See you next year!

Good evening campers!

               I want to thank you all for making this an amazing year.  We had a really good time today. We started off the day early in the morning by cooking breakfast over an open fire.  After breakfast we worked in teams to take down and pack up the tents from last night. We met in the barn and shared art work, tie dye, and any projects before sending them home. We had our annual optional game of giant capture the flag, while others played wiffle ball, made more bracelets with Dylan, or read books around the barn. In the afternoon, we got to share the Land Lab with all of our friends and families, and show them all the projects we have achieved over the course of the last two weeks. We had an amazing year, full of excitement, and some unpredictable weather!

Thank you all for being a part of this years Land Lab Camp, and I look forward to seeing you all next year!

Alex

Hey Campers!

Today was another beautiful day at Land Lab camp. We started the day off with a game of capture the flag, and then settled to meet in the barn. We discussed the day’s activities, and those campers that chose to were given an opportunity to show off some of the artwork they have completed over the course of the last two weeks. In the morning, Dylan and some campers reinforced the shelter walls with survivors’ concrete (a mix of mud and straw). Allie and I worked with some campers doing tie dye, or making cool lanterns on the porch. Rene helped campers work on their bark picture frames, and Chantelle guided campers between activities.

We broke for lunch, and ate outside in the beautiful weather. For recess we played capture the flag, swung on the swing, or lay in the shade of a tree reading a book. During quiet time, those campers who had not yet tie dyed quietly worked on their tie dye, while the rest of us stayed near the barn and porch doing arts and crafts, sanding, or reading books.

We had a relaxing afternoon, mostly staying around the barn. Dylan and I oversaw many kids working to finish their stools, or make Paracord survival bracelets (under Dylan’s instruction). Rene helped campers finish their bark picture frames, and Allie and Chantelle worked on the porch with a group of kids doing water colors, and making lanterns. In the second block of the afternoon, we continued working on bracelets, anklets, and on the porch, while Allie and Rene took the campers on a hike, and Chantelle continued work on the porch.  We finished up the afternoon with a batch of yummy cookies from our solar oven. It was a great day

Cant wait to see you all tomorrow!

Alex 

Sitting in the barn

Planing our tie dye

Tie dying

Making lanterns

Making handles for our lanterns

Capture the flag

Learning how to stain

Making Paracord bracelets

Staining our stools

Water color

Happy Pond Day!

            We all had a great time today with our guest counselor, a certified lifeguard, Julia Curtis! We had a wonderful and safe pond day, and made stone soup and tie dye. In the (slightly chilly) morning we all gathered in the barn, to start our preparations for pond day, and hear the rules of how to conduct ourselves while swimming. After a short morning meeting, we had some extra time, so Rene and Chantelle took a group of campers to help prepare the wonderful offerings that all the campers brought for stone soup. Julia and I took a group of campers on a short hike, and Allie worked with a small group to start this year’s tie dye. 

            After hearing from our lifeguard how to be safe in the water, we were all very excited to get swimming.  It was a little chilly in the wind for those who stopped swimming, but it was warm in the sun! Dylan demonstrated to those campers who didn’t want to swim how to start a fire with flint and steel, and we began cooking our stone soup.  The morning went by quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch.

            We ate lunch at the pond, and kept warm around the fire, and before we knew it it became very warm afternoon. For quiet time, we read books, and sunbathed at the pond, and used our recess to have more swimming time. In the afternoon, some campers helped Dylan gather mud from the pond for our shelter, while others enjoyed the water and floating dock. Rene and Chantelle served us the Stone Soup that had been cooked over an open fire pit, and it was delicious! Allie continued to take groups aside to do tie dye, and we began our clean up.

            Towards the end of the day, we cleaned everything we brought from around the pond, doused the fire, and finished drying off. We headed back to the barn to change, and to eat fresh baked chocolate cookies that we made throughout the day in our solar oven. It was a really great day, and we look forward to more pond days to come.  Tomorrow is the first day of our overnight, so those campers that are spending the night at the Land Lab should come prepared with all the extra accessories described in the overnight handout that parents should have received after registration. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Rene.

See you tomorrow!

Alex

            

Making stone soup

Going out in the canoe

Relaxing in the sun

Gathering mud

Drying off

Swimming during pond day!

Tie dying

Some of our T-shirts

Color coded tie dyes

Returning with the canoe

Hey Campers!

               Today may not have been the sunniest day, but we were bright enough to figure out how to have a great time!  With all sorts of wonderful activities, it was hard not to. We started off the morning with a game of tag, and then had our morning meeting. Dylan took a group of campers to work on our shelter. Allie worked on the porch doing water colors and poetry. Rene and Chantelle worked at the pond under the tent making more boats, and pine cone bird feeders. I took a group of campers to practice their stalking.  The campers were free to travel with partners from one activity to another throughout the morning.

               We broke for lunch, and ate in the temporary sunshine. During recess we played capture the flag. For quiet time, we all spread out in the area around the barn to read books, sand wood, water color, or make bracelets on the porch. In the first afternoon block, Dylan and I worked on the shelter with a group, while others continued their morning activities. In the second afternoon block, Allie and Rene took many of the campers on a hike, while Dylan and I and a group of campers continued work on the shelter, and Chantelle stayed with a group at the pond, completing their boats for pond day tomorrow.

               All in all we had a great day. I would like to remind you all to check your e-mails for information on how to make sure your camper is prepared for a day of fun tomorrow with everything they need for stone soup and pond day!

See ya soon!

Alex

Hangin' around

Tag before morning meeting

Morning meeting

Going on a hike

Working on our shelter

Raising the walls

Making a window

Learning knots for the shelter

Practicing knots

Working on the window

Hey Campers!

We were lucky enough to have another sunny day here at the Land Lab. We made sure to be outside as much as possible (and to wear our sunscreen!).  We started off the morning with a wide variety of activities. Allie and Rene stayed around the barn and porch with some campers, and demonstrated how to use our sun dial, while supervising water coloring, photography, and other arts and crafts on the porch. Dylan and I worked with campers hauling lumber to our shelter, and beginning to reinforce the old structure, while Chantelle took campers to the pond to make boats.

After a morning of hard work and beautiful weather, we headed back to the barn for lunch. We had a wonderful recess playing capture the flag in the sun, and had quiet time on the porch and in the barn, due to brief rain showers.

In the afternoon, occasional and brief showers continued, but we did our best to stay dry and active. Dylan helped kids work on their shelter. In the first block, Chantelle and I took the kids to continue work on their boats, while Rene worked with campers doing water colors on the porch, and Allie took some campers on a hike. During the second block, Allie and I took the campers to learn about moving through their surroundings quietly, and practiced by sneaking up on each other in the woods. Chantelle continued work on boats, and Rene worked on the porch doing arts and crafts with those campers who wanted to.

Everyone has done a great job dressing for the weather – let’s keep on being prepared for all the rain and sun! We also wanted to remind everyone to send water bottles along for hydration on sunny days. Wednesday is pond day! For details on what YOU can do to help prepare for pond day, please refer to the email you received from Rene over the weekend.

See ya tomorrow!

Alex

Morning meeting!

Building the shelter

Carrying lumber

Working together

Smiling through the window

Sawing a log

Sitting in the shade

Quiet time

Chess!

Dismissal in the barn  

Dear Campers,

It was a beautiful day at Land Lab Camp!  It was a great change from the rain, and we had a good time enjoying the weather.  This morning we started off camp with a morning meeting. We broke up into several groups this morning. Some campers made mandalas and used water colors with Allie and Chantelle on the porch, while Dylan and I took small groups of campers on an adventure to find the perfect walking sticks. Rene stayed at the barn, and helped kids sand their walking sticks or their benches, while others played chess.

Then we had lunch, and played capture the flag at recess. During recess some of us sat outside and read in the shade of a tree. During quiet time, campers spread out around the porch doing arts and crafts and writing stories.

In the afternoon we went on walks throughout the woods and in the muddy fields, with high hopes for them to dry up this weekend. During the first afternoon block, Dylan took the remaining campers to get walking sticks, Allie and I took campers on an orienteering hike searching for flags that were hidden throughout the Land Lab over the course of the last several days. Rene and Chantelle took the campers on another photography trip. During the second afternoon block, Dylan and I took kids to work on our shelter, while Allie and Rene took the campers on another orienteering adventure. Chantelle worked with other campers on the porch doing various arts and crafts.

We had a really great week, and thanks to the good work of the campers’ parents, we all kept pretty dry and warm. Thanks for a good week, and look for an E-mail from Rene summing up the week, and with some reminders for the week to come.

Have a great weekend!

Playing chess in the barn

Playing in the field

Painting on the porch

Sanding a bench

Sanding our new walking sticks

Walking in the woods

Trying out our new walking sticks

Sawing branches for the shelter

Building the shelter

Campers taking a nature walk