Archive for the ‘community center’ Category

Ice Skates… Who Got New Ones…Who Got Their First Pair

Saturday, December 29th, 2012

The day after Christmas was cold and clear. It was a perfect day for trying out new ice skates at the ice rink.

Jay got new skates. He is a good skater. He learned to ice skate when he was three, before he and his family came to “Can Do” Street. Annie and Kathy are also good ice skaters, but Nellie and Willie and Arthur J. are just beginners at ice skating. They need to take lessons and get help from the other “Can Dos’ who know how to skate.

Here are some ice skating tips from Jay, Annie and Kathy to help you if you are new at ice skating:

  • Don’t push. If you are not doing well, wait a while and try again.
  • Bring a pocketful of small stuffed animals and if the rink’s not crowded practice bending over to pick them up.
  • Play Red Light, Green Light to practice starting and stopping.
  • Make sure to lace or cinch your boots tightly. If your foot wobbles in its skate boot, you won’t have any stability on the ice.
  • Unless you are playing ice hockey, don’t wear knee pads. Instructors say they restrict moving too much.
  • To improve your balance, don’t look at your feet and hold your arms out in front, as if putting them on a table.
  •  Grab your knees if you feel a fall coming on. This will lower your center of gravity and may prevent the fall.

Keep practicing and you will get good at ice skating. It is great fun and good exercise.

Happy Skating!

 

Pocket

The Halloween that Almost Wasn’t

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

There was no school on the day before Halloween and the electric company said there would be no school on Halloween.

When Hurricane Sandy hit “Can Do” Street, everyone was prepared to be safe and they were. Oh, there were problems…some streets flooded and a few basements of houses, some homes even lost electrical power for a day or so. But all in all, most problems were fixable. Well, almost all problems. You see the school had to close, because the lights went out.

The Can Dos” were really disappointed! No school! Most times they would be happy to hear…No school, but not on Halloween.

What about the costume parade, the prize for best costume, the Halloween games?

Not only was there no school, there would be no house to house trick or treating. The mayor had announced that some of the streets were in darkness and some streets had trees down…not safe conditions for walking from house to house.

Miss Sue, the director of the “Can Do” Street Community Center, came to the rescue. The day before Halloween, some of the parents came in to decorate the center. The seniors club made up treat bags and made Halloween cupcakes and punch.

Halloween Day dawned gray and misty, but the “Can Dos’ were glad they had somewhere to go to celebrate a favorite holiday.

The festivities began at 2PM with a costume parade all around the center. After the parade the judges gave prizes for the best costumes. Willie won for being an M&M. Maria won for being Dora the Explorer. Bobby thought he would win for coming as Sponge Bob Square pants, but there were several kids who wore that costume, so…he didn’t win.

After that there was a Halloween play staring Nellie and Hector.

Then it was time for the cupcakes, the fruit punch and Halloween songs and poems.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, the “Can Dos” were told to line up and pass in front of the line of parents grandparents and neighbors standing by the door. Imagine how surprised the “Can Dos” were when each adult dropped a Halloween treat in the baskets!

Well…it sure was a different kind of Halloween but all the “Can Dos’ agreed it was a good one.

 

Pocket

Footprints in Time

Sunday, August 5th, 2012

footprintsMiss Sue Came into the crafts class at camp and announced that a new path was going to be created from the back entrance of the community center to the lake, which is about a 1/2 mile distance. She asked that the “Can Dos” think about a way to make the path special. The “Can Dos” all nodded their heads yes, and Miss Hattie, who was leading the crafts session that day, smiled and said they would.

After Miss Sue left, the class got very quiet as they thought about ways of making the path special. Miss Hattie sat thinking to herself. All of a sudden she burst out with a big “AHA”and the kids all looked up hoping she had thought of something.

“Footprints, let’s make stones for the path with our footprints,” said Miss Hattie. “Huh?” answered some of the kids.

Hector wanted to know how they would get there footprints on stone. Maria was afraid it would cost a lot of money, and they were just kids and didn’t have any money. Willie wanted to know if he would have to take his socks off to make the footprint. He didn’t want to get clay or whatever material they would make the stones out of to get between his toes.

Miss Hattie said, “Not to worry, we can make the footprints stones out of baked dough, right here in crafts class.”

Another”Huh” from the class.

“It’s easy,” said Miss Hattie. “We just mix 1 cup of salt with 1 cup of flour and add 1/2 cup water for each stone. We knead it the mixture together then we roll out, with a rolling pin, on a piece of parchment paper on the floor. When it is the right size for a footprint, we take off our right shoe and sock and step right in the middle of the dough. Then we use a stick to carve our name and the year in the stone. Then it is ready for baking at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours, just until it is  hard, but not browned.”

The “Can Dos” loved the idea! Now they just had to convince Miss Sue that footprints stones would be a great way to decorate the new path.

Pocket

A Rainbow on my Plate

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

plateThe “Can Do” Kids Chefs Club hosted a camp session on making healthy food choices called …A Rainbow on my Plate.

The guest speaker was Miss Mary, a dietitian, who works for the “Can Do” Street Elementary and High Schools during the school year. Miss Mary’s job is to plan healthy meals for the children attending the schools. She makes sure that the children get foods that will help them feel good so they do well in school and after school activities, such as sports.

“Good Morning “Can Dos,” said Miss Mary. “Let’s play a game I call Rainbow on my Plate.”  With that, Miss Mary handed each “Can Do” a paper plate and said,”We are going to fill the plate with fruits and vegetables that are the colors of the rainbow.” Miss Mary had a box of paper vegetable and fruits and as each “Can Do”answered her questions, with the right answers, she added a picture of the fruit or vegetable to the plate.

Here are the questions. Choose the correct answers from the list of fruits and vegetables listed below the questions.

Let’s see how you do building a rainbow of fruits and vegetables on your plate.

1. Choose a green vegetable____________________

2. Choose a green fruit ________________________

3. Choose a red vegetable ______________________

4. Choose a red fruit__________________________

5. Choose a blue fruit_________________________

6. Choose an orange vegetable__________________

7. Choose an orange fruit______________________

8. Choose a yellow vegetable___________________

9. Choose a yellow fruit_______________________

10. Choose a white vegetable__________________

11  Choose a white fruit______________________

Be sure to ask a family member to review your answers with you.

Did you make a rainbow on your plate?

Answers: pear, cauliflower, pineapple, corn, cantaloupe, carrot, blueberry, apple, beet, pepper, grape.

Pocket

Camp Manners

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

camp mannersMiss Sue, the Director of the “Can Do” Community Center Camp, came into the crafts room and asked permission from the art teacher to address the “Can Dos”.

The “Can Dos” knew it was often not a good thing when Miss Sue asked to talk to them. It must mean that one or more of them were doing things, in camp, that needed to be corrected.

After Miss Sue said good morning, she said,”Boys and girls, I have received complaints from the camp janitor on the state of the girls and boys bathrooms.

I have also received complaints from the ladies who work in the cafeteria about the mess on the floor under the tables, and the food and wrappers left on the tables.

Let’s take time now to review how we are supposed to behave in both these areas. Let’s talk about bathroom manners and cafeteria manners. If we are not old enough to practice good manners in both these areas, maybe we are not old enough to be in camp.”

Then Miss Sue handed out two camp manners lists and said,”Let’s review these lists together.

Let’s start with the cafeteria list:

1. Don’t run in the cafeteria.

2. Say please and thank you when you order and receive your food.

3. Don’t cut in line while waiting to order on the cafeteria line.

4. Do not sit on the tables and don’t stand on the seats.

5. After you finish eating, clean off your place at the table and pick up anything you dropped on the floor.

6. Put your trash from the table and the floor in the trash can.”

Then Miss Sue turned to the bathroom manners list:

1. When you use the stall, close the door.

2. Flush the toilet when you are finished using it.

3. Take a piece of toilet paper, and use it to protect your hand from germs as you flush. Don’t flush with your foot!

4. As the toilet is flushing, throw the piece of toilet tissue into the toilet to be flushed away.

5. Make sure your clothes are properly zipped or buttoned or pulled up before you leave the stall.

6. Wash your hands with warm water and soap. Wash for at least 10 seconds (count to ten slowly).

7. Dry your hands with a paper towel.

8. Throw the towel in the waste basket after you use it.”

Miss Sue looked up from reading and asked,”Does everyone promise to practice these camp manners”?

The “Can Dos” all nodded, “We promise,” they all said.

Miss Sue smiled, thanked the art teacher, and went on to speak to the campers in the next room.

 

Pocket