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Cicada Camp for Kids

Schrader Center Nature Educators Separate Cicada Facts from Fiction and Teach Kids What All The “Buzz” Is About

Most years as the weather warms, we look forward to spending time outdoors. This year is a bit different. The massive cicada brood that has been living underground for the past 17 years is hatching, filling the skies and trees and making a lot of noise.

For many, these red-eyed root suckers are the stuff of science-fiction nightmares. But for nature and science lovers, their appearance is a very interesting phenomenon and nature at its most wondrous.Cicada

We can learn a lot from these little bugs, says Alice Eastman, director of Oglebay Institute’s Schrader Environmental Education Center. That’s why she and her staff of nature educators are planning a special week-long camp focusing on these interesting creatures.

The Crazy for Cicadas Summer Nature Day Camp takes place June 13-17 for kids in grades 4-6 and aims to separate the facts from fiction.

“Since campers weren’t alive when these critters last emerged in our area 17 years ago, kids are naturally curious about them and are eager to find out what all the ‘buzz’ is about,” Eastman said. “This biological phenomenon can be seen, heard and felt and is a perfect opportunity to engage kids in the study of life cycles.”Cicada Camp at Schrader Center

Eastman concedes that loud buzzing can be annoying and the crunch of outer shells underfoot can be unnerving. “But most kids aren’t afraid of gross stuff,” she joked. “In fact, for some kids, the grosser, the better.”

The scientific name for the 17-year cicadas is Magicicada septendecim, which literally means “magic bug 17.” The name is fitting, Eastman says, because “the emergence of the periodic cicadas is one of the greatest spectacles of the insect world. It’s magical!”

Their life cycle is amazing and tragic. The periodical cicada begins life hatching from an egg attached in the bark of a tree and drops to the ground, where they burrow deep into the earth and live feeding on the juices from plant roots.  After 17 years of this, the nymphs emerge in tremendous numbers on warm spring evenings and climb to high places where they shed their shells, spread their wings and begin a new phase as flying insects. They sing, mate, lay eggs and die – all in the course of about six weeks. The entire population will be gone in a couple months.Cicada

Why do they spend so much time underground? How do they know when to emerge?

“There are many theories and evidence to support theories, but we don’t know for sure. The mystery and magic is part of the appeal and at the heart of scientific investigation,” Eastman explained. “Expect to see the largest emergence after the temperature gets above about 72 for a week. That means the soil temperature is in the mid-60s. Perfect for emergence.”

Children in the camp will explore these mysterious creatures and other insects by  looking for exoskeletons, eggs and adults, comparing cicadas to other insects, participating in cicada calling contest and maybe some cook-offs, but only if the kids are willing! They’re actually a great source of protein!

While you may be tempted to stay indoors during late May and June to avoid the cicadas, Eastman encourages you to get outside and observe their emergence, but do so without a leaf blower.

She avoids the term “invasion” because cicadas aren’t invaders.   “They are native, and they serve as a food source for fish, birds and snakes. They may be annoying, but they don’t really cause much damage. It’s recommended you wrap small shrubs and newly planted trees with netting until the cicadas are gone. Tiny thin branches are the best place for cicada eggs so mature trees will have no problem with the brood. They don’t destroy crops. They don’t bite or sting. However, be aware that when you mow your grass or use power tools outside, cicadas will think you are rather adorable and swarm you. Power tools make noise at the same frequency as cicadas looking to mate. While they are a powerful reminder of the endless cycles of nature, they won’t return until 2033.”

Cicada Camp at the Schrader Center
Oglebay Institute’s Schrader Environmental Education Center will host “Crazy for Cicadas” summer camp June 13-17.

Eastman encourages parents to teach children about this rare, natural phenomenon that is occurring in our area. “We hope to see lots of kids in our Crazy for Cicadas nature camp. For those who can’t attend, we hope they will learn more about these fascinating creatures at home.”

Here is a good resources where you can learn more: http://www.magicicada.org/magicicada_2016.php.

 

 

 

Art Classes at OI Lead to Summer of Fun

Children Explore Aboriginal Dot Painting, Paper Quilling, Navajo Weaving and More in Art Classes at OI

Andy is sitting across the table from me, and I have to give him credit: he’s the only kid in this class whose mother is beside him. In another two years he’ll probably be mortified to be seen in public with me, but for now, at this wonderful age of nine, he enjoys my company. I’m here with him to observe his participation in one of the many art classes offered at Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center.

Arts & Crafts Around the World, taught by Jes Reger, meets on Monday evenings for six weeks during the spring session of art classes. I’ve recently noticed that Andy has an affinity for art, so I’ve signed him up for a class that will allow him to explore a variety of techniques. Sometimes he likes to draw; other times he prefers painting. This class, in particular, gives him the opportunity to create unusual art from different cultures, pieces that he might not otherwise be exposed to.Oglebay Institute art classes for kids.

Miss Jes starts the first week with aboriginal dot painting, but it’s the second week when Andy really finds his stride. They’re paper quilling, an art form that originated with monks and nuns during the Renaissance. The kids use rolled strips of paper to create designs, and the technique requires a bit of manual dexterity. Andy spends the class creating an underwater scene, paying special attention to his crab and jellyfish. Other children create trees, flowers, and animals. In the coming weeks, Miss Jes will introduce her students to Navajo weaving, Mexican repujado metal art, and Japanese sumi-e ink wash painting.

After the first few sessions, my son asks me if he can continue to take these kinds of art classes. We’ve always enjoyed tumbling at Oglebay Institute’s School of Dance, and now that he has grown into a human with the ability to sit still for more than thirty seconds at a time, I’m excited to let him explore the art classes and other offerings at Oglebay Institute.Oglebay Institute art classes for kids.

Fortunately, Andy won’t have to wait until the fall session to continue. With the arrival of summer comes OI’s summer day camp program. Camps are offered not only in art but also in nature, theater, music, and dance, and these categories should cover just about anything your child might be interested in. I remember taking an art camp every summer at Stifel a generation ago. Today’s kids still have the chance to attend the Art Sampler camp, or Yay Clay!, both of which offer children a chance to explore things like painting, printmaking, drawing, and sculpture. But if your kids are anything like mine, they’ve also got more contemporary interests.

I’m talking about Minecraft. You’ve been listening to your rugrats chatter about it nonstop for quite a while, right? They’re completely obsessed. Thankfully OI offers a Minecraft camp where they can connect with other children who are equally obsessed. Similarly, young ones will find camps like Monster High, Hogwarts, Pokémon, Legos, and Dr. Who. This isn’t their mother’s traditional art camp any longer.

Young performing artists will enjoy camps at Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre like Tim Thompson’s Improvisation and Acting Camps. Walt Warren offers Musical Theater Camp and Children’s Chorus Camp. All of the performing arts camps conclude with a performance: a play, or a musical, or a fable. Dance camps cover everything from classic pointe to hip hop to acrobatics. I’m particularly intrigued by the Wizard of Oz Musical Camp led by Cheryl Pompeo and Kim Kafana.In addition to art classes and camps, OI offers topics in theater, dance, music and nature.

OI’s Schrader Environmental Education Center offers a nature camp series. Kindergarteners can participate in Superhero Science or Finding Nemo, among others; older children can go Crazy for Cicadas during this 17th year of the famous insects’ life cycle, or celebrate the world of Tom Sawyer’s imagination. OI offers camps for every age, from preschoolers to high schoolers.

We look forward to the arrival of the Oglebay Institute camp brochure each spring. In fact, my boys are so determined to attend area camps every week of the summer that I have to create a spreadsheet to keep track of it all. My younger son, Benjamin, jumps at the chance to attend Miss Jes’s Star Wars camp while Andy leans toward a week of pottery work. As of the writing of this blog, they still cannot decide which nature camps to attend. In fact, on the day when his brother was born, Andy spent the morning happily sifting through owl pellets at the Schrader Center. We have a long tradition of camp attendance.In addition to art classes and camps, OI offers topics in theater, dance, music and nature.

But here in Miss Jes’s art class, Andy is still focused on his paper quilling. By the second class, the students have become friends. They encourage each other and offer suggestions and enthusiasm. “We love your crab,” his new friends tell Andy. He beams.

“I’ll definitely be back,” he tells Miss Jes. “What else are you teaching?”

(Author, Laura Jackson Roberts)