Camp Oonie Koonie Cha

Specialties

Camp OKC is an early childhood music camp that blends a variety of musical experiences with art and instrument construction, science experiments, dramatic play, storytelling, and a final performance into one amazing week. Creative hands-​on activities are designed to engage the whole child in an unforgettable camp experience. It is a well organized camp with a low student/​teacher ratio of 8:1.

Camp OKC leaders are professional musicians, scientists and educators. The leaders in Boulder are: Amy Haywood, Kelye Lotz, Susie Adams, Mike Wideburg and Laura Nordson.

Camp is Monday-​Friday from 9am — 12:30pm. It is offered the first three weeks in June.

History

Established in 2001.

Camp Oonie Koonie Cha started in Winston-​Salem, NC by five Musicare teachers. The five taught Musicare, a pre-​school music program during the academic year and wanted to offer an in-​depth summer camp that took a theme, such as «Dinosaurs» and wove together paleontology, science, music, movement and art.

Campers return year after year progressing through the camps five themes: Island Days, Dino Days, Wild West, Going Places and Jungle Jive. Amy Stark Haywood, one of the founders, started the camp here in Boulder in 2008.

Meet the Business Owner

Amy H.

Business Owner

Amy Haywood, singer, storyteller, writer and mother, grew up in Asia and sang in bands throughout high school. She volunteered summers in an orphanage and for the Barskey Burn Unit in Saigon, Viet Nam. These experiences sparked a lifelong devotion to young children. Amy obtained a BA in education and a second BA in English at Guilford College minoring in Music. She has been teaching Musicare since 1987 and training Musicare teachers since 2008. In 1999, Amy and four other Musicare instructors created, Camp Oonie Koonie Cha, an early childhood music camp in that integrates science, dramatic play, and instrument construction with music education. In addition to educating children. Amy conducted workshops for teachers, has been a keynote presenter for South Carolina’s «First Steps» early childhood educators conference, provided early childhood teacher training at Davidson Community College and was a presenter at Colorado’s NAEYC in Denver. Amy has two «Parent Choice» awards.