Beyond the school walls, Barber
says Campfire emphasizes community
projects. She’s had a group who
wanted to work with seniors at a
nearby retirement center, participating
in scrapbooking and T’ai chi. At
another school, kids worked together
to make healthy homemade dog
treats, created packaging and sold
them at Grant Park, raising $128
for the Oregon Humane Society. In
Sunnyside, a group worked with the
church across the street to make
sandwiches for food insecure families.
Parent Amber Kern-Johnson,
whose sons Zach and Lucas go
to aftercare through Campfire at
Beverly Cleary, says they have really
embraced the service component. Her
son Zach loved working on the dog
treat project, and they even whipped
up another batch at home.
“We’ve seen our boys grow into
strong community members and
develop great character traits,” KernJohnson said. “It’s so much more than
just daycare.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAMPFIRE COLUMBIA.
Alan Bagnall, whose son Malcolm is a
sixth grader at Beverly Cleary Elementary in
Northeast Portland, appreciates how hard the
staff works to create programs that reflect the
kids’ interests.
“There is always a string of options so enticing
that sometimes Malcolm can’t even decide which
one he wants to do,” Bagnall said. One recent
favorite was a comic book group, where Malcolm
learned more about the graphic medium.
“Their art choices are always so in-depth,
much more than just painting or drawing,”
Bagnall said. “These kids are never just killing
time.”
An important component is allowing the
older kids to help plan and teach. “This makes them feel
empowered, since we find they want to set a good example,
have fun and help these younger kids,” Barber said. Studentled clubs include activities such as building models of the
solar system or folding origami.
“Leading a group emphasizes planning, writing and public
speaking skills, but it also teaches patience and helps them
think about their own behavior in a classroom setting.”
Barber said.
Overall, the program leaders say
the goal is to create variety so there’s
something for everyone – whether it’s
being active, or learning more about
art and science.
“Some kids just want to shoot
baskets, but we try to encourage
them to make new choices and try
something new,” Barber said.
And while programs like Vermont
Hills and Campfire focus on variety
in daily activities, Art4Life takes a
different approach, tying its offerings
to a particular country.
Sandra Santoro, director of
Art4Life, which reaches seven
schools in Portland, says the
program’s goal is to connect the world
through arts and community, using visual and performing
arts to focus on a different country each month.
The week before school starts, she and her teachers pick
the countries they are going to explore in the coming year,
taking care that it’s not a country they have covered in the
past two years.
Santoro said kids are especially partial to “Etiquette
Fridays,”