Friday, July 29, 2016

Go! Camp: Week Two!


This week, the Brashear Kids soldiered on through Go! Camp! Even though it was an exceptionally hot summer week, we kept active, stayed hydrated, and refueled with a bunch of healthy snacks! 



On Monday, Pittsburgh Soccer in the Community came by Grandview Park to run some drills with us and teach us the basics of soccer. The coaches taught us how to properly warm up, how to best control the ball, and what kinds of foods can help your body prepare for a big game.

Keeping the coaches tips in mind, we traipsed back to ALEC to prepare the day's healthy snack. Using the basil we have growing in our garden, we made pesto with whole grain pasta! Pesto is a light, delicious alternative to heavy sauces, and whole grain pasta is a great way to carb load before a day full of moving around! Some of the kids found the green color of the pesto a bit off-putting at first, but with some gentle encouragement to try it, everyone was pretty pleased with how it turned out. And who knew it was so easy to make at home?! 

One of our pickiest eaters goes from apprehensive, to delighted, to waiting for thirds while announcing "I LOVE THIS!"

On Tuesday, Ms. Corey, a former KEYS Service Corps member who served with Brashear, came to show us some neat hula hooping tricks! The kids learned that hula hooping isn't just for playgrounds; there are tons of people who incorporate hula hooping with dance! And if there is one thing our kids love to do, it is dance. Ms. Corey even donated 10 brand new hula hoops to us so that we can keep practicing on our own! 


After we hooped for a bit, we learned about healthy foods we can eat that can also help keep us hydrated. We ate a ton of watermelon and played for the rest of the day. 


Thursday brought two guest instructors from Y on the Fly, which is generously funded by PNC and Comcast International Essentials. Ms. Brenna and Mr. Jordan got us running around our outdoor space with games that focused simultaneously on teamwork and healthy competition. 


After we were all tuckered out from the games, Mr. Jordan and Ms. Brenna showed us how to make our own salsa. They were super impressed when we added some peppers from our garden to their ingredients list! Later, one student said that the salsa was her favorite snack of the week, because it was fresher than "the nasty stuff you buy in the cans." I can't say I disagree with her. Before they left, Mr. Jordan and Ms. Brenna gave everyone a goody bag with a t-shirt, calculator, and healthy recipes. Not a bad haul!  

 Unhappy squinty faces can be attributed to the sun shining directly in their eyes

On the last day of summer camps, we usually go to the spray park down the street and have a picnic. It was not in the cards this week, since the forecast called for rain and thunderstorms. As Mr. Dave taught us during Tech Camp, you definitely do not want to be standing in a giant puddle of water when lightening strikes. Our back-up plan: movies & smoothies! Despite being cooped up indoors, we had a pretty good day. Besides, it's important to balance a lot of physical activity with adequate rest! 


Thanks so much to all the partners and volunteers who make this week possible. We couldn't have done it without you! Stayed tuned to hear about the adventures we'll have during next week's Outdoors Camp!

-Megan



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