Ruthie's 2nd birthday

Last week Ruthie was 2 and we celebrated with a party at the teamhouse. I don’t know who had more fun Ruthie and Emmy or the adults!! 

 
                 No more pictures please! Anyone would think it was my birthday or something!!

                                                           Let me concentrate!

                                                     Hooray, I'm finished!

                                                   You're never too young to serve.

                                                             What's in here?

                                                            Look what I got.

                                      

                                                             Big breath! Happy Birthday to me!

Back to school

October saw the start of our new school programme. This year I am teaching music at 2 orphanages, to 4 girls in the Girl’s Transition House Programme and changing nappies, feeding and cuddling babies at the baby hospital.

At the 2 orphanages, I have 7 general music classes, 18 instrumental pupils learning either, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and percussion aswell as a band. Two of the girls at the transition house are learning the flute and two are learning the piano and they all want to sing, so we are going to be learning some Christmas songs to perform at various places over the Christmas period.

                                           "Follow the instrument"

                                          Recorder class

                                          Brother and sister who just arrived last week

                                         Which one will you choose?

 

3rd saxophone lesson

                                          
                                           Music and movement

                                            2nd flute lesson

                         
                                            Which note is which?

                                               Learning a new song

Scotland trip

I have just been home to Scotland for a 10 day visit. The aim of this trip was to spend time with my parents and to relax. I caught up with some of my friends but, unfortunately there was not enough time to see everyone I wanted to, so if I didn’t get to see this time, sorry! However, I did manage very noisy overnight stay in the centre of Glasgow, a visit to Loch Lomond and a day trip to the beautiful island of Arran. Good memories.

                                                          On the Island of Arran

 

Loch Lomond

Music Camps

To finish off our summer camp programme, we had music day camps for the kids who are interested in learning to play band instruments after the summer. I had one on one time with each of the kids  trying out the instruments that they were interested in, to choose the right one for them.

We also had a 2 day music camp for the kids who are still at the orphanage and are currently in the music instrumental programme. Instrumentalists from 2 orphanages played in the band for the first time together.

Girly Camps

In addition to our day camps, I was involved with the girly camps. Again our theme was the Olympics, but we addressed issues that were relevant to the age and stage of the girls’ lives, concentrating on how God wants us to live and make good decisions.

We also had a lot of fun in our teams competing in games and quizzes and individually in dance competitions and making bracelets and other crafts.

Melting ice only using our bodies! Good job it was hot!

Putting a cut up banana back together using drawing pins!

 

"Just dance" competition!

We are the champions!

This summer, our theme for day camps was the Olympic Games. The 2 days were spilt into 3 sessions with the afternoon of day 2 allocated as pool time!

The 3 sessions were; “I am a good sport”, the lesson I taught about having a good attitude, session 2; “I am a champion” about running the Christian race and session 3; “I am forgiven”, about salvation and how to receive this prize.

Each session was packed with intersting stories, information and discussions and fun activities like crafts, songs, memory verse challenges and loads of games and as it was in the 90’s we had a lot of games involving water and water balloons!

At the opening ceremony, each orphanage was split into 5 countries - my team was Australia - we coloured in the flags, made up a team chant and paraded with the flags as we chanted - each team trying to chant chant louder than the team infront!!

 Being put into our teams!

 Making sport photo frames at one of the day camps.

 One of the fun games!

 He might Olympic gold at the games in 2016!

 Session one - Corni and I teaching the lesson on having a good attitiude.

 The first boy caught having a good attitiude got to hold the Olympic mascot for a while!

 More fun in the pool

 Boat races - come on teams!

 Bowling - good shot!

 Competition time - which team can put the memory verse in order first?

 Some of the finished photos frames

Our youngest competitor with his medal at the closing ceremony - too cute!

Winding down!!

June is the end of the school year and traditionally the time we are supposed to be winding down.

The band practiced frantically to perform at the end of school award ceremony, the older kids in music classes had a demonstration and a try of some of the band instruments that some of them will have the opportunity to learn after the summer. The younger kids had fun making and decorating a variety of musical instruments including, shakers and guitars out of elastic bands, empty tissue boxes and paper plates etc.  then the end of year parties began. The general music classes each had their parties with music games like musical statues and musical bumps etc. aswell as music board games like musical snakes and ladders and the band kids got to come to the teamhouse and have a pool and pizza party.

We also had a pool party for the older kids from the youth groups in the2 Bucharest orphanages and the orphanages for Rosiori De Vede.

 Our homemade guitars!!

 Musical bumps!!

 One of our musical board games

 Making tie - dye T shirts at the pool party!

 making beaded jewellery at the pool party!

Chaos in the pool - guess where?? You guessed it! The pool party