Video Blog

Take a look at our latest video, and let us know what you think.

Learning On the Log - Full Video from CinematixHD on Vimeo.

SUMMER CAMP

Top five most wanted Summer Camp activities:

1. Water gun fight
2. "Flying" in the pool
3. Karate
4. Canoeing/Kayaking/Rafting
5. Medal Ceremony

What to Expect.

When signing up for our programs it is important to know what to expect from us.  Here are 5 expectations that can be counted on:

1. Staff will be child focused and engaged.  This means that all of the energy will be placed on interacting, engaging, and developing relationships with the children.  It is not a time for staff to be socializing, to be passively watching the games, nor to be making afternoon/evening plans. 
2. The social skills learned during our programs are learned in an ORGANIC way.  That means that all of the social skills are learned during natural interactions and during natural relationships.  This is the way all of us learn to socialize, and the way all of us practice these skills.
3. Our programs are active and fun.  The settings we offer include hiking, swimming, team building activities, team sports, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, and tumbling. 
4. We challenge our participants.  Growth can not happen unless we are pushed outside our comfort zone.  Dealing with uncomfortable feelings is a big part of developing social skills, and being properly supported can grow confidence.  Positively navigating outside the comfort zone will grow that comfort zone.
5. Developing MEANING is key to generalizing.  Finding meaning in both the activity as well as the relationships is the secret formula for being able to generalize skills learned with us to other areas in life.  Finding meaning in a peer relationship drives the individuals to work harder to maintaining good interaction and communication, and it becomes a natural way of seeking friendship.  The skills can then be used in a different setting where a meaningful relationship has developed.  

When in Rome...Do as Romans

This is a famous quote that encourages individuals to go with the flow of the environment he or she is in.  When in Rome, Italy an individual should expect to hear a different language being spoken, smell different smells, see different traffic patterns, and experience very different ways of interacting.  This does not mean, however, that an individual in Rome has to give up on a personal goals or aspirations.  It simply means that it would be better to attain an individual goal by going with the flow of the Roman way.

The same applies within our programs.  We always have a clear goal of fostering and growing social relationships within our groups, but the manner in which we do that can be different in each group and in each individual.  For example, we might capitalize on someone's interest in car's, dinosaurs,  or trains.  There is no right or wrong way of accomplishing our goals, but finding the unique and local paths is important to create MEANING in the interactions and in relationships.  The meaning is what helps each individual to carry the skills they learn with us into new social environments.

5 Rules of LOTL

We have thought long and hard and have come up with 5 great rules/suggestions/guidelines for how to support parents, volunteers, or counselors in training (CIT) when they are on our outings.

1. Talk to the kids, not the adults

2. Talk to the kids at their level

·      Adult conversations should be done in private or after the program

3. Our main goal is to develop Relationships, thinking, and meaning, not compliance 

4. Play so that you both have fun

·      Find the inner child in you

5. When in doubt follow the Learning on the Log staff lead

How are you feeling today?

How are you feeling today? Happy!

Learning on the Log is very excited to announce that the Enrichment Pre-K has begun! This week, the major theme is feelings. In learning feelings, it is important for the child to know and understand the different types of feelings that he or she can experience:  happy, sad, angry, surprised, silly, confused, etc. Visuals allow children to see how each feeling differs from the other.  Aside of showing a picture, it is vital for the child to be able to imitate each feeling.  Through imitation, the child can experience and learn what he and others look like when they are feeling a certain way.  

Each morning during circle time, the children are asked how they are feeling that day and point to the picture that goes with their feeling. Through this process, a child learns to be able to first recognize what he is feeling and then be able to communicate and express it to others. This is such a huge part of building relationships with others! Because of this, Learning on the Log helps each child throughout the day to be able to recognize what they are feeling.  For example, if a child is upset a staff  member will make a clear statement to the child:  "You are upset." Such statement allows for the child to hear, process, and recognize what he is feeling which opens the door for communication and interaction with others. And, that is what it's all about--communicating with one another and helping one another!

What do you look like when you are sad?

A twist to the game "duck, duck, goose!"

Anticipation builds: will he be chosen to be the goose?

Every child loves an old-fashioned game of duck, duck, goose! It is a simple game that gets every child to interact with one another.  We begin by getting the children to hold each other's hands and making a big circle.  Once the circle is big enough, everyone takes a seat.  Now, it is time for the action to begin! One child gets to go around the circle patting everyone on the head while saying "duck...duck..." until someone is chosen to be "goose." The child chosen to be goose must try to catch the child that chose him! If the child cannot catch him, he is now the one that must go around the circle saying "duck, duck...goose!"

At Learning on the Log, we always seek opportunities to challenge our kids a little bit further. In this case, we challenge the kids to use two different words. For example, instead of  saying "duck, duck, goose," the child could decide to use the words "choo, choo, train!"  This allows for each child to personalize the game according to their individual interests.  This way, both the staff and the kids get to share and learn more about each other. Simple twists and changes to games gives every child at Learning on the Log a whole new, different, and fun experience!

Run, run! Don't let him catch you!