MONKIDZ – SUMMER CENTER

THEME WEEKS: Theater • Olympics • Master Chef • Pirate Party • Magic Show • Yogando

🧘THE YOGA AND WELLNESS WEEK
Doing yoga is good and fun at the same time!

Children don't perceive asana as heavy physical activity because the lesson is structured in the form of a game. In fact, yoga for children is also called Lila yoga, the Sanskrit feminine noun līlā means "game", "distraction", "pastime" and this is why the activity must be proposed and experienced just like a game. Already from the names of the positions, yoga for children can be captivating, in fact there are many asanas that take their cue from elements existing in nature, such as animals or trees. The yoga teacher, therefore, uses this pretext to add value to the practice, thanks to the always effective concept of identification.

Martha Gabrieli, our teacher, offers us the activities and shapes them according to the group of children and teenagers that is created, bearing in mind various factors, including the predisposition of the young participants, at that precise moment, to do certain types of exercises. Of course, we always start with an initial warm-up phase, followed by a series of games (also to be practiced in teams or in pairs). Often music is used, storytelling and coloring mandalas, at the end of the activities the teacher introduces a moment of relaxation. Yoga for children is also increasingly recommended by doctors and paediatricians, to stabilize psychophysical conditions and to develop cognitive and social skills.

🤺 SPORT WEEK AND MINI OLYMPICS
Ready to go and goaaa!!!

The Olympic Games as we know them were born in Athens in 1896 and are based on classical tradition. In ancient times they were of such importance as to even suspend any war in progress during the period of their development. The Olympic Games of the modern era, on the other hand, are an opportunity for athletes from five continents to meet and exchange ideas, five circles that come together to give life to a flag that represents the universality of the Olympic spirit. Also driven by the difficult period we are experiencing, the summer center offers its participants a path with sport and free time at the center. 

Through creative workshops and motor games, we will try to recreate a mini-Olympics to spread the Olympic ideals of loyalty, respect for the rules and for the opponent, which are also very useful in everyday life.

Mini Olympics to get to know the world and to promote the culture of sport in children, to develop knowledge, skills and competences both from a physical-intellectual and social point of view. The proposed motor activities stimulate knowledge of the disciplines of athletics and their rules. Games include fast and steeplechase, high and long jumps, ball throwing and relay races. Tournaments, team games, water games and have fun!!

🎶 MUSIC WEEK 
We dance and sing, then Musica maestro! 

Music is a revelation, higher than any wisdom and any philosophy” Beethoven claimed that music made his life. And, if we start right from this maxim, we easily understand the importance that participation in a musical workshop for children can have which – from infancy – can be considered a preparatory and fundamental tool that contributes to the cognitive, motor and emotions of the little ones.

Precisely for this reason, musical activities and games for children are essential for their growth and perfectly fulfill the task of guaranteeing the maximum expression of personality and creativity. The possibility of "strumming" an instrument acts as an important stimulus to improve some aspects of the character, to increase attention span and concentration. Furthermore, musical activities for children are of particular importance also because they are part of socialization processes.

The main objective is to play with music, in fact the game is the main educational vehicle together with singing, movement and the use of simple educational musical instruments. We will discover and enter the complex and fascinating world of sounds and music, to familiarize ourselves with the fundamental elements of musical language and its instruments. To encourage an active, critical and creative attitude through the global involvement of the child: intellectual, psychomotor, emotional aspects. Help improve self-awareness and relationships with peers.

Simple dances, group dances and karaoke sessions suitable for the age of the children will be proposed, which can sometimes involve singing and gestures. Particular attention will be given to creativity and game-learning.

❓THE PUZZLE WEEK

Since ancient times brain teasers and riddles have helped us to learn mathematics and logic and, at the same time, entertained. it is amply demonstrated that puzzles not only serve to distract themselves but also to keep the mind in exercise and to stimulate creativity because they require

concentration but at the same time solicit a feeling of fun and escapism which, in turn, makes you brighter. Puzzle games have never ceased to fascinate because they are a useful and fun hobby, an ancient pastime that tests the ability to reason, the promptness and intuition of those who are called to solve it. Examples are riddles, rebuses, anagrams, crosswords, puzzles, optical illusions, Rubik's cube and Mahjong.

Why the puzzle themed week? In addition to being a fun pastime, puzzles are good for the mind, especially that of children, because they promote the development of some cognitive skills. The puzzle, for example, is a game that can help even the youngest children focus on pursuing a goal because it flatters with the satisfaction felt in solving it. It also encourages them to develop the ability to move in space, to distinguish shapes and to understand the arrangement of objects in the environment. We conclude by recalling an important teaching provided by puzzles, namely that you need patience, time and even some mistakes to get to what you want.