Camp Fire USA at Irving School

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Club Meetings

During the 2004-2005 school year, the Starflight club met on the first and third Thursdays of each month.  Meetings ran from 6:45-7:45 p.m. at Irving School in the Mini-Gym.  Parents were encouraged stay for meetings, but they could also drop off their children and then pick them up promptly at 7:45 p.m.  Parents who stayed were usually recruited to help with the meeting.

Most meetings included:

Here's some information about our meetings during the 2004-2005 school year:

Our first club meeting of the year was on Thursday, October 7.  New members began learning about Camp Fire with the Starflight project.  Everyone began learning more about our natural environment through the Nature Awareness project.  We learned about what insects and other "bugs" do in the fall to prepare for winter, played some bug games, and met lots of live and preserved insects, including bugs that live in soil and water.  We also went a flashlight hike to Irving School's prairie garden.

Our next meeting was on Thursday, October 21.  New members learned more about Camp Fire with the Starflight project.  Our pre-Halloween meeting included special activities on the theme of "Bones and Foams."  The Nature Awareness project continued as we played "Bones in the Graveyard," sorted through real bones and skulls, made fantasy skeletons with Bonz, dissected owl pellets, and made collections of mouse bones.  Just for fun, we will made rivers and fountains of foam using dry ice and then baking soda and vinegar.

Our next meeting was on Thursday, November 4, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  The Nature Awareness project continued as we met several kinds of live reptiles and amphibians and sorted through a collection of plastic reptiles and amphibians.  Just for fun, we made two kinds of slime.

Our next club meeting was on Thursday, November 18, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.  The Nature Awareness project continued as we learned about sea life and did experiments with water.

Our next club meeting was on Thursday, December 2, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.  The major activities that evening combined two projects, the Gift of Giving and Nature Awareness.  We made nature jewelry with shells and polished rock as presents for family and friends.  We will also made edible gifts for backyard wildlife.  

Our next club meeting was on Thursday, December 16, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.  The major activities this evening centered on our latest project, the Gift of Giving.  

Our next club meeting was on Thursday, January 6, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.  Just for fun, we spent the whole time playing and doing experiments with snow,  We even made some ice cream, freezing the ice-cream mix with a mixture of snow and salt.

Our next club meeting was on Thursday, January 20, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.  The major activities this evening will centered on our latest project, Being Creative through Dramatics.  We played up the dramatics in a new sport called "Extreme Balloon Ball."  Then we started making plans for our video productions for the Camp Fire Film Festival on March 4.

Our next club meeting was on Thursday, February 3, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym. We made scenery, practiced, and then videotaped our presentations for the Camp Fire Film Festival (scheduled for Friday evening, March 4).  

Our next club meeting will be on Thursday, February 17, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym. We started building cars for the Grand Prix. Here's a web page with info about this event: http://www.saltthesandbox.org/campfire/PineCar.htm
Member fees paid for their car kits. At this first meeting we shaped the wooden car bodies with files, smoothed them with sandpaper, and then painted them -- all supplies were provided for this first meeting. 

Our next 1st and 2nd grade club meeting was on Thursday, March 3, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym. We finished building our cars for the Grand Prix. We added wheels, decorated, and tested the cars. Members brought things to decorate their cars to this second meeting. They got some ideas here: http://www.saltthesandbox.org/campfire/PineCar.htm#BeforeSecond  

Our next 1st and 2nd grade club meeting was on Thursday, March 17, 6:45 to 7:45 in the Mini-Gym. We made projects with Snap Circuit Junior electronic kits, and played with--and dissected--electronic toys. 

Our next 1st and 2nd grade club meeting was on Thursday, April 21, 6:45 to 7:45 in the Mini-Gym. The April 21 meeting began our last theme of the year: "Building Things and Taking Things Apart." We built boats (including pirate ships!) with aluminum foil and other materials, as well as played with building toys like Legos and Duplos. We also began taking apart a computer. 

Our final 1st and 2nd grade club meeting of the 2004-2005 school year was on Thursday, May 19, 6:30 to 7:30 in the Community Room. Starting at about 6:45 p.m., we had a ceremony where we gave members awards for all the projects we completed this year.   Brothers and sisters, Moms and Dads were all invited to this special meeting!  After the ceremony, members and their families either participated in Camp Fire activities related to the "Building Things and Taking Things Apart" theme, or joined the Learning Community reading activities taking place in their classrooms and elsewhere in the building. 

Here's some information about meetings we held during the 2003-2004 school year:

Thursday, September 25, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym. New members began learning about Camp Fire with the Starflight project.  Everyone learned about our natural environment through the Wise Old Willie project.  This week we will learned about backyard wildlife and how we can help the wild animals in our neighborhood.  We were visited by some live snakes, frogs, and insects!

Thursday, October 9, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., at Eric and Aaron's house.  We continued working on the Starflight and Wise Old Willie projects.  For Wise Old Willie, we learned more about neighborhood wildlife and about protecting our soil and water.  Of course, soil plus water equals mud, so we protected our school by holding much of the meeting in Eric and Aaron's yard.

Thursday, October 23, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., at the Irving School mini-gym.  We continued working on the Starflight and Wise Old Willie projects.  For Starflight, we started learning the Camp Fire Wish Song and made our first Goodbye Circle.  For Wise Old Willie, we played with air and wind energy and feed the garter snakes.

Thursday, November 13, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We completed work on the Starflight and Wise Old Willie projects.  For Starflight, we learned about uniforms and start putting together a uniform order,  For Wise Old Willie, we learned about bones and recycling.  We also prepared for the Thatcher Woods River Clean-up service project on Saturday, November 15.

Thursday, December 11, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We started work on the Wonders of Science project by learning how fossils formed, making a fossil collection, and helping clean the rock off some fossil bones. 

Thursday, January 8, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We continued work on the Wonders of Science project and began work on the Community Helpers project. We learned what a community helper is, and started experimenting with static electricity and magnets.

Thursday, January 22, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We made videos for the Camp Fire Film Festival on February 6.  

Thursday, February 12, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We continued working on the Wonders of Science and Community Helpers projects.  We experimented with electricity and magnets and learned more about our service project with fair-trade chocolate.  Starflight families also picked up the cases of fair-trade chocolate bars they will sell for our service project.  Go here to learn more about fair-trade chocolate.

Thursday, February 26, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We began work on wooden cars for the Camp Fire Grand Prix on March 26 and continued work on the Wonders of Science project.  

Thursday, March 11, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  Continue Wonders of Science project.  Complete work on wooden cars for the Grand Prix on March 26.

Thursday, March 25, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  Complete Wonders of Science project.  Activities included further investigations of electricity and some kitchen chemistry, including making a working model of a volcano.

Thursday, April 8, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We began working on two projects at once: Sports and Games and Getting Ready for Camping.  We played some games with sponge balls and practice tying knots with ropes and red licorice strings.  

Thursday, May 6, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.  We continued working on two projects, Sports and Games and Getting Ready for Camping.  We:

  * played some indoor games with paper, straws, and balloons

  * start learning about compasses

  * met some toads, and saw some toad eggs

Thursday, May 13, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., in the Irving School mini-gym.   We continued working on two projects, Sports and Games and Getting Ready for Camping.  We:

  * used compasses to find some hidden treasure

  * played some other group games

  * practiced tying the square knot and learn a new knot

  * met much larger tadpoles than the ones we saw the week before
  

We had our last meeting of the school year on Thursday, May 27, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., Irving School mini-gym.  We had an awards ceremony where members received emblems for all the projects they completed this year.  All family members were invited to the awards ceremony.  After the ceremony, families and members enjoyed informal activities, visits and demonstrations with live animals, and refreshments with Camp Fire in the mini-gym.  They also visited the Irving School Arts Festival, which took place in the halls and auditorium the same night starting at 7 p.m.
   

Here's a link to a Web page about tying knots:  Our Camp Fire Club: Knots

Here are links to activities we did at meetings during the 2001-2002 school year--many of which we will be repeating in 2003-2004.