I miss you guys!

Hey hey summer campers! Boy, don't you miss those summer days? Wish you could hang with us again?
 Well, here's your chance!
 If you haven't made any plans for the upcoming holiday (Columbus day) you should come hang with us! Email me for details

Bridgette@empirecamp.com

Last Day!

Oh no! It's finally here, the last day of camp! I'm getting misty eyed just thinking about my campers leaving....Some of them will join me in after school, so that's a relief. It's been a fun-filled week, with carnivals, earthquakes, and all sorts of interesting events!
 It feels like yesterday that I was passing out orange shirts, greeting all the kids, starting each day with a energized rally. I had so much fun this summer, I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end. I'll miss the Museum of Moving Images, the kung fu, the swim class, the MET, cooking, Central Park, the Yellow Brick Road, the gift making, the Brooklyn Childrens Museum, the comic book class, and most of all, you!
 Thank you for making my summer so easy and fun, I really do have the best job! I'll see you all next summer and I won't forget this summer!
 I'm still working on the slide show, but I'll post the awards ceremony shortly! Thanks again for your patience and love, it's what makes this whole thing possible!

Carni VAL!

 Today is the Empire Camp Carnival! There will be games inside and out! Football Toss, Knock the Can, Strength Test, Fortune Teller, and of course juggling and so much more! We are going to have so much fun today! We'll be taking the subway back to P.S.183 this afternoon, and we should be back around 3:45-4.
 Thank you so much and we'll see you soon!

Almost there....

What an interesting day.... Yes I called my maw who lives in West Virginia and yes she said it was totally bananas down there!
 Today is another wonderful experience at camp, filled with kung fu and swimming! I love all the things at camp, but most kids know my favorite is swimming. I'm proud of all our kids at the pool. I know it's hard for some kids to get in the water and work, but we have so many little swimmers ready to learn and it makes my heart sing!
 Thank you so much for your patience yesterday. I do understand how difficult it was for all of you to come downtown to pick up your child, but please know that as a childcare professional, we deemed it unsafe to travel underground after an earthquake, within the same afternoon. I know the MTA was saying there were no interuptions, but our thoughts are only of the safety of our kids.
 I hope all of you are safe and I will see you soon!
 Yes, we will be at P.S.183 this afternoon. We should be getting back there around 3:45-4.

Earthquake?No problem!

 Whoa, that was weird. To be honest, our little guys were in the park with me and we didn't even notice! I want to let you know we are not putting the kids on the bus this afternoon and we are definately not taking the subway. Chipman and I are attempting to call all parents ( its difficult but we're trying)to have you come and pick up down at the NEST school. I know this is a difficult situation, but please understand our kids safety is at risk if we choose to take the subway. I also think that if we take the bus we will be stuck in awful traffic and I don't want the kids to stress.
 If you are trying to get through to me, I'm so sorry if it doesn't go through, we are allll groovy and to be perfectly honest, I didn't even know about it!
 the address is 111 columbia street 10002. Feel free to call or email!

Field Day!

 What great weather! Today, we're heading to East River Park to meet with the Downtown's camp again. We had a field day together back in July and now we're meeting again to finish the challenge! There will be relay races and games for everyone. We'll take the bus in the morning, reeeal early, and the subway in the afternoon. We should be back around 4pm,hopefully earlier, but that's what we're shooting for.

Week 8!

Can you believe it? Summer camp is almost over!! That means we have to make this week really count....meaning, lots of swim, lots of group games, and lots of fun.
 This week every morning at 9:45 we'll take the school bus down to the NEST school, where our sister camp is located. Thankfully the pool we use, Seahorse, is right next to the camp so as soon as we get off the bus, off to the pool! That means it would help us greatly if kids are already changed into bathing suits when arriving to camp, we don't mind taking the time to help kids out, but if they come dressed that means more time in the pool!
 In order to ensure our kids get two classes at NEST after swim, we'll be taking the subway back in the afternoon. I'll explain, if we take the bus back to the Upper East Side, we'd have to leave NEST at 2pm, leaving no time for a real class. The bus has to leave so early as to not hit traffic, I hope I didn't confuse you.... I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's important that the kids get to participate in all the awesome things we do at Empire, and since our kids are very skilled at subway travel, I'll think we'll be fine.
 With that being said, I wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone who may need to pick up their child early, if that is the case, please please let me know in advance so I can arrange an early dismissal. Please call with any questions or email me anytime!
(540)336-0684
bridgette@empirecamp.com
 Thank you to everyone for being so nice to me on my birthday! Camp is so important to me, and it meant so much to receive such kindness from all of you and the campers!
 I realized that the slide show I made for the kids has music on it that is copyrighted! Whoops! We all enjoyed it at camp, but I must find a way for you to view it, I'll see if I can post it up without music, it will be less enjoyable, but at least you get a chance to see it!

Changes...

Well, today is important for two reasons.....one IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! yes,the rumors are true, I'm finally a quarter of a century....I feel.....different. The other important thing is we're heading down to the NEST school today. We're leaving around 9:45, and coming back around 4. Since it's a Friday and there's bound to be traffic, we're shooting for 4pm, but please be patient as we try to get back to Ella Baker as soon as possible.
  The Slide Show was great yesterday! I'm attempting to put it on the blig but I am having some trouble. If you go to YouTube.com, type in JackRuss2 and the slide show should be available for viewing, I'm trying my darnedest to get it on the blog though!
 Thanks for your help and see you soon.

Wowie!

Oh man! Our field day in central park got rained on! We still got to have fun though. Today is more swimming, some Kung Fu, some soccer, some gift making, and some comic book! I'm so excited for tomorrow! We'll probably head to central park in the morning tomorrow since we didn't get to yesterday. Then a picnic, some clean up, and then our award cermony and slide shows....sorry no grown ups! BUT we will video tape it for you to watch! Friday will be an awesome day as well, we're going to be speading the day at NEST (the downtown site) and coming back up to Ella Baker at the end of the day to celebrate my birthday! iI love to dance and have a good time,so it will be a great way to end the week!
 Thank you so much for all your support and I hope to see you soon!

Rain Clouds Can't Stop Us!

This week may be rainy, but we're professionals, so we can still make it fun. Today is another swim day! The only class supposed to have soccer today are the Wild Tigers, but if it rains, I know they wanted to add on to their movie they were making last Tuesday.
 Speaking of Tuesday, we're having our last Field Day in Central Park tomorrow...tears...we'll be having relay races, obstacle courses, and of course my favorite, group games! But what if it rains? My grand plans will be ruined..... if that's the case, we can always move our field day to Thursday and on Tuesday do some cleaning......on Thursday I was planning on going to John Jay in the morning, come back and clean, and then have an all camp awards ceremony ( where the counsolers give each kid a camp award, sorry, kids only) and a little slide show, again, kids only. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled towards the sky for any drops of rain, but that's the plan for this week!
 See you soon!

The mini-giants!

A Draft....

So, I've been putting together some clips here and there...working with iMovie, and I thought this would be cute, let me know what you think!

The news!

Here is the first video from our Empire Wonder Lab......as you can tell it is my first time using iMovie, but it was fun! I'll keep posting as I finish them!

The other half!

I did it! Finally! So sorry for the lateness, but here it is, the rest of our talented talent show.....aren't they the cutest? I'm also working on putting up the videos they made on Tuesday at the Empire Wonder Lab! You'll be so impressed by their hardwork.

Here's the first half of the talent show!

 Sorry for the delay! Looks like I had a lot on my plate this week and couldn't get to it. over the weekend i'll add the videos the kids made on Tuesday!

 Today is our trip to Governors Island and I'm sooooo excited to go! It'll be a great trip and a great way to end week 6. We have so many kids leaving this week that I feel this is a great way to end their summer camp experience. Thank you and I hope to see you next year!!!
 Too bad they won't be here next week though..... I mean, it will be my birthday and all next Friday....... but we'll celebrate as if everyone who started at camp was still here!
 Have a great weekend and see you soon

What a week!

Boy, did the week fly by or what? Tuesday was great! The kids had an awesome time in the park and had so much fun making movies. Johnny came by to do science and the  racecars were a success! Sadly, yesterday morning when I came into work I saw that not all of my racecars were still in the room. We're still on the look out for a black and red race cars and it's remote, if you've seen ,it let me know!
 Yesterday was another fun day  at the pool.  Our kids are getting better and better each time we go!
 Today is our movie day where we're goin to see Cats vs Dogs revenge of Kitty Galore.........sounds neat!
 After that, if it's not raining, we'll go to John Jay pool for playground and sprinkler fun!
 Hope to see you soon!

Week 6 is here!

Good News and Bad News..... The bad news is that I accidentally left the video camera charger at school! Boooo on me! So my apologies for not having the Talent Show up and ready this weekend, it should be up by Monday night.
 The Good news is that this week is full of great things!We're going to our last trip on Governor's Island on Friday and we want to leave super super early, like around 9:15 early. A lot of kids didn't get to enjoy the bikes last time so we want as much time as possible to spend on the island!

 Whoa! Looks like I'm getting ahead of myself, let me backtrack to the beginning of the week.......

  On Monday, when you pick up a schedule, you'll see two new classes, Do it Yourself with Allison, where our art teacher shows the kids how to make their own lip gloss, and I know she has something special planned for the boys. The other class is called "Brainstorm for Empire Wonder Lab"..... First before I explain what this class means.....What's Empire Wonder Lab?
 Empire Wonder lab is an idea conceived by Matt Chipman, Site Director of the Downtown Empire Camp. In several classrooms, we will set up different stations. Rm114 will be the Race Track Room, where kids design their own racetracks and race zip zaps through them. Another classroom will have Science Projects, and lastly a "video room",where kids create their own little movies or sketches.He had great success running this program, so we'll give it a try.
 The Brain storming class is to give the kids a head start on creating their racetracks and discuss what they want to video tape, so when Tuesday comes they're not spending the whole time preparing and can get down to having fun!
 I know that was wordy, but I want to keep everyone informed and this is the best way I know how! On Monday, be sure to collect a schedule. Both Mini Giant Groups have soccer on Monday, so be sure to pack sneakers and water!
 Thanks to all the parents who attended Friday's show. I'm so used to running talent shows for kids that it was nice to see parents a change. I'll get the video up ASAP and I'll see you all soon!

The big day!

 Man, the Bronx Zoo was great! I'm so proud of all the Mini Giants for being so well behaved on the trip! We got to see really cool lego sculptures, snow leopards, and of course my favorite, da bears.
 Today's the big day! The Talent Show starts at 4pm at P.S.183. If you can't make it, I totally understand, we'll video tape it! I know there will be some really cool acts, and our kids so excited. Thanks for everything and we'll see you soon!

The Bronx Zoo!

Hey hey! Today is our Bronx Zoo trip! I love going to the zoo. I lived in DC for a few years and lived right next to the National Zoo, I used to take my little brother there all the time. The Smithsonian was our favorite place to go, but the National Zoo was a close second.....
 I digress. It will be hot today, being summer and all, so remember those water bottles and sun block. I had a lot of kids come in yesterday without sunblock OR swimcaps...... Gotta have em!
 It shouldn't be too hot today or rainy, so you'll most likely find us in the space between the school and the yard at the end of the day!
 Don't forget that tomorrow is our Talent Show, at 4, at P.S. 183.

Dress up day!

It's finally here! I can't wait to take some pictures! We still have swim and Kung Fu and other cool stuff, rain or shine.
 Don't forget this Friday is the Talent Show at 4pm at p.s.183. Be there or be square!
I heard it's supposed to rain today, if that's the case you will find us at p.s183 at the end of the day today. Feel free to call!

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Reminder!

This Wednesday is our Dress as your Hero Day! Kids can come dressed up as their favorite superhero, celebrity, mom or dad, counselor,character from a book, anyone they look up to! I'm pretty sure that Micheal Jackson will make an appearance!
 It's not required that your child come to school dressed up, but I thought it would be fun! Hope to see you soon!

Week 5 is here!

Did you guys know that Ketcup used to be sold a medicine in the 1830's? crazy.
 Another week is upon us, and we're ready. We're going to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens on Tuesday and the Bronx Zoo on Thursday! But the most exciting thing happening this week is our TALENT SHOW!! This Friday,August 5, at 4pm, no later!

 Yes,the rumors are true we are having a talent show this summer and it will be glorious! Now, I'm not one to toot her own horn or anything, but I know that our kids are bright,talented, and gifted, and it will be quite a show. I already know that some of you can't make it, but no worries! We're planning to video tape the whole thing, and hopefully put it on the blog.
 A side note, I have a brand new Mac computer, so I've been messing around with iMovie.....so, I hope to wow you guys with my new knowledge of the program!
 The kids having soccer tomorrow are the Wild Tigers and the Wrecks, please bring sneakers and hopefully shin guards for that class. Always remember swim caps and water bottles.

 Thank you so much for everything and I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Rain Rain go away!

Oh no the rain has come! There's supposed to be a huuuuge rainstorm this afternoon right around the time we're supposed to be at Governor's Island! We just can't go today! It wouldn't be safe to take the kids out in a t-storm, so I won't do it. Since it won't rain until this afternoon, we've decided to head out to the Natural History Museum first thing this morning. In the afternoon, each group is practicing for the Talent Show next week and hopefully a good ol fashioned game of kickball before it rains.
 Talent Show? Next Friday!!!At 4pm!!! At P.S.183! Please come, the kids have worked hard? Can't make it? we're videotaping it!
 Again, I apologize for no Governor's Island Trip, but I don't want any of our kids to get caught in the rain!

Rain?

Oh no! RAIN! Updates will follow shortly.....

Reminder!

Tomorrow is our trip to Governors Island! So we're not waiting past 9:30. Please drop off your child before 9:30!!!

Yellow Brick Road!

I'm so excited about today's trip! We're going to see the Yellow Brick Road in Chelsea and we're going to have a great time. Since our trip isn't until 1pm, we probably won't get back to Ella Baker until about 3:30 or 4. With that being said, you won't find us inside the school this afternoon. I believe the weather will be nice so we'll most likely be in the space between the school and the yard, if it's too hot we'll head down to P.S.183. There will be a staff member in front of the school directing parents if this happens.
 Any questions? Want to pick up early and need your child to stay back? Please call and let me know!!
(540)336-0684
 Hope to speak to you soon!

This afternoon...

Just a little note,  it shouldn't be super hot today, hooooray! So from 4-5pm we will most likely be in the alley way between Ella Baker and the yard.I prefer to use that space if it's not too hot and not rainy because it's close to the school and the library......Thank you for keeping up with us and we'll see you soon!

Movin right along....

What a great trip! We got to go to different parts of the museum and learn and discuss pieces of art with the guides and talk about the stories behind it. The kids were also asked to draw what they saw (haha that rhymes) and tell the whole class why they choose to draw it. I was so proud of their behavior at the museum. If you haven't gone to the MET with your kids yet, you should!!
 I was on the subway yesterday and I saw a camp get on the train. These kids were cute but rambunctious!They were swinging on the poles,jumping up and down, and when they got off the train the counselors were yelling at the kids. I knew at that moment that we have something special going on here. We never have to raise our voices on the subway and our kids are always well behaved. The other camp will figure it out, everyone does, but I'm so glad that our kids are awesome.
 Thank you for understanding and having fun with us!

 Tomorrow is swim, so don't forget your caps!The mini Giants have soccer tomorrow so bring some guards and sneakers. We also have Kung Fu tomorrow so when you pick up your child, ask them about it! Maurice is the teacher and he is awesome!

The MET!

Today we're off to the MET to chill out and hear some awesome tales and legends. I'm super excited about this trip because it's so close and I love the MET. Our kids will have a groovy time! Since it's so close and not too long of a trip, we're going to leave around 12pm What are we doing this morning? Playing with bubbles and preparing for the talent show!
 Yes, there's a talent show next friday August 5! It will be around 4 at p.s.183 most likely, but I'll keep you posted on the details!
  Stay cool and remember that sunblock!

Week 4!

Can you believe it's week 4 already? I can't believe we're in the middle of summer, how time flies.....
 Here is the schedule this week, don't forget that you can always pick up a hard copy at drop off tomorrow morning!
 Tuesday we're going to the MET and Thursday we're off to see the Yellow Brick Road. No classes on Friday because we're going to GOVERNORS ISLAND!! Yes, we had so much fun that we're going again! I missed out on the last trip so I can't wait to go this week!

 On Monday, 2nd&3rd grade and 4th&up have soccer, so on Monday make sure that your child comes to camp ready to run! We're also starting recycle sculpture on Monday and Wednesday. Allison's Learn to Draw class is moving on to Painting and Tim's Comic Book class is starting to compile the camp's work for an all camp comic book!! Anna Hawkins, our super Para Professional from Ella Baker, has some really groovy treats for us from Gift making class.
 Don't forget that our Intro to Ballet class has been moved to Mondays at 2pm. There are other classes in session during that time so if your child has no interest in Ballet, that's ok!
We had to say goodbye to some of our first campers this past week, and we'll miss them! Stay out of trouble and keep cool.
 I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents who read this blog, thank you thank you! We have a brand new video camera coming this week and I have a brand new MAC computer, so be sure to check the blog for sweet videos and pictures of our groovy kids! If I do a good job ( cross your fingers) maybe we could make an end of summer dvd of all the fun we had!
 See you soon!

Museum of Moving Images

Today is our big trip to Astoria, Queens to see the Museum of Moving Images. I love this museum, and I know the kids will really enjoy it. There are so many hands on activities for them to work with and lots of awesome movie making stuff. Did you know they have the model used for the big big building in Blade Runner? They also have the robot that was supposed to be the little girl in the Exorcist. Spooky. And I know I'm personally pumped for the Jim Henson exhibit. I am the biggest fan of the Muppets.
 Yesterday was great also! The pool was super warm and I was making real progress with a couple of kids. Soon everyone will be a mermaid or merman at Empire. We also had Kung Fu and Intro to Ballet yesterday. The Wrecks had their first Kung Fu session and loved it. They learned their elements and Maurice said they were great. The Ballet was fun to. Starting next week, Intro to Ballet will be on Mondays from 2-3pm. I'll be sure to mention to parents at drop off for the next two days.
 Thanks for making this an awesome camp and I hope to speak to you soon!

Another day!

Tomorrow is Wednesday! We'll be swimming, doing sculpture, painting, and yes, KUNG FU AND BALLET!.....now, I know what you're thinking, all this in a day camp and more?! It's true, not only are our counsolers totally awesome and fun, but all of the classes are groovy too!
 Today was a great trip to the Brooklyn Childrens Museum and everyone had fun. There were so many hands on activities for the kids to enjoy. I know Adam,the counsoler for the Wrecks, really liked the pizza parlor. I always say you're not working hard if enough if you're not having fun. Please make sure to pack your child's water bottle, maybe two, because we had at least 5 kids show up to camp without water bottles, and it was super hot out! I hope you're having a good summer because I know I am.
 Thanks for all of your help and I hope to see you soon!

Trip Day!

Another great day for a trip! Today we are going to the Brooklyn Children's Museum!

 Please please please remember to pack your child's swim cap on Monday,Wednesday, and Friday, it is very important that they wear a swim cap in the pool!

Week 3!

 Here we are in the middle of summer and there's no turning back!  This week we're going to the Brooklyn Children's Museum and on Thursday we're headed towards the Museum of Moving Images.
 Today the Wild Tigers, The Smurfs, and the Wrecks will be heading out to the pool super duper early to get as much time as possible in the pool.
 Feel free to email or call anytime if you have any questions!!

Updates!

The paper bag players were so fun! I personally have lived in NYC for 4 or 5 years and have never been to the New York public library on 42nd and 5th, and it was beautiful. We had a great time. When we got back the Smurfs and the Wrecks had a lego competition and the Wild Tigers finger painted a masterpiece.
 Tomorrow is a very important day. We're going to Governor's Island!!! We are leaving very very early so make sure to drop off your child before 9:45!!! It is a long trip so we are trying to get back to the school as soon as possible!! Our plan is to be back at school between 4-4:30, please understand we are going to try our hardest to stick to that. Make sure to pack a water bottle and sunscreen and I'll try to collect as many pictures as possible!!!
 Thank you so much for keeping up with the blog!
 Next week's trips are: Tuesday- Brooklyn Children's Museum
                                     Thursday- Museum of Moving Images
 Wednesday July 20 at 4pm will be our Intro to Ballet class and Friday will be Fencing!

Paper bag players and The Zookeeper!!

Oh boy what a great day we planned! First, in the morning, I want to get to know the kids better, so we'll have a little "mingle" game. Then, the Mini Giants and Wild Tigers ( prek/k and 1st grade) will go to the paper bag players! We're very excited to see this show. Since the show is intended for just the wee ones, our Smurfs and The Wrecks (2nd&3rd and 4th& up) are going to see The ZooKeeper.
 It's supposed to be nice out today so between 4-5pm we will be in the space between the school and the yard. Remember to pack a water bottle and that tomorrow we're going to Governor's Island. We have to leave very early for this trip so you must drop off your child before 9:45am!!!

Swim and Kung Fu!

Hello and Good Morning! Today we are going swimming and the prek/k and 1st graders will be having Kung Fu. It's not too hot out today, HOORAY! So from 4-5pm today we will most likely be in the space between the school and the yard. If there are any changes, be sure to check here!
 Please remember this is a peanut free camp. W do not allow any peanuts on site and if your child brings it, we have to take it away or wrap it up. We have several children highly allergic to peanuts and it is unsafe to have them on the premises. Also, please remember to pack water bottles! This is the most important part of camp!
 Thank you and have a sunny day!

Field Day

Today is our Field Day in Central Park. We're planning to meet with the downtown camp today and have some relay races, obstacle courses, and lots of fun! I know most of you will be reading this after you drop off your child, but please remember to pack your child a water bottle! We want to go outside more often, but it's hard to do so if kids don't have their own water bottle!
 Don't forget that on Friday we're going to Governor's Island! So your child has to be dropped off before 9:45am and must bring a water bottle.

Welcome to Empire Camp!

We are getting ready to enter our second week of camp and we couldn't be more excited! This week we will have our first field day in Central Park with the Lower East Side Camp.
 This Tuesday, the two camps will meet and compete for coolest camp through great group activites and lots of fun! If there's a tie, we'll have to meet again later in the summer!
 We also start Intro to Ballet this week. Grace will be teaching Intro to Ballet on Wednesday afternoons, make sure to come prepared with a leotard and shoes!
 On Thursday, the prek/k and 1st grade groups are going to the paper bag players, and the 2nd& up groups are going on their own adventure! Friday is our first trip to Govenor's Island! We'll be enjoying mini golf and bike rides! We have to leave super duper early for this trip, so be sure to drop your child off before 9:45am.
 Meet our groups! On our first day of camp we got to know each other and we let each group choose a name!
Prek/k- Mini Giants
1st Grade-Wild Tigers
2nd&3rd Grade- Smurfs
4th& up- The Rex
 When I start to talk about each group's awesomeness, I'll be referring to them by their new names!
 Be sure to follow this blog for any extra info on schedule changes, trip information, and anything else regarding our camp!