What is SPLASH?
SPLASH is a summer day camp program that will help refugee and immigrant children between the ages
of 4 and 15 to prepare for the academic programs and social interaction that they will find themselves in during the
school year.
Registration for children is $10. Scholarships are available for those who cannot pay the fee.
Download Student Application
See our Goals and Objective as they are listed in our project proposal.
SPLASH Camp
SPLASH began in the hearts and minds of
Reformation Lutheran Church members during the summer of 2004. Members of Reformation, who now form the
SPLASH Task Force,
began looking at how they could make a difference in the lives of the Somali Bantu Refugees who were moving into their
community. They began a partnership with
Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas to begin a summer program for refugee children. The first camp, in the summer of 2005, proved to be very successful. Now,
SPLASH Camp has evolved to include refugee and immigrant children of all nationalities.
Sponsors of SPLASH 2008
- Reformation Lutheran Church
- Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas
- Midlands Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
- SC Department of Education
- SC Department of Social Services Summer Food Program
- Newberry College
- Student Body of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
- ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Domestic Hunger
- SC Synod ELCA Endowment Fund
- LTSS Auxiliary
- Ryan's
- Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia
- Manantial de Vida, Columbia
- Good Shepherd Lutheran
- Pisgah Lutheran
- Earlewood Baptist Church
- St. Andrew's Lutheran
Goals and Objectives of SPLASH
Goal #1 To reduce the degree of illiteracy in refugee and immigrant school-aged children using direct teaching
instruction, book work and computer software.
- Objective #1.1- Children will strengthen fine motor skills by playing with
manipulatives so that they can correctly hold a pencil and that their age appropriate handwriting is legible.
- Objective #1.2- Students will name the letters of the alphabet by looking
at uppercase and lowercase letters in and out of order.
- 4 year olds will be able to recognize the letters in their name and 5 additional letters.
- 5 year olds will be able to recognize the letters in their name and 10 additional letters.
- 6-15 year olds will be able to recognize all of the alphabet.
- Objective #1.3- Children will be able to count orally to a level determined
by their ages.
- 4 year olds will be able count to 20.
- 5 year olds will be able to count to 50.
- 6-8 year olds will be able to count to 100 as well as skip counting by 5, 10, and 20.
- 9-11 year olds will be able to count to 100 as well as skip counting by 2, 5, 10, and 20.
- 11-15 year olds will be able to count to 100 as well as skip counting by 2, 3, 5, 10, and 20.
- Objective #1.4- Children will identify the written numbers and will count
out objects to match that number.
- 4 year olds will be able to identify up to 10.
- 5 year olds will be able to identify up to 20.
- 6-8 year olds will be able to identify up to 50.
- 11-15 year olds will be able to identify up to 100.
- Objective #1.5- Children will follow along during reading to improve
tracking skills - reading from left to right.
- Objective #1.6- Each child will check out and return in good condition at
least two books from the SPLASH library during the summer months.
- Objective #1.7- Each child will have at least 10 hours of supervised
computer time to use the learning software on the available computers at a level appropriate for their ages.
Goal #2 To provide refugee and immigrant school-aged children with a safe and inviting learning environment
- Objective #2.1- Children will be well supervised through having a trained
staff with the ratio of adults to children being 1:6.
- Objective #2.2- We will be providing a visually stimulating learning
environment by posting charts, posters, brightly colored pictures and various other learning visuals.
- Objective #2.3- A volunteer who is trained as a Mental Health counselor
will be available weekly to assist the children to assimilate emotionally and socially.
Goal #3 To encourage refugee and immigrant school-aged children to use their speaking vocabulary and their conversation skills.
- Objective #3.1- Children will learn the English words for 25 common
household objects. These words will be chosen based on
the ages of the children.
- Objective #3.2- Children will identify and name important vocabulary like colors, shapes, parts of the body.
- Objective #3.3- Children will engage in conversation using English with
the teachers and other students on a daily basis.
- Objective #3.4- Children will interact with English speaking children in a social setting.
Goal #4 To effectively use volunteers as a major factor in helping refugee and immigrant school-aged children.
- Objective #4.1- To recruit 40 volunteers from both Richland One School
District and from Richland Two School District to assist with the SPLASH Camp.
- Objective #4.2- To recruit 10 undergraduate students and 5 graduate students from the local universities to become volunteers in our SPLASH Camp program.
We will especially encourage master level students in collaboration of research and study of the refugee and immigrant school-aged children.
- Objective #4.3- To recruit 20 volunteers from the general community base.
- Objective #4.4- To provide a 4 - 6 hour long training program that will equip, and empower our volunteers to work with this special population of children.
- Objective #4.5- To retain at least 50% of our local summer volunteers to continue volunteering through the 2006- 2007 school year.
- Objective #4.6- To have 20 volunteers commit to at least 5 consecutive days.
Methodology
The primary methods for achieving the goals and objectives of the Project will be:
The creation of a summer program that provides school aged children with a safe place to go where they will continue to learn ESL and basic Math skills as well as continue to develop their social skills.
The development of a recruitment program to enlist qualified teachers and graduate students to participate in the program as well as a means of offering training and a supervised practicum for those involved.
SPLASH CAMP