Setting up the tents

Overnighters

Cozy campers

Tent team

Fire pit

Tent town

Early risers

Morning pond

"I hate rabbits"

Breakfast table

Makin' bacon

Cooking breakfast

Boiling milkweed flowers

Tastes like broccoli

Packing up

Packing up

Packing up

Tie-dye projects

Bandanas drying

T-shirts drying

Land Lab Adventure: Week 2 Day 5

We began the day with a campfire breakfast of bacon, eggs and boiled milkweed flowers picked fresh from the field. While we were waiting for food to cook on the fire, the kids had bagels and fruit. Today, some of the kids were tired from the overnight. Those that joined us at 9:00 were a great help in boosting spirits, and helping bring everything back from the pond. We started off the morning with a pickup of the tent area, and laying out the tents to dry. During our morning work block a lot of kids helped hang up all the tie-dyed shirts, bandanas, and various other colorful apparel on some large clotheslines, but I know even more sanded their wood blocks and started the staining process. In between these activities many kids finished up any arts projects they had on the porch. During lunch we had a great pizza party, and quiet time was yet again largely on the porch. Some kids continued sanding their wood projects as well.

In the first afternoon block, the entire group worked to clean up things that have accumulated during the past two weeks. During the second afternoon block, a few kids finished sanding and staining, and some kids finished cleaning up the tents. Most of the group, however, came on a final walk through the woods with Leslie and me. While playing a game of stealth in the woods, we stumbled upon an underground hornets’ nest. Seven of the kids and I got stung, some of us more than once. We gathered on the porch and applied baking soda and ice to our stings. This was a reminder for all of us that even though nature is a lot of fun, it can also sometimes be dangerous. All the kids took really good care of each other, and showed a lot of compassion for their friends.

We ended the camp by packing up the last of our belongings, taking the tie-dye projects down off the clothesline, and packing our treasures into our cubby boxes. Looking back over the past two weeks, we had a lot of great fun – nature walks, art projects, woodshop time, swimming, building our weather station, and learning about the natural word around us. I hope that everyone has a great summer.

Remember to keep playing outside!!

Alex

Land Lab Adventure – Overnight edition (pictures will be posted on Saturday)

The overnight went quite well. Thursday afternoon, the kids helped set up all of the tents and played a lot of Capture the Flag. The tents looked great, and the kids had a HUGE dinner. They were probably hungry because between lunch at 11:30 and dinner around 6:00, they had a very active time. All the dinner food disappeared in moments as the children ate their fill. At about 8:15, they started a kickball game which was lots of fun, but as the light started to disappear we headed to our fire pit for s’mores.

After we all made s’mores, Judy took us out for a night walk in the field. The fireflies sparkled across the field like dew at sunrise; it was indescribable. We then split up and while most kids went back to the campfire, Allie and I took a few kids by a different route through the dark woods – it was challenging, but in a fun way. We all met back at the campfire and most kids changed and got ready for bed, although a few kids sat around the fire and talked about their summer plans. We all got to bed around 11:00 and didn’t wake up until 6:30.

Land Lab camp 2010

Early birds

Pit kiln

Clay tile

Suspended brick using knots

Sanding wood

Finished birdhouse

Land Lab-ville

Creators of Land Lab-ville

Land Lab Adventure: Week 2, Day 4

As our time together draws to an end, we focused on finishing all the projects we had started. In the morning, we walked out to the pond to check on our plant tiles. They all made it quite well and they look magnificent. We then headed back to the Land Lab and the kids that still had projects left in the woodshop finished those up. Some kids went to the porch to finish water colors or other art projects, and those children who were done tie-dyed shirts with Allie. During lunch we played some more Capture the Flag, and during quiet time we opened up the woodshop so students could sand their wood projects if they wished – it went great! After quiet time we worked some more in the woodshop. Those kids who were busy in the morning tie-dyed their shirts with Allie and the remaining kids went on a hike with Judy. When we all go back together around 2:15, we finished the day up with a game or two of freeze-tag and our sharing circle.

Tonight will be a night to remember as we camp out at the pond!

Alex

Wood projects

Sanding

Making a birdhouse

Tie-Dying

Allie tie-dying

Our bandanas

Climbing trees

Stargazer

Land Lab Adventure: Week 2, Day 3

Today was another great day, and we started it off with a group walk to the pond to set up and light our pit kiln which will be firing the children’s plant tiles. All went well, and so far it looks just like it should, but we need to give it another day to cook. We then came back to the Land Lab and did arts and crafts on the porch, or worked on our projects some more in the woodshop. It was a great morning, and I saw some great projects shaping up. Lunch was followed by a great few games of Capture the Flag. During quiet time most kids went to the porch and drew, read, practiced knots, or painted with watercolors (a new favorite pastime)
During quiet time we also planned out our afternoon activities. Leslie ran the woodshop again, and Judy helped the kids make stargazers on the porch. Allie and I helped the kids tie-dye bandanas. Almost everyone made one, and they all look great! For those who didn’t make any, we will have extras tomorrow, and we will also be doing T-shirts. If your child has anything white at home which they would like to tie-dye, they can bring in one or two objects. Tie-dying is not a clean business, so parents, remember not to dress your kids in fancy white dresses tomorrow.
Your child also should have brought home a list of what to bring to the overnight tomorrow; we will be having a pizza party for lunch on Friday, and various other surprises in between.

Can’t Wait!
Alex

Excited for the pond

Lets go!

Testing a boat

Testing another boat (and the water)

First one in!

Starting the fire

Float that boat

Rock that dock

Sitting on the pier

Allie gives a canoe ride

Glen the Lifeguard

Drying off

Sitting by the fire

Judy loving the soup!