LYND - From designing their own torches and replicating the five official rings to competing in various games and activities, 130 children from Lynd, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Hendricks schools had the opportunity to participate in a two-week pre-Olympic celebration while attending the 2012 Culture Camp in Lynd.
The salute to the Olympics theme was chosen this year in honor of the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games scheduled for July 27-Aug.12 in London, England.
"We made torches and we got to walk around (outside) the whole school with them," 5-year-old Payton Swanson said.
Article Photos
Photo by Jenny Kirk
Anthony Lovre, left, and Logan Roelofs, right, work independently, creating Olympic rings with colored tissue paper, while instructor Kari Kidman assists Logan Kidman with an intertwining ring color question earlier this week at the 2012 Culture Camp at the Lynd School.
On Wednesday, Swanson, Victoria Chavez, Shae Emma O'Leary, Julia Johnson and Gabi Borresen sat together at a craft table, creating Olympic rings using glue and small scraps of tissue paper.
"You have to make (the tissue paper) into a ball first," Swanson said.
After dipping a paintbrush into the liquid glue, students then attached the appropriate-colored tissue paper to their individual creations.
"It's easy," Borresen said.
In addition to having fun, the students were also challenged by having to follow directions, especially when it came to selecting the correct color when the rings overlapped.
At one point during the creative session, the kindergarten- and first-grade students began chanting, "U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A." over and over.
While it was obvious that the kids were having a blast, camp instructors Emily Roberts and Kari Kidman also appeared to be having fun.
"It's fun for us, too, getting to do so many hands-on things," Kidman said. "It's fun to have a theme and see the kids so excited."
The duo, both teachers at RTR during the school year, have enjoyed working with different ages of students at the Culture Camp. Roberts is a kindergarten teacher, while Kidman teaches first grade.
"I really enjoy getting to work with former students," Kidman said.
In another Lynd classroom, instructors Caryn Douglas and Roshawn Sook rotated students around four centers.
"We do games, books, actual world games, whether it's magnets, cards, iPads or iPods," Douglas said. "We do a lot in here. Then, we always do a food. (Wednesday), is apples with peanut butter, to make Olympic rings. This is just a fun camp."
After coloring small, round wood pieces for a catapult contest, Riley Munchow, Carter Buchert, Annie Nichols, Andrea Escher, Emma Althoff, Logan Rose and Richard Jacobson moved over to the food station. Using a manual apple-peeling device attached to the table, Escher was the first to give it a try. She quickly got the hang of it and divvied out large apple rings to everyone at the table.
When asked how it was, Jacobson gave a thumbs up.
"It's good," he said.
Every day before starting the centers, Douglas said that the students tried a Minute to Win It challenge. On Wednesday, Lynd Principal Jason Swenson was elected to demonstrate.
"You start with an Oreo cookie on your forehead," Swenson said. "Then, using facial expressions, you try to get it from your forehead to your mouth."
Though Swenson gave a valiant effort, worthy of countless laughs, he couldn't repeat the previous success he had the last time he made an attempt. Only two students in the classroom - Chris Muecke and Austin Hess - were able to meet the challenge successfully.
"I was easy," said Muecke, who will be a sixth-grader at RTR this fall. "I purposely tried to make it go to my eye. The hardest part was when there was only a few seconds left."
Most kids gave it a good try, but some gave up a little early and just ate their Oreo cookie, especially ones that broke in the process.
The majority of the funding for the camp came from an integration grant, which allowed students a well-rounded experience. Along with various physical activities, Swenson said, students also made medals and learned the history of the Olympic Games.
"Every day, it's something different," Swenson said. "The kids even made crowns like the first Olympic Games in Greece."