On Tuesday the 3rd we visited the relatively new Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Our campers enjoyed a full day of everything from looking at sting rays, small sharks, and sea urchins to petting a cheetah hide, watching penguins at feeding time, and spotting butterflies fluttering around a model rain forest. The looks of incredulity on some of the children’s faces were wonderful.
The very next day we took a trip to the San Francisco Zoo and took advantage of the free day on the first Wednesday of every month. We did everything from watching bears search for food in their massive enclosure to riding a tiny train around the grounds. Everyone giggled as the train let off bubbles on our second round! Everyone from campers to counselors to adult chaperones had a blast.
The following week we stayed at Bayview Mission. Monday the 9th the campers helped with the food pantry by handing out the backpacks we had made the previous Monday. Each child gets the chance to keep their own school supplies for the coming year.
The rest of the week was spent engaging in a variety of activities. We had plenty of arts and crafts projects, including mosaics (Christina made a lovely one with the words “Bayview Mission”), coloring books, painting small pottery, and of course the kids’ all-time favorite, tiny beads, which can be ironed so that they meld into various shapes. We had farm animals visit again this year (everything from horses to chickens and bunnies), and while the campers still enjoyed them, we’re thinking we won’t have them back next year, as field trips really seem to be the most engaging new activity for our growing campers. All in all it was another great year for Bee Busy at Bayview Mission!
Victoria Holt
Seattle University
Junior Year Student/Bishop’s Committee Member
Written October 5, 2010
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