Summer Program
The Teddy Bear Club French Summer Sports Program is designed for children ages two to six. Our program provides either an introduction to, or a continuation of French, while allowing the children to participate in a wide variety of activities as well as sports including basketball, kickball and soccer.
French is taught communicatively and in situations relevant to the lives of our young children. Sports activities are introduced to the children through half-hour workshops three times a week.
A typical day consists of a combination of structured and unstructured activities built around a daily theme. A calendar with a brief description of our daily themes is provided at the beginning of each session. The Teddy Bear Club program’s design and schedule is created according to the age and the developmental level of each group.
Summer Program Objectives
- Promote a safe, nurturing and friendly environment.
- Provide a positive and memorable experience for all of our children.
- Encourage friendship building and emphasize group/team involvement.
- Foster self-esteem, pride and well-being through daily accomplishments.
- Stimulate the children’s natural curiosity for exploration and discovery.
- Help the children develop an appreciation and respect for nature.
- Develop strong motor skills and overall coordination through physical and athletic activities.
- Improve fine motor and other basic skills through a variety of art and language learning activities.
- Teach French through enjoyable interactive activities.
- Promote an awareness and acceptance of other cultures.
- Make learning fun through active participation.
Staff
The Teddy Bear Club’s summer camp features the same teachers as our academic year program. TBC’s staff is composed of experienced, mature, responsible and dedicated teachers who are trained in both early childhood education and French, and who truly enjoy working with young children. Our staff members are bilingual, and many of them come to us from French-speaking countries such as France and Canada. Each staff member is certified in First Aid and CPR. Click here to meet our staff!
Activities
The following activities, designed to meet the developmental needs of each group, are part of a typical day at The Teddy Bear Club:
Arts & Crafts
Art activities encourage self-expression and imagination. The children will participate in the following arts and crafts activities during the summer: drawing, painting, collages, beads, leatherworking, ceramics and woodworking. These activities may relate to a target vocabulary word, a daily theme or a cultural element.
Athletics
Elementary instructional basketball, kickball and soccer sessions are introduced to the children. Each session stresses positive reinforcement, teamwork, and encouragement. The ultimate goal is to build the self-confidence of each student, make sure all participants stay active and have fun in the process.These athletic activities are held three times a week and last about 30 minutes per group. Sessions involve stretching, agility movements, balance work, verbal and non-verbal communication skills, listening and memory recall abilities, motor skills and overall coordination. The children will be taught these new skills by coach Micah Hauben and his assistant coaches. Micah is the Athletic Director of the Needham Public Schools and has coached sports to preschoolers and elementary school-age children for many years.
Basketball
The children learn the very basics of basketball including seated and stationary ball-handling, seated and standing dribbling, defense, passing, and shooting. All equipment used is adapted to the heights of our children.
Kickball
The children have a chance to learn the fundamentals of kickball, including becoming comfortable with the ball and the general rules of the game. Proper techniques for kicking, basic base-running concepts (direction, timing, and ways to score), pitching (involving rolling the ball to classmates and coaches at different distances away and at different paces), and general fielding techniques are introduced.
Soccer
The children are exposed to the very basics of the sport of soccer, including footwork and proper foot placement, ball-control, dribbling with the left and right foot, defensive positioning and general spacing, passing, shooting, and goal tending.
Performing Arts
Creative Movement
The children explore movement and dance using imagination, instruments, songs, and stories from different cultures.
Drama
The children are introduced to traditional French and English songs related to our daily themes. Musical activities may also include marching in a “band” while playing musical instruments. A few of our drama activities include acting out short stories, putting on puppet shows or improvising a role based on our daily theme.
Cultural
Cultural Activities
The children are introduced to a variety of typical French games and songs on a daily basis. The last day of each two-week session includes a culture capsule activity, where the children may either celebrate Bastille Day, buy food at a marché, go to a café, a pâtisserie or a musée, or walk down a street in Paris.
French Workshop
Children with no previous exposure to French will be introduced to our language activities at a beginner level. Children with prior French experience will be exposed to more challenging activities based on their language skill. French sessions consist of daily target vocabulary words which are introduced communicatively through interactive workshops using props, rhymes, books, worksheets and group games. Emphasis is placed on auditory comprehension and oral production.
Nature & Science
Nature hikes around the playground, including the observation and identification of plants and animals, typify our nature program, which is designed to help the children develop an appreciation of our natural world. Special recycling projects for environmental awareness may also be featured in this module.
Outdoor Play
Outdoor play structures, sandbox and water tables are available to all children. Organized cooperative games directed in both English and French provide an opportunity to develop efficient body and spatial awareness, as well as foster positive social interaction.
Programs & Enrollment
Session Dates & Information
Both half-day and full-day sessions are available. Only children over the age of three may enroll in the full-day sessions. Children may be enrolled for any or all of the following three sessions or for any combination of sessions that may or may not be consecutive. The minimum enrollment is one session. Session dates are as follows:
Dates
Session 1
June 23 to July 3*
Session 2
July 7 to July 18
Session 3
July 21 to August 1
* Please note that we are closed on Friday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
Hours
Morning Session
8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Afternoon Session
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Full-day Session
8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The full-day session is only available to children three years old and over.
Additional information about specific drop-off and pick-up schedules for each session will be sent to parents in early June with the Parent Handbook.
Early morning drop-off is available daily starting at 8:30 a.m., à la carte. Early drop-off is $10 per morning, billed at end of the week.
Fee Schedule
Two Year Olds
Half Day: $1,000
Three Years and Older**
Half Day: $950
Full Day***: $1,900 for sessions
** Children must be three years old by June 1.
*** Children must be three and a half years old by June 1.
Tours
Tours are available by appointment. The Teddy Bear Club is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please call 617-332-1611 or click here to schedule a tour.
Application
Click here to download a PDF of our summer program application.