Mermaid Bootless Camp

Mermaid Datana Artemis

Have you viewed our Li'l Mermaids day camp offerings with wistful envy, wishing that you too could don a fin for a few hours and dive into the depths of mermaidom?  Our 2-day adult camp hosted in coastal Long Beach, CA will have you flippin' your fins like a native denizen of the deep. BYO mertail, or rent one from our participating tailmakers. 

2018
Session I: Tues-Wed, July 31 & Aug 1
Session II: Thurs-Fri, Aug 2 & 3
Seaside Supper Celebration: Fri Aug 3 (for Session II students)

SESSION I

Day #1 - 10am-4pm 

Mermaid Datana Artemis

• Mornin', Mermaids!: Immerse yourself in mermaid lore and discover your inner sea siren. After a brief introduction into the world underwater, we'll cover all that is involved in swimming in a tail—the joys and jubilation, the perils and pitfalls 
• Lunch Break: BYO or you may pre-order our beach pail lunch for $10 (you keep the pail)
• Crafternoon session: Since your mother will most likely not let you swim right after eating, we will begin our afternoon by learning creating a wearable keepsake
• Into the drink: Test your sea legs, or lack thereof, as you learn how to move in a mermaid tail, as well as get in and out of the darn thing!  (Must be able to swim in water up to 10' deep)

Day #2 - 10am-4pm 

• Mervelous Photoshoot: Come decked out in your mermaidliest finery. Your siren sisters can help you apply some creative mer-makeup for the land shoot
• Lunch Break: BYO or you may pre-order our mer-themed treasure chest lunch for $20 (you keep the chest)
• Fun & Games: We'll begin at the water's edge, learning some additional aquatic skills, then dive back into the water to Improve agility wearing a monofin
• Certificate Ceremony and Siren Send-off
• After-hours: If you're not ready to return to the land of the legged, join us for happy hour and a no-host nosh at The Crabpot, on the water in Alamitos Landing

$225 includes all Session I activities, excludes meals

SESSION II

Day #1 - 10am-4pm (Pre-requisite: Session I)

Mermaid Datana Artemis

• Diving Deep: We head straight into the water to learn some elegant mer-ballet moves
• Lunch Break: BYO or you may pre-order our beach bag lunch for $15 (you keep the straw bag)
• Crafternoon session: We'll sing sea shanties as we create another wearable keepsake, this time, one you can wear in the water
• Dancing on the waves: We'll begin on our choreographed routine designed specifically for mermaids
• After-hours: Following a day of water workouts, join us for happy hour and a no-host nosh at Joe's Crab Shack at Seaport Marina

Day #2 - 10am-5pm 

• Practice Makes Merfect: We'll do a full aquatic workout session and fine-tune our monofin movement skills 
• Lunch Break: BYO or you may pre-order a light lunch in our "S is for Siren" logo lunch bag for $25 (you keep the bag)
• Dance, Mermaid, Dance: Following lunch, we'll begin at the water's edge, learning some additional mer-moves, then dive back into the water to build on yesterday's choreography and rehearse in preparation of our evening performance
• 4pm: Invite your family to join us for a Sunset Performance and Seaside Supper Potluck Picnic; Bring treats for the group or sample our simple supper fare for $17.50 per person. BYO beach chair &.or towel. 

$250 includes all Session II activities, excludes meals

$565 Sea Bounty package: Pre-register for both sessions including festive meals; you save $40 yippee! 

Kit & Kaboodle - For the pampered mermaid

Sea-theme Beach Towel $35

Flip Flops $30

Siren School or Camp logo Tote Bag $15

Sessions & Sea Bounty combo

Session I $225.00 USD Session II $250.00 USD Sea Bounty $565.00 USD

Please indicate DATES here

A la carte lunches and Kaboodle Kit items may be ordered once your registration has been confirmed

[updated 21 August 2015 - dates subject to change up to 6 months in advance]

Adult Day Camps, satisfying the need for play

Taking finger painting to creative new heights
{artist unknown ... drat!}

"Play brings joy. And it’s vital for problem solving, creativity and relationships." So says Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Associate Editor at PsychCentral.com. "... play is just as pivotal for adults as it is for kids ... Play can even facilitate deep connections between strangers and cultivate healing."

It is in this same spirit of nurturing and needful play that Siren School offers a variety of playful experiences, ranging in duration from an hour to several days.  Play sparks the imagination, fosters teamwork, and gets participants out of their heads. Though fantasy and history are often involved, activities are a far cry from the escapism associated with interests and pastimes that lead to addiction.

"We're not trying to escape reality. Rather, we're immersing ourselves in the reality of beauty, creativity, freedom and fellowship," says Siren School Headmistress Joy Devivre. "Cultural customs, age-old crafts, fantasy personas, dance, international foods, outdoor activities—they all come together to expand participants' scope of thought and to interest them in new, decidedly exciting pursuits. Our adult day camps, along with all our events, are designed to put a spring in your step and a smile on your face, to improve your mood and make you more pleasant to be around."

See this site's Theme Camps page for everything from a Run Away with the Circus day to a Grimm Scavenger Hunt, and Mermaid Bootless Camp.  To share a day of fun with friends for a special occasion, consider hosting a Siren Soiree. If you need a quick dose of magic on an ongoing basis, Fantasy Fitness offers theme-immersion dance classes. If you're desperate for a more intense experience or exotic getaway, visit our Intensives page or our Mythic Adventures holidays site.

* * *

Tartakovsky and NPR both recommend Stuart Brown's explanation of play, which you can hear in his own words in his TED Talk Play is more than fun.

 

Shapeover Intensive

Hosted in coastal Long Beach, CA

Cultivate your beauty from the inside out - at this nurturing and nourishing challenge to lose dead weight while gaining healthier, happier habits and attitudes. It's an opportunity to see yourself and be yourself as you've always wanted to be, as you were meant to be — lovely.

Available for groups of 6-12
{no public events available at this time}

Thursday - Monday

9am-5pm
coastal Long Beach, CA

This 5-day intensive follows a stress-free yet consistent schedule with 7 key activities designed to jumpstart healthy routines and attitudes. Each day includes a variety of invigorating and relaxing options:

• Morning meditation/prayer/reflection session
• A daily focus such as 'balance,' 'the gift of the present,' 'the importance of play,' 'simplicity,' 'gratitude' and so on  
• Outdoor Qi Gong & Tai Chi 
• Low-impact dance class—a different style every day
• A sloughing session where we strive to identify and drop ways of thinking and acting that do not serve who we are today
• Comfortable and joyful fresh-air activities such as walking, swimming, bike riding, playing Frisbee, going for a swing at the playground
• A day's end recap over tea

$625 includes all activities, light lunch and tea treats daily 

Accommodations, spa treatments & additional California Cuisine meals available on an individual basis 

Elementally

This 4-day sampler is designed to get you in touch with the elements like you've never been before. Activities focus on engaging the senses and improving our chemistry and energies.

Currently available for groups of 6-12
{no public events available at this time} 

Thurs-Sun
coastal Long Beach, CA

Day #1 - Earth
Our down-to-earth day will include

• A Nature Center walk
• Some earthing (walking barefoot on the grass)
• DIY foot scrub craft
• Sunset Polynesian dance on the sand
• Dinner on the patio at Cafe Ambrosia (*no-host)

Day #2-3 - Water 
Water is such a vital part of every aspect of life, we're going to devote a day & a half to this precious element

• A visit to the acclaimed Aquarium of the Pacific 
• Swimming in the bay ... and floating
• We may do some naiad water dancing
• We may even go for a paddle boat ride in a little lake
• DIY bath soak craft
• Sunset supper at The Reef on the bay (*no-host) 

Day #3.5 - Fire 
Playing with fire can be dangerous, so we're keeping our time with the incendiary to half a day

• Barefoot gypsy folkdancing
• DIY candle-making class
• Expect things to get very hot at the Cafe Sevilla Flamenco dinner & dance show
• And if time and energies allow, we'll roast marshmallows by campfire!

Day #4 - Air
Our last day together will take us everywhere the wind blows 

• Morning Tai Chi class on a hill with a view of the ocean
• We'll linger a little longer for a hilltop belly bliss class 
• We'll feel the breeze in our hair as we ride bikes on the shoreline paths
• DIY hair balm craft
• Depending on the winds, we may fly kites on the beach
• We'll take our last meal together at the historic Sky Room, overlooking the harbor lights (*no-host)

$335 includes Aquarium and Nature Center visits, Flamenco dinner show, bike rentals, Tai Chi class, crafts & activities. Other meals are *no-host (i.e. not included)

Island Breeze

Take a day trip to paradise by proxy, via the waters, sand and palms of coastal Long Beach, CA. 

Currently available for groups of 6-12
{no public events available at this time}

• 9am - Traditional Island Welcome
• 9:30am - Paddle to Paradise: Get ready to leave your worries and the mainland behind as we leisurely kayak around Alamitos Bay. If the water isn't your thing, feel free to sit this part out
• 10:30am - Island Hopping: No need to charter a plane in order to tour the Pacific Rim. From Hawaii to Tahitia, the Cook Islands to New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga & Somoa we will bask in the beauty and oral history of true paradise as we custom-create pareos (pre-order your choice of color)
• 12noon - 'Aina Awakea break: BYO lunch or enjoy our Pacific Rim fare for $15 (features chicken salad served in a half pineapple and other islandy stuff)
• 1pm - Crafternoon session: Before we start swaying our hips, chanting and drumming, we will take some time to let our stomachs settle while we make wearable craft keepsakes
• 2pm - Talk to the Hands ... and Hips: The languid dance form known as hula does more than just entertain, it tells a story and carries on an oral tradition going back centuries. We'll learn an easy routine that we'll perform while donning our pareos and crafts.  We'll also do some Polynesian chanting and learn to speak a little Hawaiian
• 4:30pm - Let's Talk Tiki: Join us for a true tiki experience at the legendary Don the Beachcomber restaurant. We'll start with happy hour so expect to see a lot of paper drink umbrellas. At 5:30pm we'll beat the rush and dine by the venue's waterfall while serenaded by live, authentic Polynesian music, beginning at 6pm. All food and drinks here are no-host. Feel free to stay as long as you like. You're still on vacation for the day!

$95 includes activities and crafts; meals not included

Apple Pie Pin-Ups

"Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me..."

“The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.” ~Betty Grable

Currently available for groups of 6-12
{no public events available at this time}

Relive the era of innocent allure and wholesome exhibitionism, when a dimple and a stocking seam could inspire a grunt to glory.  Our All American pin-up party is a fun girly get-together, complete with professional hair and makeup, studio photography, and a little boogie woogie.

The Long Beach photography studio's all-female staff provides:

• Professional Hair & Makeup (1 Pin-Up look) 
• 2 total wardrobe changes
• Multiple backdrops & props
• Various studio location options
• Professional lighting / filters
• 150-200 total shots
• 2 Edited Photos 
• All photos uploaded to a private online gallery

You provide your wardrobe, props and winning smile.

$375 includes all of the above plus snacks and behind-the-scene event scrapbook snapshots

Grimm Scavenger Hunt

Step back in time to a charming Bavarian village where hot apple strudel is served with cold beer, farmers sell their fresh produce, and at any moment, someone may break out into a polka. It's the sort of place you'd expect to see in a fairy tale, especially of the Grimm variety, and it's the perfect setting for our fractured and fabled scavenger hunt.

Currently available for groups of 6-12
{no public events available at this time}

Old World Village

Huntington Beach, CA

1pm - We'll meet and greet at the Coffee Tale, known to have the best coffee in the Black Forest (or at least Huntington Beach). While waiting for everyone to find their way in, we'll talk a bit about the Brothers Grimm and the world in which their tales evolved.

1:45ish - Grimm Scavenger Hunt: Enjoy browsing at the Old World Farmer's Market while you search for bread crumbs, so to speak

2pm - We'll take a mitaggessen break at the German Restaurant, featuring German Pretzels, Potato Pancakes, Brats & Wursts, Sauerkraut, German Potato Salad, Spaetzle, Bread Dumplings, Schnitzels, and more. Those who tip enough German beer may be cajoled into doing the chicken dance.

3pm - Grimmer Scavenger Hunt: Use your wits and wiles, as you scour the village to collect the remaining bits of information needed to complete your hunt 

4pm - We'll gather at the Old World German Bakery to determine our Scavenger Hunt winner and celebrate over Apple Strudel, German Chocolate Cake, Sachertortes, and Black Forest Cake. Our winner will be awarded with a rustic prize of dubious worth.

$35 per person for scavenger hunt; food is no-host i.e. not included
Costumes wilkommen, by the by