A group of students from Pike County Elementary School who are participating in the Pike County Summer Day Camp in Brundidge visited the Colley Senior Complex on Wednesday and learned about making decorative pottery and also about senior citizens.

The group included students in third grade and up and each student brought artwork to share with the seniors at the Complex. Senior volunteers helped each student decorate a terra cotta pot to take home.

Janet Motes, Center director, said the idea behind the pots activity was for the students to do an art project that was in keeping with art projects at the Colley Senior Complex.

“At the complex, we make and decorate terra cotta pots so we thought that would be a project that our seniors would enjoy helping with and one in which the students could enjoy success. And, we have all had a good time and the students have made some very pretty pots.”

“The students not only learned about ways to decorate pots to make them pretty they also learned that senior citizens can do a lot of things and are a lot of fun.”

McKenzie Caple thought seniors are “old people that can’t move around and can’t do a lot of stuff” but, after spending a morning with several Colley Senior Complex volunteers, she discovered, “They can do things and do them good.”

Motes said activities that bring young people and senior adults together provide positive experiences for both.

“We learn from each other,” she said.

The Pike County Day Camp is sponsored by East Central Mental Health and is designed for ages five through 12.

“We have about 60 students enrolled in the camp,” said Shayla Terry, camp director. “The camp is a day long camp and begins with breakfast and then, we try to beat the heat, and get in some outdoor activities.”

The indoor activities include arts and crafts, study time and a time for sharing.

“We plan a field trip for each week and the children always look forward to those trips,” Terry said. “We’ve been to the Wiregrass Museum in Dothan, to McClelland’s Critters, bowling, swimming at the recreation park in Troy and we’ve got a trip planned to the Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker. The Pike County Day Camp is well attended and the students really benefit from it. And we thank the Colley Senior Complex for having us. We’ve all had a good time and learned a lot about making pots and everyone has been so nice and helpful.”