2012-2013 Summer Camp Session IV

for the Cats Class

Speckled Frogs
Welcome families!
This session are exploring the types of habitats that amphibians live in, foods they
eat and the phases of the frog life cycle. On an interesting note, here at the
Cabbagetown Campus, the Multi-age class is called the Frogs. Last year the class
decided that First year Frogs are called Froglets and second year Frogs are called
Frogs. Children in the Ladybugs class and the Cats class are the schools Tadpoles.
So the Frog Life Cycle is connected to the identity of the campus. We will visit the
Reptile House at the zoo on Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 2. We will watch
videos of amphibians in their natural habitats and interact with the images/video in
large scale so we can play with them. We are playing hopping and jumping games
like Leap Frog, Jump Frog Jump, and Froggie Says. We are playing with frog shadow
puppets and translucent frogs at the light table. In the water tables we are making
making frog ponds with pretend frogs, river stones, water lilies and lily pads we are
making out of paper.

We all know the song 5 Little Speckled Frogs...so here is a fun finger-play you can do
with your child and giggle together:
Croak, Said the Frog
Croak said the frog,
(Make croaking sound)
With his golden eyes.
(Fists up to eyes)
Sitting on a lily pad,
Catching flies.
(Grab air with hand)

I have a sticky tongue,

(With index finger make darting motion)
Its as FAST as can be.
I catch the mosquitoes, 1-2-3
A follow-up to Session Three: Presents for baby Pongo....
The education staff at the zoo told us they will send us pictures of Pongo and his
family playing with the boxes we painted and brought to them at zoo. That will be
exciting to see! During the last session while we were focused on Pongo the baby
orangutan, two panda babies were born!

We have a new friend in the Ladybugs class. Her name is Tillie! Her sister
Gracie will be a Cats classmate in the Fall too!
We are welcoming Tillie to our Ladybugs group and to the CT campus this session.
She joins us with her sister Gracie. Gracie will be a member of the Cats class in the
Fall. Their parents are Christina and Joe. Please introduce yourselves and help us
make Tillie and her family feel at home with us.
Our zoo trips are planned for the second week of the session and we will plan to go
specifically to visit the Reptile House, and then play at the splash pad to cool off
after lunch. We have plans to create little terrariums inspired by our visit to the
zoo. We would appreciate your help collecting jelly jars with lids to create these. The
Ladybugs and Cats classes are making them so the more jars the better!
Field Trips to the Zoo on Tuesday, July 30th and Wednesday, July 31st.
We have organized the field trips this session in two groups. The whole class
will meet at the zoo on Tuesday. On Wednesday half of the group will go to
the zoo and half of the group will be at the campus for the day. It is important

that you know which day your child is in the field trip group so you can
prepare for the day in the following ways:
Pack a picnic lunch that day with food that is easy to eat at the zoo picnic tables. We
cannot heat food there.
Send a water bottle. A great suggestion was to have ice in the water bottle/sippy
cup too.
Dress your child in light-weight, loose-fitting clothing (cotton is best).
Send a change of clothing in a labeled Ziploc bag for the field trip because we will
be playing in the splash pad and we will get WET!
Apply sunscreen
Sign and date the permission form. * Please remember that we are following the
lists on the pre-paid Early Arrival and Extended Day lists to determine how to
transport children. We may not be able to accommodate add-ons on the day of the
field trip. Please keep this in mind.
Drop off will be at the front entrance of the zoo, on the parking lot side. Children
need to be brought directly to the educator. We will have lunch at the zoo in a
designated area. Pick-up will happen at 1:00 pm at the front entrance (parking lot
side also). You will need to get your child from the educators directly. This way we
can ensure all children are accounted for at all times.
If your child will be staying in Extended Day please make sure you leave the car seat
with us and sign the permission form.

Some logistics to keep in mind:

Each child needs a water cup that is labeled.

Please come to school with sunscreen and

bug repellent on. It will be re-applied before children go outside

after resting during Extended Day. The playground has been treated for
mosquitoes and it will be treated every 21 days during the mosquito season.
If necessary, it will be treated more frequently.

The field trip forms MUST BE SIGNED in order for children to

attend.

Please make sure we have a full change of clothing including

shoes at school with each item labeled.

A word on Parent Helpers:

Although Parent Helper days are not required during summer camp, a sign-up
calendar will be posted for families to volunteer as a parent helper during the
summer. Please consider signing up for at least one day this summer. The
participation of parents enriches the quality of the work and your presence is
missed by children and educators during the summer!
Happy Summer,
Julia and Clara