Explore the fun that awaits

2024 Class Session Details

More details will be shared as they are available!

To see all of the fun you can have, click on the v symbol for the Session Descriptions and Session Leader Biographies below.

Groove Again

  • Join us for a dance fitness class led by a plus sized instructor that is sure to leave you feeling energized and inspired… because “exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. And happy people don’t mope around Rec Lab. They just don’t!”

    If you love to dance and would like to do so in a non-threatening environment, with a plus-sized instructor (who cusses like a sailor)... this session is for you.

  • Sara is a 40-something, plus-sized, Gen X, mom of two boys who dances in the grocery store (frozen food section, cuz ... hot flashes). Her "pay the bills job" is teaching English and computer science, but her "passion job" is teaching dance-fitness classes.

    After years of taking Zumba classes from teeny tiny instructors and their teeny tiny students, Sara was fed up. Fed up with condescending looks, and fed up with instructor-led stretches that didn't work for plus-sized bodies.

    Sara realized that there were probably a lot of women like her out there.

    Women who love to dance.

    Women who don't care about physical fitness as much as they do their mental and emotional health.

    Women who used to love going to the club; listening to Eminem, Destiny's Child, and TLC

    Women who are uncomfortable in a class taught by a size 2 instructor.

    So, she took matters into her own hands and, in 2014, became a licensed Zumba Fitness instructor. And in 2020, I became an AFAA certified group fitness instructor. She has been teaching dance fitness classes in the Plainwell area since 2015, and just recently moved to Mattawan, where she opened her own body positive, dance fitness studio, "Groove Again".

Bread and Butter Pickles

  • Cucumbers, vinegar, and jars, OH MY! Join Craig for this session where you’ll be making his mom's prize winning Bread & Butter pickle recipe from start to finish using greenhouse cucumbers. (Don’t worry, he assures us they are just as fantastic as when cucumbers from the field are in season).

    At the end of the class, you will get to take home at least one jar of pickles.

  • Craig Steven is the Manager of the Gay Lea Dairy Museum & Co-operative Education Centre in Southern Ontario. He has been attending recreation workshops since the 90's and been doing youth leadership camps since then as well. Craig likes to have fun and play games and have a laugh. Hopefully you will do all three in his classes. He is also an award winner pickle maker, and will share his mom's recipe for Bread & Butter pickles as the class will make a batch of B&B pickles!

Photo credit: https://www.yorkpa.org/blog/post/where-to-play-pickleball-in-york-pa/

Pickleball

  • Don’t be fooled - this isn’t a class where you’ll play a game using pickles! Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport where players hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball using paddles over a net. During this session, you will learn how to play and get to give it a try.

  • Logan loves games! He is excited to bring his knowledge about pickleball and Chess to Great Lakes Rec Lab 2024! He’s also excited just to play games with everyone and learn new things. In his work life, Logan is a Client Service Manager at the Center for Financial Planning. His current obsession is tennis. Logan and his fiancé live in Fraser with our German shepherd Hermes. Fun fact: they own 100+ board games!

Zentangle

  • Join Susan for an introduction to Zentangle. You’ll learn what Zentangle is, the benefits of doing tangles and some basic patterns. If you’ve never tangled before, or you have and want to do it again, this class is for you!

  • Susan loves Rec Labs! She believes that Rec Lab folks are some of the best people you will ever meet. Susan’s professional career is working with folks with Developmental Disabilities. She has been a Certified Zentangle Teacher since 2017. She loves really good yarn, knitting, tangling and crafting in general. Susan also loves beach combing, being outdoors and spending time with people near and dear to her heart. She currently has 3 sweet dogs.

Puppets: Communicating, Construction & Connecting

  • We will be exploring the use of puppets for entertaining and communicating with hands on activities that can be used for various groups. Our time will be split between active puppetry techniques, ideas for presentations, and building your own puppet to take home. You don't have to have talent, to perform behind a puppet stage, just a little imagination. The puppet takes on its own personality!

  • Martha has been a Rec Lab member since 1974 and continues to learn more about diverse subjects each year. Her education led to a degree in Recreation & Youth Leadership, and after several years in the field, Martha morphed into the world of public assistance, eventually helping adoptive families and children to attain medical and financial assistance, and analyzing state & federal child welfare policies. Martha has always enjoyed various crafts and sewing. She was introduced to puppetry at GLRLL in the 1980's and was inspired to create puppets and use them as a form communication and entertainment.

Dance

  • Get your feet ready for the beat! In this class you’ll dance a variety of folk dances. There will be line dances, square dances, circle mixers and anything else we can have fun doing! Come enjoy dancing with Tom!

  • Tom McConahay was a teacher/bus driver in Ohio, Indiana and NC. Tom recently fully retired after 43 years in education spanning three states and four school districts. He resides in Smithville, Ohio.

    Tom began dancing as a teenager growing up in Smithville, Ohio. Being a singer/musician it was natural to begin calling dances in his early years. Tom has led dance workshops at BHRLL, BLW, GLRLL and Maple Leaf Recreation. Tom has called dances for home school groups, youth groups, private parties, Malabar Farm State Park and many other venues. It has been my pleasure to lead dances and bring joy to many groups of people.

    Tom began to play guitar and bass guitar as a teenager. He has played and performed for a variety of audiences. He is currently in a duo that plays in North Central Ohio.

    Tom went to auction school in 1980 and has held an auction license in Ohio since 1981. He will bring smiles and HUGS to all!

Rock Cairns - A ZIA

  • In this class, you will be creating a ‘ZIA’ which is an acronym for Zentangle Inspired Art. Using a variety of tangles and shading, you will create a rock cairn that will have some trying to guess if it's a real cairn or not!

    (Rock cairn that you will be making is not pictured above!).

  • Susan loves Rec Labs! She believes that Rec Lab folks are some of the best people you will ever meet. Susan’s professional career is working with folks with Developmental Disabilities. She has been a Certified Zentangle Teacher since 2017. She loves really good yarn, knitting, tangling and crafting in general. Susan also loves beach combing, being outdoors and spending time with people near and dear to her heart. She currently has 3 sweet dogs.

Learn to play Mahjong

  • Join Craig to learn how to play the classic tile game, Mahjong. It's more like rummy, than the matching tiles version most people have experienced when playing an online version of it.

    Our very own Beverly Larson loved this game and taught Craig how to play before she passed. Rules and instructions will be provided so that you will feel comfortable sharing and teaching others how to play.

    This game is addictive and you will end up playing it for hours.

  • Craig Steven is the Manager of the Gay Lea Dairy Museum & Co-operative Education Centre in Southern Ontario. He has been attending recreation workshops since the 90's and been doing youth leadership camps since then as well. Craig likes to have fun and play games and have a laugh.

Inspiration Dolls

  • Explore sources of inspiration through creating a goddess doll using fiber techniques including wet felting, stitching, and assemblage.

  • Katrina Stone has been a fiber fanatic since childhood. She creates award-winning, nature-inspired works that incorporate the fiber techniques she loves - felting, sewing, beading, and knotting (macrame). Katrina is the current president of the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance in the metro Atlanta Area.

Beginning macrame

  • Create a beautiful wall hanging using foundational macrame knots (square knot, spiral knots and larks head knots). Explore infinite variety in knitting patterns.

  • Katrina Stone has been a fiber fanatic since childhood. She creates award-winning, nature-inspired works that incorporate the fiber techniques she loves - felting, sewing, beading, and knotting (macrame). Katrina is the current president of the Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance in the metro Atlanta Area.

Auctioneering

  • Going… going… GONE! During this class you’ll hone your auctioneering skills by going through the drills Tom learned when he attended Kansas City Auction School in 1980. Be ready to learn some alliteration (tongue twisters). Let's have some fun!

  • Tom McConahay was a teacher/bus driver in Ohio, Indiana and NC. Tom recently fully retired after 43 years in education spanning three states and four school districts. He resides in Smithville, Ohio.

    Tom began dancing as a teenager growing up in Smithville, Ohio. Being a singer/musician it was natural to begin calling dances in his early years. Tom has led dance workshops at BHRLL, BLW, GLRLL and Maple Leaf Recreation. Tom has called dances for home school groups, youth groups, private parties, Malabar Farm State Park and many other venues. It has been my pleasure to lead dances and bring joy to many groups of people.

    Tom began to play guitar and bass guitar as a teenager. He has played and performed for a variety of audiences. He is currently in a duo that plays in North Central Ohio.

    Tom went to auction school in 1980 and has held an auction license in Ohio since 1981. He will bring smiles and HUGS to all!

Rockhounding

  • Get ready to sniff out some rocks! In this session we will learn a little about this hobby of rockhounding including, rules and regulations, rock identification and locations, and how to display your finds.

    We will be "hands-on" at the beach discovering the vast array of rocks that Lake Huron offers up.

  • Judy Thomson’s hobbies are far reaching...from football to rocks, fossils, jewelry making, drawing, podcasts, painting, yarn arts and so much more. Judy’s enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else in the world. As a Nana to four sweet and salty grands, Judy gets to share all these passions with them. She loves to travel with her best friend (and hubs) and go on adventures with him.

Team building for all ages

  • Team building can be instrumental in building a community within any group of people, no matter their age. What works for a group of 6th grade students, could also work for a group of seniors in a retirement community. Join this class to learn some new skills and ideas for team building or just to have a fun experience building a community with your fellow labbers.

  • Matt VanStreain has been a Middle School Math teacher for 13 years. He has been certified as a WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) coordinator. WEB is where Matt discovered his passion for teaching how to lead team-building activities. This program is intended to build a better school community by having 8th graders as leaders of groups of 6th graders to help the transition into middle school through building relationships. Matt is a husband, father, cat dad, and most importantly a Michigan fan. He enjoyed his first Rec Lab experience last year after attending Friends & Family Weekend and looks forward to his second year as a labber.

Resin and rocks

  • During this session, you will be using small rocks you find here at camp or bring with you to create a small keepsake with rocks and UV Resin. . Don't have any rocks? No problem, rocks of several varieties will be available. Easy, quick, and you will be able to take your project home with you when you leave lab.

  • Judy Thomson’s hobbies are far reaching...from football to rocks, fossils, jewelry making, drawing, podcasts, painting, yarn arts and so much more. Judy’s enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else in the world. As a Nana to four sweet and salty grands, Judy gets to share all these passions with them. She loves to travel with her best friend (and hubs) and go on adventures with him.

Upcycled jewelry with Julie

  • Creative inspiration can come from a multitude of places. In this session, take inspiration from broken, incomplete, or otherwise unwanted jewelry to create something special.

  • I'm Canadian, and I've been a member of Rec Lab since 2009; at the time, I was working as a career counsellor, leading workshops and running special programs. I currently work with skilled trades employers and apprentices, helping them navigate the Apprenticeship system, and I love my job.

Needle felting basics

  • Join Judy Thomson for her next session, this one examining one of her other talents – needle felting! In this class you will be introduced to needle felting. The miraculous process of taking wool and turning it into a formed bauble. As an intro class you will learn the basics to felt and shape wool. You will have the ability to begin a project that you can finish on your own if not in class.

  • Judy Thomson’s hobbies are far reaching...from football to rocks, fossils, jewelry making, drawing, podcasts, painting, yarn arts and so much more. Judy’s enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else in the world. As a Nana to four sweet and salty grands, Judy gets to share all these passions with them. She loves to travel with her best friend (and hubs) and go on adventures with him.

Picture source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess#/media/File:ChessSet.jpg

Chess

  • Get ready to put your strategy on in this class where Logan will teach you the basics of Chess including how the pieces move, and some basic principles to help guide you into a good strategy.

    This session will be adapted for the level of chess players that come to the class - so if you are just starting out or a seasoned player, you’ll have fun in this class!

  • Logan loves games! He is excited to bring his knowledge about pickleball and Chess to Great Lakes Rec Lab 2024! He’s also excited just to play games with everyone and learn new things. In his work life, Logan is a Client Service Manager at the Center for Financial Planning. His current obsession is tennis. Logan and his fiancé live in Fraser with our German shepherd Hermes. Fun fact: they own 100+ board games!

Teambuilding challenge course

  • During this session you’ll get to experience the team building challenge course at Camp Cavell. Test your trust, communication skills and more! It’s a beautiful spot to experience team building!

And there’s even a BONUS class on Thursday afternoon!

Join us for our bonus session before the workshop begins! From Cats Cradle to complicated braided bracelets to impossible pieces of art! It all starts with string! This self-paced class will offer a variety of projects that will challenge and kick off your Rec Lab adventure!