ART PARTY CAMP   May 24-28 (sign up for the week or for one or more days) • ages 2-7 with their parents • cost $175; 2nd child $150; per day cost $40/child/day

Camp Hours: 9am - 2pm
Annual Registration Fee waived for all Art Party campers

This fabulous Spring day camp for the youngest campers and their parents (or other special adult) will involve partying with art all week long! Louise will be setting out a spectacular array of visual art explorations each day and will be joined by creative movement, nature explorers, and music artists for an all around fun time. In Louise's art class come ready to finger paint; mix together colorful slime; play in shaving cream; draw with pastels, colored chalk, and other medium; learn to embroider on burlap or sew your own stuffed animal; make your own toys, and so much more! When you meet our guest artists bring your voices and bodies to the tumbling, dancing, singing chorus of activity! Much of the day will be for adults and children to share in creating together. Each afternoon we will offer an hour long workshop with our guest artists that will be specifically for the creative exploration and rejuvenation of the adults while other artists and camp counselors work with the children. Singing Games provide a lively morning circle and our day ends with a closing circle and story told by Louise. The schedule of Guest Artists is as follows:

Monday- Kathleen Hannan, wonderful singer! "Kathleen Hannan makes music that makes community!" Sarah Palmer, NC Independent. Kathleen is a favorite of ours at Art Party Camp!

Tuesday- Teli Shabu is originally from Liberia and performs with his families company "The Magic of African Rhythm." He brings songs, stories, and instruments from African Traditions. Teli Shabu

Wednesday- Ruth Pershing, singing games and dances! Ruth calls silly, sweet, traditional singing games and dances for the whole family!

Thursday- Jaime Powell, yoga for all ages! Jaime is a holistic personal trainer, a life coach, a musician, and yoga teacher!

Friday- Aya Hope, African dance and creative movement! Aya performs with The Magic of African Rhythm and has taught many times here at Clapping Hands Farm. 

TOYS & GAMES CAMP     June 28-July 2 • AGES 7-13 • cost $250

Lead Teachers: Jan Burger & Louise Omoto Kessel

A joyous week of pure summer fun! Come join Jan Burger the KING of PLAY! for a week of romping and running and creative cooperative games, along with some traditional favorites (yes! Capture the Flag!) Louise will lead the Toy Making workshop! Your children will spend the week entertaining themselves and one another using simple materials and raw imagination! No electronic or store bought games allowed! Parachutes, trouble dolls, stomp rockets, origami toys, kites and hula hoops are all on the list of possibilities for the toy making workshop. AND Louise is also collecting an array of counselors and a guest artist or two who will bring us toys and games from various points on the globe and some "science talk" explaining how the toys work! 

> MORE Toys & Games photos

AFRICAN ARTS / THEATRE ARTS CAMP    July 12-16• for ages 7-13 • Cost $250

Lead Teachers: Teli Shabu,  Tarish Pipkins and Susette Spivey

Drummers: Lamar Lewis and Elisha Harris

During this week of exploring both Theatre Arts and African Arts traditions we work as a camp to bring an African folk tale to life!

Teli Shabu is a camp favorite here at Clapping Hands Farm and we are delighted to have him returning this summer.  Originally from Liberia, Teli Shabu comes from a performing family and is a wonderful storyteller and musician. Tarish Pipkins  is a puppeteer and visual artist who recently performed with Paper Hand Puppet Intervention's "Love and Robots" production. We are excited to have him with us for the first time and to include some marionette building and puppets into our production. Lamar Lewis and Elisha Harris have been drumming for our African Arts Camp since 2004 and we are thrilled to have them back this year! 

I absolutely LOVE the way our theatre camps pull the entire camp community into a creative happy chaos of preparation for the "big show!" The performance pressure is good creative FUEL! And the team work involved inspires all that is BEST about summer camp magic! Pulling a show together provides plenty of options for both performance, music, visual arts, and "behind the scenes" roles. ("Non-performers" are welcome to be part of this!) The sweat and creativity that goes into pulling a production together in five days time is exciting and the results have been wonderful to watch as well! (Parents will have a chance to enjoy the show at our Friday night potluck and sharing!)

>MORE African Arts Camp photos

EXTRAVAGANZA CAMP     July 26-30 • for ages 10-16 • cost $250

(a variation on the Anything Goes Camp that we've had in the past!)

Lead teachers: Louise Omoto Kessel and a stunning array of Clapping Hands Farm favorites, different guests each day!

This week for older campers will provide a fabulous array of favorite camp guest artists (two guest artists per day most days!) and involve campers in a big variety of experiences in the morning workshops each day. The complete schedule should be ready very soon, but here is a list of guest artists/activities that are likely to be part of this wonderful week: capture the flag, drawing from nature, archery, animal tracking, painting with acrylics, felting, nature art, art art art of many kinds, fiber arts (sewing, knitting, crochet, weaving), theatre games, drumming, cooperative games, juggling and MORE!

> Photos from the Anything Goes Camp