Tag: fun

May the 4th still be with you…

photo from http://www.retroland.com/star-wars-toys/

I think I can speak for most children of the 70’s and 80’s when I say that Star Wars was a big part of our lives.  We had to wait for what felt like FOREVER for a sequel and an eternity for the trilogy, only to be confused over a decade later that we would now refer to these films as episodes IV, V and VI. While showing the original Star Wars for the first time to my kids, after not seeing it for decades, for a fleeting moment I thought, “Will this movie hold up?” It was starting to look a little more like something you would see on MST 3000 (Mystery Science Theater 3000). Thankfully, I can attest that it did indeed hold up, and I was reminded of how groundbreaking  Lucasfilm’s special effects were at that time.

There is clearly something special about this franchise because here we are 40 years from the original release date, and kids are still crazy over Star Wars. We got to re-experience the excitement of a new Star Wars release in 2015 with The Force Awakens, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit to shedding many tears, both of joy and sadness, as I watched this carefully crafted tribute film with my own kids.

Since the force awoke, we’ve seen Rogue One and can also look forward to The Last Jedi, aka Episode VIII, this December. The force is still very much alive and strong, and I haven’t even mentioned the numerous LEGO Star Wars series and shows that frequently grace our Netflix queue.

We want to help you keep your child’s Star Wars mojo in full force. So help you, we will. Here is a list of fun summer camps where your child can geek-out on Star Wars all week long!

***Don’t forget, you can link these half day camps up with something else of their liking by utilizing Bridge Care. More here.***

maythe4thJedi Engineering using LEGO®
June 26-30, 2017
Red Morton Community Center
Taught by the building experts at Play-well Teknologies
This is really the perfect storm. LEGO® and Star Wars, together in one place! If you were 7 years old, you might be shaking with excitement at the thought! The FORCE is definitely strong in both of these activities, and whether you are a young Padawan or a Jedi Master, we have a camp to fit your child’s engineering needs. Click the links below for more info and to register.

Jedi Engineering Using LEGO®
Age 5-6 years
9:00am – 12:00pm

Jedi Master Engineering Using LEGO®
Age 7-12 years
1:00 – 4:00pm

SummerProgramsStar Wars Stop Motion Flix
July 31 – August 4, 2017
1:00-4:00pm (full day option here)
Taught by Incrediflix
You mean, kids get to make their OWN Star Wars movie? From a galaxy far far away and to a location near you! Kids are crazy about making videos and now they can bring Star Wars characters to life using stop-motion animation. Students will get to create characters and sets for a Star Wars movie that they storyboard, write, shoot, and voice-over in age-appropriate groups.

May the 4th be with all of you! And note, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, Cartoonists Day, National Chocolate Custard Day, National Hoagie Day, and International Space Day among may others.

In good fun,

Jordana Freeman
Community Services Manager, Star Wars Geek, and Mom of 2 boys

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May the Fourth be with You All Summer

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Star Wars is not going away any time soon. Thankful, yes, we are. Our department embraces all people, wookies, parks, planets, droids, etc. We are also blindingly aware that many of your children are Star Wars obsessed (and okay, as are many of us parents). Today may be a relatively newly created holiday akin to National Grilled Cheese Day and Clean Up Your Room Day (May 10th, parents, it’s real), but we wanted to you to know that we celebrate Star Wars all year long and summer is no exception! Here is a short list of a few summer camps that can keep your child’s summer Star Wars mojo in full force.

maythe4thJedi Engineering with LEGO®
July 11-15th
Red Morton Community Center
Taught by the building experts at Play-well Teknologies
This is really the perfect storm. LEGO® and Star Wars, together in one place! If you were 7 years old, you might be shaking with excitement at the thought! The FORCE is definitely strong in both of these activities, and whether you are a young Padawan or a Jedi Master, we have a camp to fit your child’s engineering needs. Click the links below for more info and to register.

Jedi Engineering Using LEGO®
Age 5-6 years
9:00am – 12:00pm

Jedi Master Engineering Using LEGO®
Age 7-12 years
1:00 – 4:00pm

(We have bridge care & after care too if you need a longer day of childcare.)

Star Wars Lightsaber Camp!
July 5-8, July 25-29, and August 8-12
9:00am-3:00pm
Taught by Jedi Trainers at Peninsula Fencing Academy
Yes! Kids will get to hone their lightsaber skills in a controlled environment that does NOT entail whacking your antique vase off of your living room end table. This camp is full of *safe* battles, obstacle courses, and more! Jedi training utilizes balance, speed, athleticism, and vision. This camp guarantees to harness the force and provide an epic summer experience for trainees ages 6-12 years of age.

Click the video below to see it in action!

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Enjoy the 4th, everyone! And note, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, National Hoagie Day and National Oyster Day. Personally, I am looking forward to May 10th.

A Camp A Day – Day 11: Math is Everywhere!

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It’s Day Eleven of our A Camp-A-Day Series. We have TWO camps that incorporate math concepts, but they are very different. Why? Because, Math is EVERYWHERE! Now many of our camps naturally have math concepts, like our science and engineering camps, but today we’ll highlight the ones that state it in the title. It’s Saturday, so we’ll stick with the obvious.

First, our very popular instructor extraordinaire, Dr. Peter Kohler, will be running a unique camp entitled, Nature’s Art & Math. Peter has been teaching art for many years and has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. He teaches Math enrichment at The Nueva School where he has encouraged student’s creativity for more than 20 years. He’ll explain that Fibonacci Numbers in Nature is some of the most visually magical math you can discover. Kids will explore flowers, pine cones, sand dollars, the nautilus and other shells, and galaxies for their fascinating math. With a great variety of math and art materials: oil pastels, paints, clay, paper folding, colored tiles and cubes, to build and be creative in math. Be inventive with 2-D and 3-D visual patterns, blending Numbers and Shapes. Peter has inspired and brought out a love for math and art in many children by sharing its beauty, its magic and mystery.

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Math-Mania is another new camp that is taught by After-School Enrichment Instructor and Math Enthusiast, Holly Lindquist! Holly loves math and so do her kids! This inspired her to bring their love of math to YOUR KIDS! Holly will expose children to some very cool areas of math that may not have been covered in their classrooms. They’ll learn about Fibonacci numbers, Pascal’s triangle, fractals, secret codes, and much more! She’ll also explore fun activities and craft projects to deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts. You can visit Holly’s website for more info and math activities you can try at home!

Details…

Nature’s Art & Math
Age 5-10
with Dr. Peter Kohler
August 4 – August 8
Monday – Friday
9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Red Morton Community Center

Math-Mania
Age 9-11
with Holly Lindquist
July 21 – July 25 @ Red Morton Center
August 18 – August 22 @ Sandpiper Community Center
Monday – Friday
9:00am-1:00pm

Click here for the entire Summer Activity Guide!

A Camp A Day – Day 9: Cricket!

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It’s Day Nine of our A Camp-A-Day Series, and this year, we are introducing kids to Cricket! What is Cricket? It’s ball-and-bat game played chiefly in Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries that is growing in popularity here in the United States. This ball and bat game is played between two teams of 11 players each on a field. At the center is a rectangular 22-yard long “pitch” (the central strip of field between the wickets). Each team takes its turn to bat in an attempt to score runs, similarly to baseball, while the other team fields. And just like baseball, the game is played with innings.

cricketThe camp is run by the National Academy of Athletics – who are also offering a wide variety of camps with us this year: Multi-sport, Basketball, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Speed and Vertical Power and Volleyball! In their innovative take on Cricket, kids will learn all facets of the game, and they’ll receive batting coaching, bowling coaching and fielding sessions. The camp is designed to introduce and/or improve cricket skills and of course, have a lot fun learning this exciting sport!

Details…

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Cricket
with National Academy of Athletics
9:00am-12:00pm
June 30-July 3 (no 7/4) on Sandpiper Field
July 14-18 on McGarvey Field  (this session qualifies for 12-1pm bridge care!)
July 28- August 1 at Sandpiper Field
Fee: $179 / $159 Resident Discount (week of 7/4 $152/$132 Resident)

Check out this camp and a TON more in our Summer 2014 Activity Guide!

A Camp A Day – Day 6: Putting out Fires…

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It’s Day Six of our A Camp-A-Day Series, let’s talk about the Junior Fire Academy!

This is one of those camps that I WISH I could have attended as a child! This is a great opportunity to engage your 11-15 year old boy or girl, for a week with a program designed and run by our very own Redwood City Fire Department Staff!

Description below…

Ever dream of being firefighter? Well stop dreaming and start doing at the Junior Fire Academy! Participants develop life long skills not only learning about emergency preparedness, but also how to work together to accomplish tasks. Taught by professional firefighters, participants learn skills including: First Aid, CPR, exit drills, fire extinguisher use, disaster preparedness, and home safety. In addition to the practical skills they can use everyday, participants learn what its like to be a firefighter by extinguishing fire with fire hoses, proper lifting techniques for moving ladders and hose, hose management, and they even get to climb the 100 foot tall ladder! All activities are optional, but positive, encouraging attitudes are not. This is a great opportunity to explore a day in the life of a firefighter!

Bring a bag lunch Monday-Thursday. On Friday at noon, family and friends are encouraged to attend the potluck lunch just before the Skills Presentation and Graduation Ceremony.

New Campers and Returning Campers Welcome!

July 28 though July 31
M-Th 10am-4p
F 10am-2pm
Location: Monday – Tuesday: PAL Building 3399 Bay Road, Redwood City
Wednesday – Friday: Fire Station 9, 755 Marshall St., Redwood City (long pants and closed toed shoes required)
$226 / $206 Resident Discount

A Camp A Day – Day 5: It’s Sew Fun!

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sewingIt’s Day Five of our A Camp-A-Day Series, and we think this one is sew fun.

We are excited this year to be partnering with Ralph’s Vacuum & Sewing Center in our own Downtown Redwood City! Kids will learn how to sew on REAL machines and they’ll complete plenty of cool projects. Topics include: sewing machine basics, tools and terminology, stitches (topstitch, edge stitch and basting), appliqué and adorning techniques). Besides  learning basic sewing skills, they’ll make fun, cute projects each week, like a drawstring bag, a pillow case with French seams, an appliqued pillow, a stuffed animal and a stylish zipper clutch! Plus, there are sew many weeks to choose from! SEW FUN!!!

Here are the details!

SEWING CAMP
Age 8-16
with Teresa Garcia, of Ralph’s Vacuum & Sewing Center
Monday – Friday
10am-1pm
Location: Ralph’s Vacuum & Sewing Center, 837 Main St. RWC
Fee: $249
6/9-6/13
6/16-6/20
6/30-7/3 no 7/4
7/7-7/11
7/14-7/18
7/21-7/25
7/28-8/1
8/4-8/8
8/11-8/15
8/18-8/22
8/25-8/29 $249

 

A Camp A Day – Day Four: Join the Circus!

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It’s Day Four of our A Camp-A-Day Series, and today we want you to join the circus!

Seriously. Can you think of anything more fun for kids (and maybe for some of us adults), than CIRCUS CAMP? I watched last year as kids had a blast learning some serious tricks of the trade that included: acrobatics, clown antics, stilts, silks, unicycle, rolla bolla, and EVEN the flying trapeze! Kids will get a chance to perform for friends and family at the end of the week!

888 Monkeys offers this thoughtful, fun, energetic, challenging and showstopping Circus Camp in Redwood City, only one week over the Summer! Also, did you know that a couple of the teachers even performed in the Zoppe Italian Family Circus that has toured through Redwood City over the past several years? Here is the camp information below…

CIRCUS CAMP!
Age 5-8, Half Day and Age 8-14, Full Day
with 888 Monkeys
June 23-27, 2014
Half Day: 9:00am-12:00pm, $189/$169 Resident Discount
Full Day: 9:00am-3:00pm, $309/$289 Resident Discount
at Red Morton Community Center

Click image to see Silk in Action!
silk

A Camp A Day – Day Three: Kids Camp Preview Nights!

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It’s Day Three of our A Camp-A-Day Series and today we want to highlight our three “Kids Night Out” events in May!

Parents! Take a break on a Friday evening while your kids experience a preview of some of our long-standing and well-loved summer recreation camps! It’s a great way to for your child to “test-drive” our programs before summer (and plus, you get a few hours to yourself for whatever you need to do!) It’s a Win-Win!

smoreSTULSAFT -S’MORES & MORE!
Ages 5-12
Friday, May 2, 2014
6:00-8:30pm
At Stulsaft Park (drop off and pick up is on Recreation Way)
$20- Click to Register
This is a one night opportunity for kids to participate in a sneak peek of our summer Day Camps we offer at Stulsaft Park. We will have a campfire and roast s’mores, sing some of our favorite camp songs, go on a nature hike and make a cool camp craft.

Polliwog BubblesHIGH FIVE-SILLY SCIENCE
Ages 4-6
Friday, May 16, 2014
5:00-7:30pm
at Red Morton Community Center
$20- Click to Register
This is a one night opportunity for kids to participate in a sneak peek of our High-Five Camp we offer during the summer. This night the kids will participate in silly science fun. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Parents go out for a night while we have a BLAST entertaining your young scientists!

CAMP WHATCHAMACALLIT NIGHT OUT!
K-5th Grade
Friday, May 30, 2014
6:00-9:00pm
At Sandpiper Community Center
$20- Click to Register
Summer is almost here, so let’s start the fun early with a sneak peek of what we have in store for you at Camp Whatchamacallit! Join us for an evening of all things camp! We’ll compete in fun challenges, create awesome crafts, get our glow sticks out for some outdoor fun, and end the night with some scrumptious s’mores! Dinner and drinks included.

The best part is, you can register for these right now!

See you tomorrow!

A Camp A Day – The Countdown Starts TODAY!

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Summer. Is. Coming.

Our staff has been working non-stop to get parents our summer 2014 schedule. We are so very close to releasing it, but in the meantime, we thought we would highlight one of our MANY camps each day until registration begins on March 12!

Today, we thought we would start with a few basic housekeeping items.

      1. rwc_front_cover150xWe will post the Activity Guide online for you to see prior to it actually being mailed. THE FIRST RULE ABOUT THE ONLINE ACTIVITY GUIDE IS, YOU MAY NOT SEND IN A REGISTRATION FORM PRIOR TO IT HITTING THE POST OFFICE.
      2. Did you know we have a Camp Website? We are not up and running yet, but the URL is so easy to remember… ready? It’s RedwoodCityCamps.org. Seriously, don’t go there yet. It’s not up. You will be disappointed.
      3. 10 PERCENTWe have a special early sign-up incentive coming your way this season!  We are rewarding our early registrants with a 10% discount on some of your children’s favorite recreation camps, including: Polliwog, Mountaineers, Explorers, Kaboom, Whatchamacallit, Summer Adventures and High-5! You will automatically receive this deduction when you register in person, by mail or by fax, as well as online by entering the code “SUMMER10” after you place each week of these camps into your shopping cart! We chose an early bird deadline of April 15th. We thought for a variety of reasons, it should be easy to remember. *wink*
      4. BRIDGE CAREWe will be offering something NEW this year, called “Bridge Care.” Bridge Care is a program that helps to link-up morning and afternoon sessions of select camps in order to create a full day opportunity for kids that want to try a couple of different camps each week. Want to take a Sports camp in the morning and a Tech camp in the afternoon? Maybe your child would like to do a Science Camp first and then take a Lego Camp later. Whatever the combination, we have options. Our staff will pick your child up from their morning camp and then walk them to the Community Activities Building for lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm. After lunch, we will escort them to their afternoon camp. We have specifically flagged a handful of camps that are in a reasonable walking distance to our lunchtime destination. We apologize that we could not accommodate all of our camps this year for this pilot program.

That’s it! Please come back and visit our blog daily, or better yet, subscribe! You can also catch us on Facebook and Twitter. We will be leaking a new tidbit every day. I am hoping to get you the coveted “Camp Calendar” tomorrow… stay tuned!

Meet Mr. “Cesar” Salad

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When we needed a new Director for Camp Whatchamacallit, the choice was clear. Camp Whatchamacallit is our Full Day Camp in Redwood Shores that it is chock-full of activities, field trips, swimming, sports, crafts and plenty of fun! The Commander-in-Chief of this Shores Crew needed to be someone who had a ton of experience, could manage kids of all ages, motivate staff, and well…just keep up with the get-up-and-go that a Full Day Camp requires. This particular Camp Director gives 100% all day long and maintains an amazingly consistent equilibrium of enthusiasm from 8:30am-5pm. ALL. SUMMER. LONG. Meet Cesar Zuniga!

Meet Cesar Zuniga! Q & A

cesarCamp Nick Name: Caesar Salad
Director of Camp Whatchamacallit at Sandpiper Community Center

  1. How long have you been working for the City? Current Job?
    Wow, it’s been almost 14  great years now. I started in high school as a program leader and they’ve been stuck with me ever since. I am currently the After School Program Coordinator at John Gill Elementary School
  2. How many years have you worked Camp Whatchamacalit?
    I have been fortunate enough to have been part of many camps and they have all been great. This is my 4th year with Camp Whatchamcallit.
  3. What do you love best about working at Camp Whatchamacallit?
    That’s simple, it’s the kids! There is wonderful community that surrounds and participates in our camp and it shows with every fun summer that I am there.
  4. Your favorite Camp Memory from Camp Whatchamacallit?
    Unfortunately, I was never able to participate in Redwood City camps as a child, so it’s like being a  kid and doing it for the first time. There are so many great memories… how to pick… A couple of years ago a child was very nervous to go on their first “big” ride at Great America.  After a few minutes of getting pumped up, he went on it. Tears and screams!!!! Made for GREAT in-the-air action pictures. He’s 14 or 15 years old now and still comes back every Summer to see us and reminisce about that “life changing” experience.

    I also still have a stuffed otter a camper gave me one summer after I said it was my favorite animal. His name is “Odie.”
  5. Camp Nick Name
    “Caesar Salad” is not the most imaginative name, but it started 10 years ago at Day Camp and has kept on going and going and going…
  6. Favorite Camp Song
    “Wrist a Shaw” by far!!!! But I am also really into, “I’m a Musician”  lately. HA!
  7.  Fun Fact
    I’m 6’1 HA! Just kidding.  I’m proud to say I’m good at old Disney cartoon movie trivia and Disney music trivia!
  8. College degree: San Diego State (beach in December!!!) majored in Sociology.
  9. Extra Credit: Did you grow up in Redwood City?
    Born, raised and proud! Roosevelt Raccoon, Kennedy Cougar and Sequoia Cherokee.

For more information about our Summer Camps in Redwood City, Visit us at RedwoodCityCamps.org!  There is still space!