A Camp A Day – Day 5: It’s Sew Fun!

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sewingIt’s Day Five of our 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 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 – 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!

Pinterest Gone Wild!

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Preschool Teacher Edna and Staff are crazy about crafts. Preschool projects have become even more creative and awesome since the introduction of Pinterest, the social online tool for collecting and organizing your items of interest. Staff perused the pages of Pinterest only to find this incredibly innovative use for plastic milk jugs! With the help of a local Peet’s Coffee, they were able to commandeer the 400 or so jugs needed to create this project, while alleviating the coffee shop of some major recycling.

Armed with milk jugs, hot glue guns and plenty of kidpower, our crew went to work on constructing the igloo. The staff handled the hot glue guns and the children helped to wash and deliver jugs, screw on tops and place jugs, all while learning a little bit about construction, physics and math.

Check out their awesome upcycled playhouse!

Click here for instructions to make one of your own.

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Tick Tock! Time is Running Out to Enter Our T-Shirt Contest!

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Do you like to draw? Do you LOVE Downtown Redwood City? Do you need $250?

The clock is ticking! Our Downtown Events T-Shirt Design Contest is well underway. You can proudly walk around town and tell that person with your design on their shirt, “Hey! I made that!”

We are looking for the artist who creates the image that best captures the excitement and fun of our downtown “on the Square” events, including ART on the Square, Movies on the Square and the wildly popular Music on the Square.

Images may be used on T-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, as well as on the web, and for Advertising/PR purposes by the City of Redwood City. The winner will receive $250, courtesy of the Redwood City Parks & Arts Foundation and be acknowledged via email, social media platforms, and by the City.

DEADLINE IS APRIL 22, 2013!  Click here for more info!

 

Physical Education Is Coming to Redwood City Schools!

Ten Redwood City elementary schools will soon offer physical education for students thanks to a local partnership grant. Redwood City and its Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department will be helping to provide physical education programs to the local youth, in partnership with Peninsula Community Center which has received a grant of more than $575,000 from the Sequoia Healthcare District’s Healthy Schools Initiative.

Through the grant, 10 Redwood City elementary schools will be able to provide physical education classes for students in kindergarten through fifth grades. As a result, more students will have access to fitness education. Physical education has been shown to significantly contribute to students’ well-being, and to their academic success. The majority of children in California are not physically fit, and in San Mateo County, only 25 percent of fifth graders passed the State Physical Fitness Assessment Test in 2010. Although the state mandates 50 minutes of PE per five-day school week, 4 Redwood City Schools have been challenged to meet this mandate due to more than $13 million in budget cuts in the last five years.

In response to this need, the Peninsula Community Center began providing coaches and PE classes to five schools in 2009. The need filled by PCC was well-received, and with proven success and increased demand from principals and schools, the program was expanded and currently serves seven schools.

This new strategic partnership between Redwood City and PCC will provide the PE+ program, a comprehensive, sequential K-5 curriculum, to approximately 5,000 children. With this cooperative services model, and the new support, the program will double the current capacity to meet 100 percent of the state’s PE requirement to Fair Oaks, Garfield, Hawes, Hoover, John Gill, Taft, Selby Lane, Henry Ford and Adelante elementary schools.

“We are so grateful to have the PE+ program and coaches at our site. They are positive role models for our youth,” said Roosevelt Elementary School Principal Patricia Girardi.

We are very excited to be a part of this new and important program!

It’s GO Skateboarding Day!

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It’s Go Skateboarding Day!

Every year on June 21, skateboarders around the world drop everything to embark on one of the most popular sports around, and  go skateboarding!

Redwood City loves skateboarding and loves our local riders. Here are some quick facts about our Skate Park:

  • Our skatepark was designed with the help of our local skateboarding community.
  • Phil Shao Memorial Skatepark was named after local pro-skating legend, Phil Shao. Phil was raised in Redwood City, a graduate of UC Berkeley and a mentor to many young skaters in the area.
  • Just before Phil’s untimely death, at the hands of a drunk driver, he was named as the next editor of  Thrasher Magazine.
  • Thrasher Magazine rated our skatepark an 8.5 out of 10 – not too shabby!
  • We offer Skateboarding lessons & camps!
  • Hours of operation: dawn to dusk; except when the sport lights are on, when the skate park closes at 10:00 pm (same hours as the entire park).

Skate Camps & Programs!

Coincidentally, we happen to have Skateboarding Camp running this week! We planned that…right?  Society Skate Shop has provided us with their awesome instruction for several years now, and this summer is no exception! Kids have been shredding, ollying, dropping-in and kick-flipping since Monday of this week!  Do you have a little X-Gamer in the making that would have enjoyed this camp? Have no fear! We have 3 more weeks of camp, with openings, that you can sign up for! Click here to get started!

Check out our slideshow above! Many of these kids had NO BOARDING EXPERIENCE and are already skating in the bowl! Plus, Society Skate Shop will give registered participants 10% off at the shop to get them hooked-up with safety gear!

So drop everything, grab your board (helmet & pads too) and hit the Skatepark today, in honor of “Go Skateboarding Day!

Music in the Parks = SUMMER’S HERE!

Before we had the Community Living Room – a.k.a Courthouse Square, we had our Parks. The Stafford Park Concert Series always signified the beginning of Summer to me and many of our supportive Mt. Carmel neighbors. What’s better than sitting outside and listening to music, a picnic dinner, meeting your neighbors, having a safe place for your kids to play, all while soaking up some of the best weather in the world? NOT MUCH! And yes, I said it…THE WORLD!

Music in the ParkThis fantastic community event, now known as Music in the Park, begins tonight (6/20) from 6:00-8:00pm at Stafford Park. We’ll open the series with Sinister Dexter, a “ten-piece soul machine that brings the unique sound of the great funk horn bands!” So bring your family, a picnic dinner – or cash for the Optimist Hot Dog & Hamburger Cart (proceeds support Music in the Schools!), a blanket or low lawn chair and whatever attitude you are wearing…because you will leave happy. Promise!

Sounds of the ShoresIn addition to Music in the Park, Sounds of the Shores – our Marlin Park series starts this coming Sunday, June 24th! Local rock band Stealing 3rd, will open our series and get the crowd going on our new day and time! Shows are now on Sundays from 5:00-7:00pm so you can bring the whole family to enjoy this wonderful event!  We’ve not only made the day and time more accessible, but we have your picnic dinner taken care of too. This year, we’ve added FOOD TRUCKS to our event. Capelo’s Hill Country Barbeque will be out there with BBQ sliders, sandwiches, hot dogs, ribs, vegetarian sides and more!! We are looking forward to an AWESOME Sunday in the Shores!

For more info about our bazillion events in Redwood City, the Peninsula’s Entertainment Capital, visit www.redwoodcityevents.com!

Happy Summer y’all!

Sandpiper Youth Club Has Heart

SYC Dancers

 
Kids are always excited about the SYC (Sandpiper Youth Club) end of the year talent show. They usually start asking to show staff their routines six months in advance! Unfortunately, one of our beloved girls, Jamie, got some unexpected news that she would be moving back to Indiana in less than a month! Jamie had performed in the talent show for the past two years and was really looking forward to this year’s production. You could only imagine the disappointment she felt to hear that she was moving away and the TALENT SHOW would not be in her future.

First, she asked staff if they could change the date of the show. Our Staff mulled over this option, but settled on another idea. Instead of moving the entire show, they decided to make it a little more special for Jamie and actually have a special performance for her and her friends! Jamie recruited a group of kids and asked Miguel – our resident breakdancer/amazing team member- if he could help choreograph a dance routine to the song Thriller, and of course, he agreed. For three weeks the girls practiced with Miguel and on Jamie’s last day at SYC, they performed their awesome routine!

 



 
P.S. It took Jamie about 45 minutes to finally leave…crying crying and more crying. Her mom was sobbing and of course, so was our SYC Coordinator. Jamie’s Mom told us were weren’t just an afterschool program, we’re a family 🙂

By the way, if you think this program sounds awesome, and you have children at Sandpiper Elementary School, registration begins TODAY for the Fall 2012 session! We also have a Kindergarten program called K-Play that will now be available 5 days a week!

Check out the program information here: http://www.redwoodcity.org/parks/kidstuff/SYC.html

Oh… and if you need more dancing, check out this fantastic video – straight from SYC, of course.

 

Tips for a Safe Halloween

 

If you grew up listening to your parents tell you that every apple would have a razor blade inside, some of these helpful tips will sound OBVIOUS to you. If you are more the type to take candy from a stranger (which we will all be doing on Halloween night), then read on! The Redwood City Police Department has put together this great list of safety tips too help all of us – adults & children alike- have a safe and candyriffic Halloween night!

ADULTS
  • Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and any exterior lights on.
  • Patrol your street occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious mischief and crimes against children.
  • Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police department immediately.   In San Jose call  9-1-1.
  • Do not give homemade or unwrapped treats to children.

MOTORISTS

Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle.  Be on the alert for excited youngsters, whose vision may be obscured by masks, darting out into traffic.

TRICK OR TREAT TIPS
Make sure your kids dress up safely
  • Make sure costumes are flame retardant so children aren’t in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns.
  • Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night.
  • Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable, and they can obstruct a child’s vision, a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.
  • Make sure kids wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes.
Make trick-or-treating trouble free
  • Create a map of a safe trick-or treating route and set a time limit for your children to “trick-or-treat”.
  • Trick-or-treaters should always be in groups so they aren’t a tempting target for real-life goblins. Parents should accompany young children.
  • Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends. Together, map out a safe route so you will know where they are going. Tell them to stop only at familiar homes where the outside lights are on.
  • Try to get your kids to trick-or-treat while it’s still light out. If it’s dark, make sure someone has a flashlight and pick well-lighted streets.
  • Do not go inside anyone’s home. Remain on the porch at all times.
  • Do not accept rides from strangers.
  • Remind kids to keep a safe distance from moving cars.
  • Cross only at street corners, never between parked cars, and never diagonally across an intersection.
  • Look in all directions before crossing the street, and obey all traffic signals. Walk, never run, across the street, and use sidewalks, not the street, for walking.
  • Do not take shortcuts through back yards, alleys or parks.
  • Do not eat any treats until parents have inspected them.
  • Discard any homemade or unwrapped treats.
Check all treats before eating
  • It’s hard for kids to hold back from eating their treats until they get home. One way to keep trick-or-treaters from digging in while they’re still out is to feed them a meal or a snack beforehand.
  • Check out all candy in a well-lighted place when your trick-or-treater gets home.
  • What to eat? Only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers. Don’t forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything suspicious. By all means remind kids not to eat everything at once or they’ll be feeling pretty ghoulish for while!
  • Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and kids alike–if everybody remembers the tricks and treats of playing it safe.
COSTUMES etc:
A note to parents:
  • Make sure your children’s costumes are not flammable.
  • Do not permit your children to wear cumbersome, floor length or vision-impairing costumes.
  • Reflectorized stripes make your costume more visible.
  • In lieu of masks, we recommend face make up.
  • Wear comfortable, safe shoes.
  • Call 9-1-1 if you suspect any tainted candy.

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