The Little Medical School

This Summer Camp was one class I as a mother was ecstatic Jaxon had chosen.  On his first day of class he brought home materials all with the Little Medical School logo.  Once I researched this amazing program I truly wish more locations in our area took advantage of their curriculum and services.  The Little Medical School has a list of programs available for children to learn within the medical field.  Such as, Little Veterinarian School, Little Nursing School and Little Pharmacy School being just a couple examples.  

The program includes all forms of learning.  The children do bring home worksheets and crafts everyday, along with adventures of conducting surgeries.  Through exciting entertaining play Jaxon was learning all about the human body.

Each day when they arrived to class they had a list of words of the day.  They covered new topics such as, organs, the brain, the lungs, the heart and bones were just a few that they covered over the course of a week.  Not once did Jaxon ever complain about the work load.  I heard only positive things coming from pure excitement each day.  As we drove home he would tell me stories of his medical adventures.

On the Thursday before the camp ended Jaxon brought home an invitation that he had written to us inviting us to his Little Medical School graduation.  

Along with his diploma Jaxon left for home medical coat in hand, stethoscope around his neck, smiling ear to ear.  The knowledge he picked up was unprecedented.  As a college medical student even I was impressed at the knowledge he absorbed.  When we were children it was unheard of to teach a young child any form of medical training. The future holds so many educational possibilities I can not wait to see what we might embark on next.

What's Cooking, Kids

When choosing summer camps this year I let Jaxon choose from what was available at the Walnut Creek Recreation and Center for Community Arts.  In the past I have really enjoyed the variety they have to offer along with the commitment to running well educated classes.  He has always had a passion for cooking and spends a majority of his time in the kitchen with his nana.  So I was not surprised when he decided to take cooking.  Nor was I going to discourage him when I found out that they taught him how to measure out ingredients during this one week camp.  We had touched base on it during our school year but he had not fully caught on to the concept so I welcomed any assistance in this area.  When we arrived on the first day his teacher was well prepared with letters for all of us to take home and examples of all the recipes they would be cooking during the week at camp.

Mrs. Josephine Evonc was an amazing teacher and if she offered a class every semester we would be there!  

Each day the kids would grab an apron and a hat that was designated to them for the entire week and get to work on their daily creations.  All the recipes she included were very basic, some even took me back to memories of my own childhood cooking experiences.

Mrs. Josephine Evonc succeeded in teaching Jaxon measurements in one week.  He was even administered a test and passed.  He now uses his new measurement vocabulary quite frequently when he is in the kitchen. 

At the end of the camp the children were sent home with a packet that included pictures taken of them through out the week and all the recipes they had created.  I would add that the recipes did not include the exact ingredients.  This is the one thing I found to be a problem once class had ended.  Jax's was so excited to cook his own food and expand his palate only to find out that he had no idea what tomato sauce was used on their pizza.  

At the end of the day it is such an amazing feeling to hear all the stories that come home each day and then be able to see pictures of your child enjoying themselves in moments just as you had hoped for. 

Hidden Talent Art

In choosing how we were going to spend our summer I decided to enroll Jaxon in some summer camps that interested him.  I began my search at Stratford School's Pleasanton location due to the fact that last year he spent the summer at their summer socrates camp.  I knew their classes had structure and were well instructed.  Since Jaxon has recently taken an interest in art when I saw their Hidden Talent Art class listed I knew it would be the perfect fit.  What I did not expect was that Stratford actually brought someone in from a company to teach this class. 

The company is based out of San Jose and after his completion of this course I can say I will have no problem traveling to San Jose for Jaxon to be able to attend classes at The Hidden Talent Art next year.

While attending art camp Jaxon learned about many artist tools such as chalk pastels, ink, charcoal, and paint.  

He learned all different forms of techniques while using these tools by creating two art projects daily.

The progression in Jaxon's ability to take his own creative ideas and apply them on a piece  paper has been absolutely incredible.

 This was a great introduction to art for him and he now looks at art in a whole new light.  I have noticed since taking this class it has given him the ability to look at a piece of art and not only have an understanding of how it was created and with what tools and techniques were used.   But he has now also gained the ability to hold a conversation to discuss all his acquired knowledge. Giving him the ability to have a better understanding of both sides of art.  

Los Angeles Zoo Delving Deserts

We have been members of the Los Angeles Zoo for the past year.  This zoo is actually one of our favorites in all of California.  We had just began our study into the desert habitat, when the opportunity came that they were holding a children's class "Delving Deserts"  we signed up immediately.  This was the first class that we have taken through the Children's Discovery Center and it made us want to take more.   We have taken zoo education classes at a couple locations in northern california and were not impressed with the curriculum.  

When we dropped Jaxon off at the Children's Discovery Center the classrooms were set up for all different ages, just as if he was attending a school.  This alone topped anything I have seen in the past.  When we entered the classroom each child had a cubby to place all of their belongings and was given a backpack fully equipped for their day of adventure at the zoo.  

When I arrived to pick Jaxon up I was able to observe the class through the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined their classroom.  Through-out  the entire 15 minutes that I observed all the students sat quietly and gave the teacher their full attention.  I was impressed how after half a day of class they were still totally engaged in the activities.  The teachers were well organized and kept the class in order but still managed to get down to their level.  Which we all know is not always an easy task.

Once we picked Jaxon up he could not stop talking about his behind the scenes adventures with the Rattlesnake.  He was able to see a wide range of Reptiles and learn about how they adapt in the desert.  He came out with a wealth of information on the desert and the animals that live there.  We eagerly await more classes to come available .