Joyworks!

Since Jessica is at Praiseworks this week (a worship arts camp for junior high and high school students held at my beloved alma mater, OBU), I thought this would be the perfect time to write about Joyworks, the same camp on a grade school level which I took 3 girls to during the last week of June. Three can be a difficult number for girls, but we had a WONDERFUL week! They got along great, and we did not have one milli-second of drama.

My favorite picture of the week

We were kept busy every minute of the day. The main emphasis of the camp is choir, because on the last day they present a concert for the parents.

This year's director was Steve Roddy, director of the Houston Children's Chorus which performs around the world and for presidents and Super Bowls and with Celine Dion and Josh Brolin. He was amazing. He had those kids in the palm of his hand from the moment they walked in the choir room. In 4 days he taught them to listen, watch, sing and pronounce words properly, stand and sit (and even bow) together, all with smiles on their faces.

Well, maybe they didn't smile all the time.

My girls also attended classes in sign language, visual arts, movement with dowel rods, tableaux, Orff instruments, and hymn stories.

They also attended worship in the morning and evening, and it was done so creatively this year. For instance, one night each of us was given a broken piece of tile to add to a mosaic--because He makes beautiful things out of us!

At worship

And of course we had time for lots of fun and silliness, with rec time and a talent show and just being together.

Mikayla presenting her art at the talent show. "This is an elephant. I made it in art class."

They snacked in the plaza every day.

Free swim!

Organized rec: water kickball!

Our dorm. And my silly daughter. :)

The smoke alarm went off (from hair spray and hair dryers, we were told) and we had to evacuate the dorm.

Thankfully, my Katie grabbed her umbrella, so we were safe...??



We had a scavenger hunt on the first night and a water fight on the last night.

Mikayla and Madison didn't participate in the water fight because they were exhausted...but not too tired to slip away for half-price shakes at Sonic!

 The final concert was amazing, as usual. I'm including a link to a short video even though it doesn't look very good, just so you can hear how beautiful it is. :)