2012 Green Room Summer Camp
Center for Young Children
University of Maryland, College Park
Welcome to the Green Room 2012 Summer Camp project. The Green Room is a group of 15 children, 3 to 5 years of age within the Center for Young Children, on the campus of the University of Maryland . The camp runs six weeks from June to August. In addition to swimming two times a week, having music class and just plain camp fun, we focus, in-depth, on one topic as a summer study.
This summer, our class studied Pond and Stream Life. Please explore the phases of our study and see how we were able to incorporate the Maryland State Standards for science and other domains by integrating them within our study topic.
Choosing a Topic
When there is plenty of time, teachers will observe children for a while to see their interests before choosing a study topic for their particular group. In the summer with only six weeks of camp, the topic is chosen ahead of time taking into consideration what the teachers already know about this age group and making sure there will be plenty of hands on activities. Because of the time of year, a study or project that involves the outdoors is desirable.
The curriculum at the Center for Young Children strongly includes the use of project based learning. On her web site projectapproach.org, Sylvia Chard states, " A project, by definition, is an in-depth investigation of a real-world topic worthy of a student’s attention and effort ."
Using this criteria, ponds and stream life seemed like a great topic for investigation. Near the school there are multiple ponds and streams within walking distance and this topic has been noted as one of interest to children by teachers and parents. Also with the national interest in "leaving no child inside" and "nature deficit disorder", this topic seemed even more timely. The State of Maryland has proclaimed a "Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights" which includes sharing nature with a great mentor or teacher, Explore wild places close to home, and Discover and connect with their natural world."
A review of the Project Approach was presented at a preliminary staff meeting. All teachers participated in brain storming a web of ideas for each pair of teachers according to their study topic. Other study topics, chosen by different classrooms, included, ants, fruits and vegetables, construction, mammals and the Olympics.
