Summer Camp - 2007

June 17 – Arrival Day
The Fine Arts Appreciation campers' evening activities on Sunday began after registration with an informal cook out on the lawn at ISVI. The campers then met briefly in the dormitory to discuss camp rules, meet staff, share information about themselves and outline the week’s activities. They then had an opportunity to unpack and get their belongings put away for the week.

At 8:00 that evening, a "mixer" dance was held for campers in the lower level of the Unit 2 dormitory where campers from the older three camps resided during the week. The dance provided an opportunity for campers to meet each other and have a chance to get to know one another from the Fine Arts Camp, Technology Camp and Living Independently Camp. The D.J. for the dance was one of ISVI's educators.

Meals & Breaks
Breakfast each day was from 7:15 until 8:00 served in ISVI's Dining Hall. Educators met the campers at breakfast each morning to escorted campers to the classroom areas for the daily sessions that ran Monday through Thursday from 8:00 until 3:30. A mid-morning and afternoon break was provided in ISVI's Snack Bar where healthy snacks were provided. Each day campers were escorted to the Dining Hall for each meal with lunch being served between 11:15 and 1:15. Dinner each evening was scheduled from 5:00 until 6:00.

ISVI Educational Staff–Fine Arts Appreciation Camp
The ISVI educators who worked with your child in Fine Arts Appreciation Camp during the Day Sessions were: Anna Bergschneider, Denise Kerhlikar, Sandy Lyons and Jana Zulauf. The educators who directed the evening activities for the campers from Fine Arts, Technology and Living Independently Camps were Martha Hauck, Megan McGuire, Stephanie Provence and Pat Wright.

Daily Sessions
This year we decided to focus on the abundance of reality shows available to us. We combined "American Idol", "America's Got Talent" and "So You Think You Can Dance" and came up with "ISVI's Got Talent"! During the Music Daily Sessions, the campers gathered in groups of five and decided which of their talents they wanted to present. They then refined their "acts" and practiced them on the stage. The campers demonstrated a wide range of talents--singing, dancing, gymnastics and art.

Five of the campers collaborated in a challenging Braille skit. Each participant made several large posters of Braille characters that when put together formed words that the audience in the closing program had to decode.

Each day after lunch, the campers gathered all together for a choral experience. They learned two musical pieces that they would sing at the beginning of the of the closing program on Saturday morning.

In the art sector of our Fine Arts Camp, a Braille theme was incorporated into their art projects. On Monday and Tuesday campers created beaded jewelry and made their own personalized leather bracelets. They punched either Braille dots or printed letters of their names on the leather and decorated them with butterflies, flowers and various other designs. On Wednesday and Thursday campers prepared for their portion of the closing program. Some campers painted the stage flats with our title, "ISVI's Got Talent" along with the words "Drama, Music, Dance and Art" in Braille dots. Specific artists painted separate paintings on the stage flats to be displayed as their individual talents.

In the area of drama, campers learned to read a script and practiced various parts. They learned about the use and importance of props and how to interpret stage directions. Campers were given a chance to do a 'cold' reading of the script for "Loonies and Snatchers." Later each camper chose a part and added interpretations of the characters and actions. One group decided to add to the ending of the original script by performing an improvisational act. A second script the "Ransom of Red Chief" was also used. Many of the campers enjoyed the mischievous character, Dolly.

The Saturday performance consisted of campers presenting their acts on stage in front of the backdrop they had painted earlier in the week. Two campers also showed their skills as narrators. The group performed together as a chorus displaying their ability to work as a cohesive team.

Evening Recreational Activities
Each evening, dinner was served in the Dining Hall from 5:00 until 6:00. The evening recreation activities began at 6:00 and ended at 8:30. From 8:30 until 9:30 campers from the older three camps were taken to ISVI's Snack Bar where they could play air hockey, pool, various arcade games, purchase soft drinks, snacks and socialize with one another. At 9:30 campers were escorted to the dormitory to begin showers and preparations for bed with all campers having to be in their rooms by 10:15 and lights out by 10:30 each night.

The campers from the older three camps–Fine Arts, Technology and Living Independently were divided up into four groups. Each night of the week–Monday through Thursday, campers rotated each night between four different recreational activities; bowling, games, a campus-wide scavenger hunt and swimming in ISVI's swimming pool.

Bowling
Each evening after dinner, a group of campers and Illinois School of the Visually Impaired (ISVI) summer camp staff loaded into vans or a bus for the trip to the Bowling Inn in Jacksonville, Illinois or the Winchester Bowl in Winchester, Illinois. The ride there was filled with talking, joking, and music. Campers renewed old friendships and made new ones. Upon arrival, the campers requested their bowling shoes and selected their ball.

Each camper's names/initials were entered into the electronic score board, and the games began! Gutter guards and ball ramps were used to assist most of the campers. Campers were eager to help each other with the equipment and gave bowling tips. Each time a camper threw a bowling ball down the lane, other campers would listen with anticipated excitement. When the pins were struck, the cheers of support went out, campers jumped up and down and gave each other "high fives!"

There was lots of cheering because there was numerous strikes and spares! Campers demonstrated great sportsmanship! All of the campers had a great time and received a certificate that included their final bowling scores.

Games
As each group of campers progress through the recreational activities, one evening, they were escorted to the Snack Bar where they had the opportunity to play several different games. Campers played a couple games of Left-Right each night and many games of BINGO for prizes. The campers suggested many variations of how to win at BINGO, and several campers had a chance to do the number calling.

Scavenger Hunt
Each evening's activity group that were scheduled for the Scavenger Hunt were divided into small groups of two to four campers each. Using the entire campus, campers looked for and found riddles as clues that were provided in either enlarged print or Braille that would direct them to the next clue. Some of the stops that the campers found clues to were the pool, gym, athletic track, swings, unit 2-dormitory, dining hall, auditorium, main building, library, orientation & mobility garden, Transitional Living Center, playground area, and unit 18-dormitory.

The campers worked hard to figure out each riddle, and traveled together to their next stop. The various groups of campers travel around the campus while being supervised by the educator in charge of the activity and her assistants. This helped many of the campers learn a great deal about traveling around the ISVI campus, practiced some great mobility skills, and applied some skills in small-group interaction and cooperation through their willingness and need to work together. On Monday the scavenger hunt was rained out so instead, campers made a scrapbook photo album.

Swimming
Campers were escorted to the ISVI pool by the educator and her support staff. The first few minutes was spent going over several safety rules with the campers so that everyone would practice safe water practices. The campers were then divided into two groups and played a number of different games such as Ice Melt, Pass the Football, Noodle Races and Diving for Diving Sticks & Treasures. The games allowed the lifeguard to evaluate campers' swimming skills and abilities. When the games ended, campers were allowed time for free swimming. All campers enjoyed the opportunity to be in the pool for swimming activities with the free-swimming time being their favorite!

Dormitory & Dinner
Campers from the older three camps resided in Unit 2 that is divided into four pods and a common or "core" area in the middle. The girls lived in the Blue and the Green Pods while the boys lived in the Khaki pod. Besides individual bedroom areas, in each pod there is a living room and kitchen area where televisions, couches, chairs, stove, microwave, sink, etc. are available. Campers either had a single roommate or a room to themselves. Healthy snack foods were always available and provided in each pod if campers wanted to have a snack.

Each of the three daily meals was served in the Dining Hall located in the center of the campus. For each meal, campers went through the food line cafeteria style with assistance being provided to anyone who needed help. Campers were also provided assisted in locating a table so each could sit where and with whom they would like. Meals were planned and organized by ISVI's dietary manager.

All staff involved in the Fine Arts Appreciation Camp thank you for allowing your child to spend the week with us here at ISVI's Summer Camp! All campers had a great time making new friends, learning new skills, and experiencing summer camp. We are hopeful your child will choose to join us again next summer! We wish you and your child a pleasant remainder of the summer months.

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