Fun in Fall!

Greetings Mariposa Community,

While the sun has started to set in the midst of program, we continue to find fun and exciting ways to spend our time at Mariposa Kids. In the last month for arts and crafts we made totem pole figures, pac man characters, and hand turkeys. For science we observed the eruption that occurs when you add Mentos to soda, and we saw who could launch marshmallows the furthest using catapults made from plastic spoons and popsicle sticks. Lastly, we munched on Jeremy's chili, chocolate covered bananas, and Mexican style pizza. All-in-all it was a great month full of laughter leaving us all with a lot to be thankful for.

-Mariposa Crew

Enjoying circle time with the Red Group.

Mentos and Soda was a big foaming success!

Making chocolate covered bananas.

About to enjoy their creations, bon appétit!

Enjoying some fresh air after a long day at school.

Enjoying some more of Jeremy's delicious cooking!

Being goofy while reading up on Zoology.

Recap of October at Mariposa

Hello again Mariposa Family,

October was a productive month at Mariposa Kids. During the past month we made dream catchers, mummies, witches, and pumpkin patches. We experimented with dry ice, balloon animals, silly putty, and pumpkin carving. We filled our tummies with personal pizzas, fruit parfaits, cupcakes, and homemade applesauce.

What better way to end the month than with a Halloween party! Special thanks to staff for their vision, creativity, and hard work that made the event possible. To all of the student that participated in building and operating the haunted house. Lastly to all the families who attended and brought a dish to share, especially those who participated in our spooky food contest! 

Here are some pictures that capture the fun that we have had this past month.

-Mariposa Crew          

Time Flys When You're Having Fun!

Hello Mariposa Family,

It is hard to believe that we are already 8 weeks into the school year! On behalf of the Mariposa staff I would like to thank you for your patiences and support as we have transitioned into the new year. Moving forward we will be publishing blogs monthly, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, here are pictures that highlight some of the fun we have had thus far:

Fall tree painting

Pizza Ninja and the Cookie Kid

Bon appetit!

Personal Pizzas!

Dry Ice Experiments

Cooking with Jeremy Moran

Story Time with Kayla!

Building a tower using paper, straws, pipecleaners, and q tips

Spaghetti and Marshmallow bridges 

Making Puppy Chow with DJ

Photo by Emma Chiang

Photo by Emma Chiang

Photo by Emma Chiang

Photo by Emma Chiang

Photo by Emma Chiang

A Year of Fun Awaits!

Dear Mariposa friends and families,

To our returning families welcome back and to our new family welcome! As the school year rapidly approaches we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the staff that will be working with your children. This year the staff consist of a lot of new faces. However, rest assured that all staff are very passionate and dedicated to providing your children with a safe place to grow, develop, and most importantly have fun!

Mariposa Kids 2015-2016 Staff:

Scott Naab

Director

I am orignally from Chelsea, MI. I have dedicated the seven years since graduating high school to gaining as much experience as possible working with youth. This journey has taken me across the country and abroad, working with a variety of organizations and youth of all ages. I recently graduated from University of California, Davis with a BS in Human Development. My goal as the director of Mariposa Kids is to cultivate a community environment and encourage the holistic development of each participant. 

David Rosa 

Recreation Leader 

Hello, my name is DJ. I am originally from Bristol, CT, but have been living in San Francisco for the last five years. I am currently enrolled at San Francisco State University as an English-Education major. After graduating from SFSU I plan to get my teaching credential and go on to become an English teacher. Before I started at Mariposa Kids, all my experience working with kids came from volunteer tutoring in Middle and High Schools all over San Francisco. I have really enjoyed the shift from this older age group to that of the elementary school level. This transition has provided me with a new and exciting challenge. In my free time I like to read, cook, and ride my skateboard. I am very excited to have this opportunity to be working with your children, and am looking forward to a fun and productive year.

Kayla Brault

Recreation Leader

I was born and raised in Bristol, CT,  I moved to San Francisco April 2014 . I originally started working as a youth volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in my hometown, which turned into full time employment after graduating from High School. My title was the Arts and Crafts Coordinator, along with after school homework help. I then transitioned to Whiz Kids Learning Center where I was a pre-school teacher for three years. Upon moving to San Francisco I have been a personal nanny for two wonderful families. I love to hike, bike, play tennis, basically being outside! I am very excited to start working with Mariposa Kids. I hope to bring out the creativity in all of our participants. 

Jordan Songey

Recreation Leader 

I am very excited for the school year to start! I love working with youth and playing sports. My favorite teams are the Raiders, Warriors and A’s.  Currently I am working on getting my Physical Education credential and one day would like to be a middle school PE teacher.  I look forward to introducing our participants to new games and activities, seeing them have a fun, and get physically fit. Please stop by and say Hi, cant wait to meet everyone!

Have a Great Summer!

Dear Mariposa Friends,

We can't believe that the school year is almost over!  Thank you so much for entrusting us with the care of your children, for your often kind words, your donations, for your understanding and valuing the Mariposa Program!  We could not have done it without you.

In this Blog you will mostly see photos from the April Art Show and the prep leading up to it.  You will also see some photos of visiting interns from Leah's Pantry who came three times in April to lead cooking projects and to teach us about healthy foods.  And of course there are also photos of kids in action just hanging out and being happy.

Be sure to see Paola to register for Summer Camp if you have not yet done so and remember to return your Re-Enrollment Forms for the 2015/16 school year.  These forms were placed in the sign-out binders in May.  If you are booked for summer, but your children find themselves missing Mariposa, don't forget that you can also stop by for our Saturday Morning Skateboard Sessions from 10am -Noon!

If you need anything over the summer, please email us at info@sfmariposakids.com

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful summer!

Chris and the Mariposa Crew

Art Show work begins...

Paola had a variety of amazing projects available for about six weeks leading up to the show.  Thank you!

A special thinking cap to get the creative juices flowing?

A lot of little fingers, hours and yarn went into the making of the giant "God's Eye" piece.

Good friends in action...

And back to the Art Show...

And finally, Showtime!  Thank you to everyone that came and purchased art pieces.  We raised nearly $500!

Aaron's band was here. Not only did they rock, they ruled by letting parents and kids use their gear for an ultimate jam session!

Healthy cooking with interns and Monica (Asha's Mom) from Leah's Pantry

This little guy hung out with us one day for about an hour.  It was kind of strange, but pretty exciting too!

Amelia's baby, Daisy is growing fast and everyone loves when she stops by.

We will miss you!