I am just so excited to start planning Fairy Camp this year! Last year was so much fun for me, our family, and the kiddos who joined us.  The great thing is that this year I am getting it out there earlier, so I hope to attract plenty of little fairies for this magical week of fairy yoga, fairy games, fairy crafts, fairy cooking, and basically all things fairy!  I am working on a special fairy garden that will be the perfect place for outdoor fun and learning.  This year camp will run Monday - Friday to allow for 5 half days of fairy fun!  Dates are July 15-19-- 9 am-12 pm.  Click here for more information and click here to register now! 

So, last week I spent two days completing a neuroscience training for my OT continuing education, and an additional 18 hours over the weekend at a Childlight Yoga and Mindfulness training!  I learned a lot of new tips and tricks as well as an awesome refresher on how the human nervous system works.  The neuroscience course absolutely complemented the yoga course and vice versa. In fact, one of the best strategies to help kids with self regulation and sensory modulation is - you guessed it, yoga!  Yoga, a powerful cocktail of physical exercises, breath work, and mindfulness, is certainly a valuable tool to teach our kids that they can use throughout their lives. At its most basic level, yoga calms an overactive sympathetic nervous system so that our fight or flight mechanism is not being overused.  Yoga provides calming sensory input through the proprioceptive (muscles & joints) and vestibular system (inner ear receptors).  It builds body awareness and core muscle strength, self control, and awareness of the most automatic bodily functions - breathing.  Known as the "eighth" sense, interoception is our perception of the inner workings of the body.  Some children are particularly sensitive to this (may feel full after eating only a small amount for example), while others seem unaware (such as not realizing they need to use the bathroom until the last minute or having accidents). When we feel emotions, our body senses these through physical symptoms such as stomachache, heart racing, etc. Yoga can help balance this awareness so the child can interpret sensations appropriately.  

Kids' yoga classes are quite different than adult classes in structure, but very similar in function -- that is, to relax, to build strength, to gain flexibility, and to become a form of self-care for the person practicing.  Yoga classes give a sense of community and connection, but without the competitive nature prominent in most children's activities.   Classes are designed for the child's developmental level, and can begin as early as infancy with parent-baby classes.  At Katiedyd, yoga will be an integral part of each camp.  Classes will also be offered in the near future!  

This time of year I really start to pine for those lazy summer days, blue skies, sunshine and, yes, even the humidity here in Maryland!  This summer I am especially excited because I have a couple of fun vacations planned, and for the most part, I will be home with my kids. IN CAMP at Katiedyd!! Over the summer, I always help my husband out with his business as a strength conditioning coach, and the last summer I had the pleasure of working at an awesome HUGE pediatric therapy clinic that my amazing PT friend opened.  I will probably help them out this summer as well, but if the stars align, my passion of giving kids the opportunity to experience a magical summer camp will also come true!  I have shared this idea and dream with many people over the past few months, and I keep hearing the same thing-  "Wow, we really need this around there. Wow, there are not enough options for kids with special needs!"  So I have taken a step, a leap, into the unknown of doing something "myself"....  Merging my passion for working with kids with my passion for yoga, nature, and creativity to offer something to both my family and our community. Whether your child has special needs or whether you are looking for something a little different for your child this summer, please consider Katiedyd 4 Kids Summer Camps!! Take that leap with me and give your child a super fun and enriching week (or weeks!) Meet and greet to come, in MAY!  

This reminds me of a lazy summer day a couple of years ago! 

Kids will experience the great outdoors in unique ways in this imaginative and creative half day camp!  Nature explorers is offered for 4-7 year olds, and will include age appropriate exploratory activities including scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, simple map making, woodland creature activities including a puppet show, and bugs/butterflies activities.  Simple STEM activities to encourage hands on learning and creation will be explored!  Nature creators is offered for 6-12 year olds and will involve map making, treasure hunts, obstacle courses,  creating a nature documentary movie and amazing STEM-inspired nature crafts!  In both camps, kids will express themselves in art projects with natural materials, as well as participate in a daily yoga class with nature themes including weather, animals, water, and plants.  Kids ages 6-12 can stay for an extra hour to experience Strength Camp with Explosive Strength and Speed on site in the large gym, rotating through fun, age appropriate stations to build upper body, lower body and core muscle strength!  Click here for registration form! 

What could be better?! Send your little (or not so little) fairy to create and learn only as fairies would! Fairy Dusters Camp  is offered for 4-7 year olds, while Fairies & Folklore will be more fun for 6-12 year olds.  Expect a little bit of fairy magic, fairy-themed crafts, fairy yoga, fairy drama, and outdoor fairy nature fun!  The younger fairies will enjoy a special lunch bunch for the last half hour of camp including a special fairy-themed snack that they will help to make. Parents can send a lunch as well if preferred.  The older fairies will dive deeper into fairy legends as they create drama, experience the graceful side of yoga, create fairy houses and more amazing fairy DIYs, and, of course, experience fairy magic in the forest!   Dates for Fairy Camp are 7/30-8/2-- check it out and register here! 

At Yoga Warriors Camp, kids will experience a daily yoga class inspiring strength, confidence and bravery to tackle any challenge that comes their way. Activities will focus on developing self confidence, social skills, self-regulation skills, and self expression. Kids will perform role plays/dramatic enactments, create a warrior/superhero project, and practice ways to harness their energy and power in the natural world.  Kids will experience "old fashioned" games that develop patience, self control and delayed gratification. Along the way, kids will not miss their video games and time will fly while they are having fun!  The little ones with shorter attention spans can experience a condensed version of this camp in Yoga Ninjas, a one hour class offered for 4-7 year olds, 4 days in a row (camp style!).  The Yoga Warriors, ages 6-12, can extend their day by adding lunch bunch and a special 1.5 hour Basketball Camp offered in conjunction with Explosive Strength and Speed onsite!  

 At Nature Kids Camp, kids will experience hands-on learning with plants, insects, worms, and flowers. They will have opportunities to pick wild berries, explore a stream, take nature hikes through the woods, and go on scavenger hunts. Kids will make a nature journal, create a habitat to take home, and use natural materials to build a bug hotel, mud pies, and more!  Each day will include a nature themed yoga class.  Sign up for morning only, afternoon only, or add lunch bunch to stay all day for both sessions! Afternoon sessions will also include mindfulness training, nature obstacle courses, nature art, and growing an herb garden.  Click for registration form to Sign up now!  Camp dates are Monday-Thursday July 9-13.  Morning session runs from 9:00-12:00, afternoon session from 1:00-4:00.  Lunch bunch is offered from 12:00-1:00- send a packed lunch! Lunch bunch includes free play, extra time to work on a project, or group games.