2018

DAY 5

Last Day of Summer Camp

This morning, we were all very sad to be attending the final day of camp with the scholars; since we will be leaving early tomorrow morning. We had a fun morning playing with the scholars and talking, and wish we could all go back tomorrow. We will be adding a link to the video of us at summer camp.

​Toddler Carnival

After our final day at summer camp we set up the carnival we planned for the toddlers on Monday. They did a scavenger hunt through shaving cream, played catch with water balloons, limbo, and more. They had a blast playing in the water and covering us in shaving cream.

​Activities with Natalie

Today we drove around different parts of southern St. Louis. We discussed and compared the differences between location, wealth, and neighborhoods.

Family Fun Night

This evening we went to Kingdom House to set up our Family Fun Night activities. The families enjoyed games like ring toss, bowling, guess what’s in the bag, and more. Some of us also served dinner to the families.

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DAY 4

Summer Camp

Today we played a lot of “down by the banks” with the scholars. We also earned a couple new chants during “cheers and chants” time. Along with that, Macy, Maddie, and Emma read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” aloud to the group.

Public Transportation Experience

The group needed to purchase supplies for the Family Fun Night and carnival. So, we headed to Walmart in our minivans. We purchased the supplies we needed and took public transportation on the way back. We took a city bus to the Metro. Then we took the Metro to Civic Center. Finally, after that, we took a bus that dropped us off near our housing. We actually ended up getting off the final bus because we thought it was the wrong one. But, we later realized that we were on the right bus. After 30 minutes in the St. Louis sun we boarded it again and headed home. We discussed the difference between using your personal vehicle  and public transportation and how it affects the community with Natalie.

​St. Louis Zoo

We voted on the St. Louis Zoo for our tourist event for the day. We saw rhinos, elephants, giraffes, and many more cool animals.

Care Kits for Mothers

After we ate dinner, we assembled care packages for new mothers. They included diapers and wipes that we purchased. The packages will be given out by the Kingdom House.

​Reflection

Every night we all do a reflection from the day. Today we Skyped with Mrs. Schuh and Mrs. Hoffman and shared our favorite activities from the week so far. After that, we all wrote in journals about what we are thankful for and things we've learned.

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DAY 3

Summer Camp

Today, we went to Freedom School to serve breakfast and read to the scholars. After breakfast, the ten of us kids read The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, to the kids at the summer camp. 

Gardening

After we finished at the summer camp, Natalie took us outside to the Kingdom House Gardens. We weeded, watered, and harvested the gardens. We collected fresh basil, beans, and kale for the Kingdom House Market.

Lunch with Bakers

After we finished with the gardening, we drove to a nearby bakery called Bridge Bread. Once we arrived the founder explained the history of the building and led us inside. All of the employees of Bridge Bread were homeless at some point of their life. The employees and ourselves enjoyed a meal that we made and discussed their past lives and other topics.

The City Museum

When we finished eating at the bakery we headed over to the St. Louis City Museum. Everyone had a ton of fun! Since it is hard to explain, here are some pictures to elaborate.

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​DAY 2

Summer Camp Jitters

In the morning, everyone headed over to Freedom School in Kingdom House. We ate and served breakfast with the scholars, the students at Freedom School. With our new friends we played some games; such as “tag” and “down by the banks”. After breakfast, we enjoyed cheers, chants, and a read aloud. One of our favorite parts of the morning was talking to the scholars and relating to them in ways we hadn't thought of.

Time with Natalie

Natalie is one of the program leaders that plans activities for us during our stay. She has been working with ACE since the program started. Natalie gave a quick tour of the school and the other programs offered by Kingdom House. After that, we did an eye-opening activity that showed how hard it is to get out of poverty. ​

Carnival Brainstorming

After lunch, we went to the computer lab offered by Kingdom House to brainstorm ideas for a family night and a kid’s carnival. Both of these events will be held on Thursday at Kingdom House. We were given partners to come up with an idea of a unique activity for each event.

The Arch

We drove to the St. Louis Arch and had blast exploring the Arch and building our friendships. It was by far a group favorite and there was a breathtaking view.

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DAY 1

​Heading To St. Louis

​    Sunday morning we all met at 8:15, loaded up the vans, and started our trip. On the way there some of us had to step out of our comfort zones and to get to know each other better. Eventually, we all started to bond and become closer friends. We asked many questions and played games; such as Heads Up and MASH. Our first stop was at McDonald’s to pick up Charlie, sadly the blender was broken, leaving many of us without valuable smoothies. We stopped at a rest stop a few hours later to grab a quick lunch. After lunch, the teachers had us switch up the cars. Three hours later, we arrived at Mr. Berendes’ choice of dining, Steak N’ Shake. We enjoyed some delicious burgers and shakes. About a half hour later, we arrived in St. Louis and received a quick tour of the facility from Dan, a program leader. We established a few rules and basics. After assigning jobs to each student, Maddie and Macy headed to the airport with Mr. Berendes to pick Mrs. Verhagen and go grocery shopping at a local grocery store. The rest of the students spent the night talking and hanging out, until they got back.