Young Teens
August 7-11
Survival Camp
Day 1:
Our last week of summer camp has finally arrived! The day began with an ice breaker game “where the great wind blows”. The groups then came up with their team names, The Backward Bears and The Funion Fireflies. The leads then went over rules and expectations for camp, to keep it safe and fun! Today’s hike and open exploration took the Bears to the Lookout Tower and the Fireflies to the log cabin. After lunch, open exploration took place at the wood chip piles, where lots of tug-of-war took place. Due to the cold and windy weather we chose to take today’s nature lesson indoors for the remainder of camp. The nature lesson was on survival kits, and campers got to decorate their own kits and fill them with survival tools such as bandaids, thread and needle, fishing hooks, etc. Campers then had their afternoon snack as pick-up began.
Day 2:
Our campers started their second day as we typically do by feeding the animals, The Backwards Bears fed the falcon, and the Funion Fireflies fed the owl. The morning nature lesson was on fishing! Kids caught lots of fish, one camper catching 10 or more! In order to pursue more fishing, campers chose to skip the morning open exploration and continue the activity! After lunch, the open exploration took place in the sugarbush. We stayed in the sugar bush until the afternoon nature lesson which was on shelter building. Campers worked together to build shelters that could withstand harsh conditions. After a quick snack break we packed up and sent everyone home!
Day 3:
Our day began with animal feeding! The Bears fed the nature center deer, Autumn, while the Fireflies headed over to feed the falcon. The morning nature lesson was on knots and campers got to use rope to test out three different types of common wilderness knots. After learning various knots the campers then tests a raft constructed of only rope and sticks held together via knots. The Fireflies went to the mud kitchen for open exploration, and the Bears to the log cabin before heading to lunch. Both groups then headed to the Locust Trail for afternoon exploration and climbed lots of trees, playing games (where’s my stick) and drawing! On their way back to the tent we stopped and had our nature lesson on edible plants! Campers got to identify and try woodsorrow, grape leaves, and garlic mustard. Everyone played a game of flinch as cars arrived for pick-up!
Day 4:
The Fireflies started their morning by filling the nature center's bird feeders, and the Bears fed the falcon. The morning nature lesson was building fires! Campers got to try to start a fire with bow drills, strikers, and matches. Then the Bears headed to the mud kitchen for their open exploration and the Fireflies went to the lookout tower. After lunch, open exploration took everyone to the bridges where they got to play on their own for a bit before our game. Campers played “predator prey” and hid in the prairie in order to be caught by the “coyote”. Our afternoon nature lesson was a group fire building where we started a small bonfire. Once the fire was started, everyone got to make themselves a snack, banana boats!
Day 5:
Today, our very last day of camp for the summer of 2023 was very bittersweet. The Backward Bears got to feed the owl today, and the Funion Fireflies fed the falcon! This morning's nature lesson was on compasses and campers used compasses to complete an activity where they needed to use directions to return to their starting point. Our hike for the morning was a scavenger hunt that led both teams to the log cabin. Campers had to work together to complete various tasks in order to understand their clues. For open exploration the campers chose to venture into the sugarbush to play more “predator prey”. After lunch, we took our weekly group photo with all that were able to make it today. Campers chose to head back to the sugarbush, where they searched for snakes, made forts, and practiced tying knots. Once we returned to the test we had a quick rest time before giving out awards and letting campers take home a fossil. Each camper received an award for a trait they displayed during camp. It was then sadly time for pick-up and everyone said their goodbyes. We hope to everyone back next summer for more fun adventures!
