arts & crafts
We combined some of the crafts with other socializing and educational games.
Making a “Nettie” Doll: Using African fabric and yarn, each girl makes a doll that she gets to take home at the end of the day. We told the girls to hug their Nettie Dolls when they felt sad, to remember that we love them and that we would come back to see them soon!
Name Plates: Each child writes his or her name on paper and decorates it with glitter and other fun items donated by friends Hope Shines. Then, the nameplates are passed to another camper, who says something nice or admirable about their fellow camper. Everyone is able to hear a nice thought about themselves, building the self-esteem of the entire group. Sometimes, we add something special to these nameplates: personal photographs! We took a picture of each girl and boy–using Polaroid film, another generous in-kind donation–and glued them to their papers. The kids could not get enough of watching their images appear before their eyes!
Treasure Tins: With glitter, sequins, feathers, and paper, the girls decorated donated Altoid tins to create lovely boxes–not only for their special keepsakes, but their happy memories of Hope Shines camp.
