Overnight and LAST DAY :(

After camp on Thursday, about a third of the campers went home, although they attended an alternate overnight later that evening. The kids that stayed at the Land Lab got straight to work setting up tents by the pond for their overnight adventure. They set up what the kids lovingly called "tent city" in the clearing by the pond, where they stayed the night. While they set up the tents they all divided up into groups and into different tents. Then it was dinner time, and the kids started a fire and cooked their own dinner over it using S'mores sticks that they collected themselves. They cooked potatoes, corn and hot dogs and enjoyed a hearty dinner. As the rain came and went, the group alternated taking shelter in the big tent by the pond and at the barn. Although the rain was a bit of a downer, we still managed to have a great time at the barn, even having a dance party on the porch.

Later that night, we got the fire going again and made more S'mores. As it got towards 10:00 or 11:00 the kids either went to bed if they were getting tired, or went on a night walk to the field with Judy and me, where there were thousands of fireflies doing a dance across the field. Once we had seen the fireflies, we again got the option to go back and get ready for bed, or go on through the forest on a dark night walk. Once we all got back, the kids either went to bed, or sang songs that they knew from the Peace Festival around the bonfire, then went to bed. By midnight, all the kids had gone to bed, and the rain was coming back, so we all tucked our boots under our tents to keep them dry, and called it a night.

Friday was a slightly shorter day than usual, but we had plenty of fun anyway. We started with a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and bagels, all cooked over the open fire, alongside bananas, clementines, and apples (oddly also roasted over the fire if the kids wanted). We mostly played capture the flag during the morning, but rather than in the field, we played on the paths all around the pond; a course that Colin had set up with some of the kids the day before. Tent city came down, the fire dwindled down, and around noon the parents showed up for a picnic with the kids and counselors. It was a great picnic, with hot dogs, cake, watermelon and the works. The kids got to show their parents around the Land Lab. Almost all of them took their parents to go see their shelter and the pond. All in all it was a great day.

Thank you everyone for a great two week camp experience! We had lots of fun, built some great things, did some fun art projects, and got to enjoy the great outdoors at the Land Lab. I hope you have a great summer. See you next year!

Alex

Packing up our tents


Sporting tie-dye t-shirts and bandanas

Capture the flag

Hanging out at the pond

Thanks to everyone, and have a wonderful summer!!

Gathering in the barn for a family picnic


Showing off the completed shelter

Eggs, bacon, fruit and bagels for breakfast

Enjoying breakfast around the campfire

A finished wood project

Solar Oven

Playing Cat's Cradle on the porch

Making reed boats at the pond

Spider!!

Nature mandala

Today was kind of a wrap up time at camp. This morning, Dylan wokred with a group putting the finishing touches on the shelter, while Judy worked with a group over at the pond, firing the pit kiln. Colin and a group of kids set up a large capture the flag game for us to play tonight, and Allie finished up arts & crafts projects on the porch.

After lunch, we had a rather exciting game of capture the flag, followed by quiet time. After almost two weeks, we have all gotten into a really comfortable routine of work, play and rest. In the afternoon, we stayed close to the barn, finishing up projects in the various work areas. In addition to cleaning up certain areas, we also began preparations for tonight's camp out. When a brief thunderstorm came through, we gathered together in the barn.

It will be great to see you all at the picnic tomorrow!
Alex

The camp day gets started.


Working with the pit kiln.

The shelter is almost finished!

Peeking over the shelter walls.

Nice roof!!

Arts & crafts on the porch.

Exciting moment in today's capture the flag game.

Reading in the barn.

Quiet time.

Finishing up our projects in the woodshop.

It was a bit rainy for Pond Day, but we all had a great time anyway! We began the morning with an hour of work on projects in progress. While some kids worked on the shelter -- which has a roof now and is shaping up nicely -- other kids finished up their boats in the woodshop or worked on the porch with Allie doing tie dye.

At 10:00, we gathered in the barn to hear about safety rules for Pond Day. Lifeguard Julie Sherbeck joined us for the day, and we all headed to the pond with towels and boats. After plenty of time floating our boats, swimming in the pond, and taking canoe rides, we all gathered around the fire to make Stone Soup. The tent provided some nice shelter from the rain, but mostly, we were just happy to sit around the campfire and sing songs.

See you tomorrow.
Alex

Adding the roof to the shelter.

The shelter walls continue to grow!

Allie gives us safety instructions for the pond.

Heading to the pond with our boats.

Will they float?

Warming up around the campfire


Stone Soup!!

Wet on wet at the pond.

Enjoying Pond Day.

Great day for a swim!

Today was another beautiful day at the Land Lab, and we accomplished quite a bit. The shelter is beginning to take form, with our walls about three feet high, and the roof starting to come together as well. Allie was on the porch doing arts and crafts projects with one group, while Judy helped other kids paint or stain their woodworking projects in the woodshop. I went to the pond and watched campers catching all sorts of wildlife, from frogs to crayfish to toads. Most of the work we did on the shelter this morning was gathering more logs, because we were running low. Later in the afternoon, more work was done on actual assembly.

During lunch, we ate, played capture the flag, and a few of us read books in the barn. After lunch was over, it was time for quiet time, when the kids all split up to read books, make art, or just lie in the field. Then we split into groups, some working in the woodshop to finish any unfinished work, some to continue work on the shelter, and some to start tie dying with Allie. The tie die projects are coming along great. Almost all of the kids had time today to make bandanas and T-shirts. By the end of the day, most of the projects in the woodshop were finished, save a few boats we will finish tomorrow morning for pond day, and the shelter is almost there.

Remember tomorrow is pond day, so bring your bathing suits, towels, and a change of clothes.

See you tomorrow!
Alex

Making more windsocks on the porch.


A finished project in the woodshop.

Painting a wood project.

The shelter walls continue to rise!

Sitting on the shelter wall.

Catching wildlife at the pond.


Looking for frogs.

Hanging out at the pond.

Examining our catch.

Two big frogs!

Enjoying a beautiful afernoon at camp.


Carrying logs up to the shelter site.

Harvesting logs from the "play woods".

Fresh strawberries!!

Arts & crafts on the porch.