the Richmond Brighouse Public Library. Come along with me and I'll show you around: 

The library was decorated for the holidays and we started our afternoon shaking hands with Frosty!
The library always has a bunch of cool technology for us to explore and play with:

Computers:
Ipads: 

3-D Printers:






Of course there are always loads of great books to choose from and the librarian is always a good resource to help find the perfect book!


Once you found the right book, you line up at the check out:


Using your library card, you scan the book and then you can take it home:


When it's time to return the book to the library, you put it in the 'return it' slot:


Overall, it was a splendid afternoon with lots to do and lots to see...


Oh, and you can't forget about the big fish! 



That's all for now folks!

Emilia, Mackenzie & Matt

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Carolyn's Corner


I can't believe our calendars now read December! The holiday season is fast approaching with winter break being only two weeks away.  I love this time of the year and can't wait for all the bonuses that come with December.  I even heard that snow may be in our future!

Last Friday at West Richmond we welcomed all of our families to our first Family Fun Night.  We had an amazing turn out.  I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by, for spending their Friday evening with us.  The candy houses and hot chocolate station were enjoyed by all and the slideshow, though a little late, was full of many smiling faces.

This week at Senior things started off a little messy, in a good way, with Corey's art on Monday afternoon.  He took on the challenge of making homemade bouncy balls with 15 excited children. Though the finished product went 'splat' instead of 'boing' everyone had a wonderful time. Sometimes it's worth just getting a little messy!

Tuesday I kept the messy theme going by introducing bubble art.  My participants were given a cup with soap, paint, water and most importantly a straw, and were told to blow bubbles!!! Soon the art table was covered in bubbles, water, color and smiling children.  Once they had an over flow of bubbles I showed them how to press a piece of paper into the bubbles to make home-made marble patterns.  The paper turned out great and after our large clean up we turned out art into home-made cards and envelopes.  All in all our mess turned out great!

Wednesday turned into 'Spooky Wednesday' when Keefer gathered a group together to play Werewolf.

Thursday Brianna continued the DIY theme and showed a group of children the bonus uses of potatoes in her DIY wrapping paper craft.  I'm sure everyone will be wrapping some very special presents throughout this holiday season.  Friday's Yarn Letter Art will surely be a great hit!

Next week, on Monday, Dec 5, there is an All Schools Pro D Day.  Matt and Keefer have planned an animal themed In Day at Senior.  Please arrive by 10am if you have signed up.

December has only just begun but I can tell it is going to be an amazing month! Stay tuned to hear more about our adventures at Sr OSC,

Until next time,

Carolyn


























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