Clapping Hands Farm - an arts and nature summer day camp program in Chatham County, NC.

SUMMER CAMP HOURS: The camps run from 9 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours on FRIDAYs when we have a potluck and sharing with family and friends! On Fridays parents come at 5 with a potluck dish, we share some of our work with you and then enjoy a potluck dinner together.

REGISTRATION: Please call or email Louise requesting the camps you wish to attend. Louise will pencil you in to those camps, provided there is space for your child. Please understand that I do work to achieve a balance of cultures, genders and ages with in each camp week. THEN please visit the Register page. Print out, fill out, and send in forms with payment. (NOTE: The 2009 forms might not be ready for a few days, bear with me! )

FEES: Camp Fees include the camp fee listed for each camp PLUS a $25 registration fee PER FAMILY once per summer.

Registration fee is waived for anyone who sends in their full payment and ALL camp forms with in TWO WEEKS of registering.

Any family signing up for 2 or more camps will receive a discount of $15/camp.

Early Bird Registration for Returning Campers with all camp fees and form received before April 1 will give you a $25/camp discount.

Families in need of financial assistance should contact Louise to inquire about scholarships.

ART PARTY CAMP May 18-22 (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
Early Bird discount when your payment and forms are received before May 1: $25/child/week; $5/child/day.
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. Schedule of Guest Artists will be finalized soon!

> MORE Art Party Camp photos

TOYS & GAMES CAMP June 29-July 3 • 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!

> MORE Toys & Games photos

AFRICAN ARTS / THEATRE ARTS CAMP July 13-17 • for ages 7-13 • Cost $250

Lead Teachers: Aya Hope (formerly Stephanie Hope) & Teli Shabu
Guest Artists: Susette Spivey, Adinkra Stamping
Drummers: Lamar Lewis, 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!

We have a team of Clapping Hands Farm FAVORITES gathering for this week! Originally from Liberia, Teli Shabu comes from a performing family and is a wonderful storyteller and musician. Aya Hope has danced with Chuck Davis' African American Dance Ensemble and with The Magic of African Rhythym, she is a wonderful teacher and will be co-directing our 'big show" along with Teli. Susette Spivey will be back, sharing the art of Adikra Stamping. . . a West African textile decoration tradition. We will use these beautiful, meaningful, symbols to decorate costumes for our show and our clothes and other projects for fun! 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 am still confirming a VISUAL artist to work with us in producing scenery, props and costumes for our play.

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 whole "show" 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 27-31 • 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