With fireworks and barbecues behind us Camp Leo returned into full swing friday, with a fraction of our normal campers. Fewer numbers didn't mean a boring day however, instead campers were greeted with a morning of international education and an afternoon of crazed yard games.
In art class Camp Leo experienced an introduction to one of the most popular folk games of Ghana, Obwasimisa. This game, loved by children and teenagers, is one that can be played almost anywhere. In Ghana the game is normally played with rocks, an abundant resource, and one that adds a sense of danger. For Camp Leo we played a much safer version: using our sneakers.
Once all the campers had their velcro shoes in a pair in front of them we began the game. The rules appear simple, passing and concentration seem to be all thats necessary. Yet, somewhere in this equation something always happens, and even when playing this game with adults it devolves into joyful chaos.
The rules are as follows: Each player/camper passes their pair of shoes to the next person in a counter-clockwise motion. The shoes are moved to the beat of a song sung in traditional Fante. Eventually someone will experience a pile-up and they will either sit out for a turn, or be the first in a game of intense elimination.
(For additional rules, and sound bites of the Fante, please use the link below)
With our game complete campers were ready to embark on our art project for the day. Today was another example of Camp Leo implementing YMCA values through art class. As mentioned earlier in June, the Y prides itself on upholding the four values of Caring, Honesty, Responsibility, and Respect. The days art project found itself somewhere in the middle of all of these.
When we go to recycle the basic pieces of trash in our home, newspapers, cans, plastic bottles. We are proud that we were able to help the environment. One of these things, plastic bottles, however has a secret. That is that the plastic cap is actually un-recyclable. One of the Lionville YMCA's leaders, Sean Hamilton, realized this and began a program to collect all the bottle caps. Within a few months jars in his office were overflowing. Recognizing that there was a hidden art project, and definite environmental learning opportunity, Camp Leo seized the challenge. Campers used paint, markers, and their imagination to decorate these individual canvases into a large mandala.
A mandala, or circle in Sanskrit, is a visual metaphor for the universe. The image, exclusively symmetrically, frequently involves four gates and several concentric circles. (Some examples can be seen below). The idea behind the creation of these complex images is that in the making, the individual, will remark on the environment and their place in it. With this in mind it became a perfect concept for an environmental art project.
Check out our final group projects!
Some Traditional Mandala Designs:
Traditional Mandala made from colored sand:
Ghanaian Rock Passing Game/Obwasimisa
http://teachingaboutafrica.com/African_Lesson_Plans/African_Ghana_Rock-Passing_Game.htmlSome other interesting ideas for bottle caps:
http://earth911.com/news/2009/01/07/want-to-know-where-to-recycle-your-bottle-caps/
Image Credits:
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/george/mandala/guhya4.JPEG
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