Have a great summer!

Hi campers and families!

Our last day of the 2014 Land Lab Outdoor Adventure was so much fun. After breakfast, the overnight campers packed up the tents and gathered all of their belongings.  Once everyone had arrived, the annual "Ultimate Capture the Flag" game began.  This game is held in a much larger area of the Land Lab than the recess yard.  It is a favorite way to end the camp.  Parents arrived for the annual family picnic at lunch time.  Campers served as tour guides, helping their families explore the beautiful trails and favorite areas of the Land Lab. 

We want to thank all of you for three great weeks!  Parents, thanks for sharing your children with us...we had a great time. Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

Hope to see you all next year!
-Shannon

 tent set-up!

The campers before roasting marshmallows!

 Our temporary turtle friend!

 End of the year picture!

Families exploring the trails!

Overnight!

Hello campers!

Our last full day of camp has arrived! The weather was very foggy and misty this morning. When the campers arrived they played soccer and hung around the barn. In the morning block, a group of campers went out for a scavenger hunt with Rene. They walked around the Land Lab area and looked for the flags that the two campers hid earlier in the week. Allie and Chantelle took a group of students to the porch to finish the windsocks, dream catchers, and the rock paintings. Dylan made pencil holders with the kids in the barn.

As lunch came around the weather cleared up. The campers had a great quiet time. They finished up all the crafts from earlier this week.

In the first block, some campers finished up their crafts on the porch. A group came with Tyler and me to play soccer....which seemed appropriate with the World Cup activity. In the second block, the campers switched up the game and played capture the flag. A couple campers went with Dylan to gather fire wood for the sleepover tonight. Overall the last day was so much fun. We cannot wait for the overnight. There are a lot of fun events planned such as the night walk, s'mores over the fire,and fun tent setup.

See you all tonight and tomorrow!
-Shannon

Scavenger hunt flag 7!

 World Cup updates!

 The new tie-dye bandana being put on by Rene!

Just before the beautiful sunset!

Drilling the pencil holders with Dylan's help!

3rd Pond Day!

Happy Pond Day!

Today was a  very rainy day but that didn't stop the campers from having fun! We started off with a game of soccer and eventually made our way to the pond. The campers brought in some vegetables and herbs for the stone soup. When we got to the pond the campers ran right in! . They played Marco-polo in the water and jumped off the dock.  Others took a ride in the canoe. Some kids stayed on land and helped make the stone soup by chopping the vegetables. We had a ton of great herbs today and lots of potatoes.

The morning block ended and the kids ate lunch. The stone soup tasted awesome. At this time the rain started really coming down. The campers ate their lunch and then all came back to the barn to change. After the big rain, a group of campers went to the porch for board games and bracelet making. This was the first block.

In the second block,  the porch activities continued and and paracord bracelet making took place in the barn. It was a very relaxed afternoon after the full morning of swimming.

We are so excited for the overnight tomorrow. The weather is looking great!  If your camper is signed up for the overnight, please refer to the check list email that Rene sent on Tuesday.   See you in the morning! 

-Shannon

 Early morning soccer!

 Making stone soup!

 Pond day in the rain!

 Soup making

Relaxing by the fire!

June 24th!

Hi everyone!

The days are dwindling down to the end of our outdoor adventure! Today we had some rainy weather in the morning so we planned for inside activities. On the porch campers played board games, while others used water colors and did drawing. In the barn, Dylan lead some campers in paracord making and another group went out to fill the terrarium. This group found many creatures, 4 of them being frogs and toads!

The weather improved just in time for lunch and recess. Quiet time consisted on reading, drawing and bracelet making.

In the first block after lunch Dylan and Chantelle took a group of campers out to the porch for to finish up morning projects. The stick weaves are starting to look awesome. . Rene took a small group to make dream catchers. The new campers loved this activity. Allie and I finished up all the tie-dying projects with a couple groups of campers during the entire afternoon.

In the second block Rene, and our special guest Tyler (MSS grad from 2011), took a group to participate in a special scavenger hunt that was created yesterday by Liam and Henry. It was really well done and the campers loved hunting for the flags! Chantelle took a group to take pictures as a few campers made paracord bracelets in the barn with Dylan.

Looking forward to Pond Day and Stone Soup Day tomorrow!
-Shannon

 Scavenger hunt!

 Blokus!

 Tie-Dying in the barn

 Sketching during quiet time!

 Paracord instruction

finished terrarium!

June 23rd

Hi campers!

The start of week 3 was great! The sun was out and the campers were ready for a great day. Dylan and Chantelle took a group out to collect boat items and stones. The campers brought the bark and sticks back to the barn to start constructing. Rene took a group to start the solar oven cookies and then went for a scavenger hunt. The kids loved looking for items on the list. Allie and I conducted the blindfold walk. The new campers enjoyed that activity. Allie was even led along a train by some of the students!

During lunch and recess the kids played soccer and capture the flag. Some played on the swing while others walked around.  Quiet time consisted of outdoor sketching, wood sanding, and bracelet making. 

In the first and second block Dylan took a group of campers out for a session of stalking. Rene took another group for the scavenger hunt because it was a popular fun activity. On the porch a larger group was doing many activities. The campers painted rocks or crotched yarn on v-shaped tree branches. They look awesome. In the second block the porch activities continued and stalking did as well. I took two campers to hide flags for a scavenger hunt tomorrow. They made their own riddles and have clues for the other campers to follow.

Very excited for another tie dye project on Tuesday!
-Shannon

 Campers leading each other on blind string walk

 Scavenger hunt time!

 Solar oven with cookies!

 Painting rocks!

Finished painted rocks

Preparing for tomorrow's scavenger riddle hunt

End of week 2!

Happy Friday everyone!

Today the weather was on our side! It was a beautiful day for the land lab. The kids started off the day with a game of soccer. After that some campers went made wind socks with Allie. They got to choose a color and cut a piece of nylon fabric using a template. They got to decorate the wind socks after. It is a neat decoration. Dylan and Rene worked with a small group on paracord bracelets and pencil holders. Chantelle took some campers to make bird feeders.

After the morning, the kids ate lunch and had recess. Afterwards during quiet time the kids sat outside and did their usual activities.

During the first block after lunch, Rene and Dylan took a group to work on the shelter. The kids were loving it and some even stayed through the second block. They had to collect Y-shaped branches to hold the base of the shelter. Meanwhile, Allie led some campers with windsock making. Chantelle and I took a group out for photography. We did an activity with water balloons and tried to capture the balloon popping. Some of the campers took the photo at the perfect moment.

In the second block, Dylan and Rene kept the group for shelter. Allie finished up windsocks and then joined some campers and me for a game of soccer. The campers had lots of fun playing games.

This week we had great weather and a bunch of fun! We are excited for the third week.

Have a great weekend!
-Shannon

June 19th!

Hi everyone!

Today started off great! When the campers arrived we started a game of soccer and enjoyed the awesome weather. We all gathered afterwards and discussed the activities for the day. A group of campers went with Rene and Allie to start the solar oven. Afterwards they went to the Play Woods to make an outdoor terrarium. They found 23 salamanders! Dylan stayed at the barn with a group to make the pencil holders out of logs. The campers sanded them as they wished. Chantelle and I took a group around through the trails to take a lot of pictures. The campers are learning some new photography techniques.

Lunch went well and the kids played capture the flag in the field and went on the swing during recess. During quiet time sanding took place. Also some campers went outside to sketch nature scenes that they viewed.
After lunch a group of campers had stalking lessons with Rene and our special visitor, Alex French Lawyer.  Students learned to move as quietly as possible through the woods in order to observe animals in their natural habitat. This is a favorite Land Lab activity. Chantelle took a group to the porch to make frames  for the photos that we took in the morning. Allie and I took a group out to the field for a soccer game. The kids loved being in the sun.

In the second block Chantelle and I continued soccer while Allie took a group to the porch for watercolor and bracelets. Rene and Alex took a different group of campers to stalk.

At the end of the day some campers got to take home their art projects and tie-dyed items. They also all got a chance to try the solar oven cookies.  Special thanks to the Durkins for providing the delicious cookie dough!

Looking forward to a fun Friday!
-Shannon

June 18th

Hello campers!

The rain and clouds hit us today but it didn't stop any of our activities! Allie took a group for tie dying and they made some neat shirts and bandanas. Dylan took a group of newer campers to make the paracord bracelets. Chantelle took another group to the porch for some different activities. They added ties to the bird feeders, drew pictures, and continued making bracelets. Rene and I took a smaller group on a tour of the Lawyer gardens and green house. It was amazing! Mr. and Mrs. Lawyer took the time to show everyone the different plants and ways to prepare some herbs for potting. The kids all got to plant their own dill plants and even got to try some vegetables right off the plants!

Lunch went well and the kids played capture the flag during recess. During quiet time kids sanded in the barn and went to the porch for activities.
After lunch Allie continued the tie dye projects.  Dylan and Chantelle took another group on the afternoon tour of the Lawyer gardens.  The students did the same things that  the earlier group did. They had so much fun. Rene took a group of campers (with our special guest Tyler)  to the pond with nets and a tank to observe some of the pond life. I brought a small group to the porch and we told riddles and sketched. In the second block, more campers came to the porch and some went with Rene for aquarium again.

The weather even got a little nicer so at the end of the day the kids got to enjoy it. Overall it was a great day.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TIE-DYE:
Many of the tie dye t-shirts and bandanas made in week one are coming home today. Please be aware that the dyes in the shirts will stain other clothes. To prevent this, before washing rinse with cold water. Rinse until the water runs clear from the shirt or bandana. Also when washing, don't wash with clothes that could get ruined. Wash with darks or older towels.

Have a great night!
-Shannon

June 17

Hello everyone!

Pond day was a blast today! The weather was great and sunny. Everyone remembered to apply sunscreen and bug spray. Once the campers arrived they all gathered and got ready to make their way to the pond. Some helped carry life jackets and bracelet making supplies.
Once we got to the pond the campers jumped right in. The canoe line became packed right away and a couple campers went at a time. The campers who didn't swim helped cut some vegetables for the stone soup! Others walked back to some log structures near the pond.
At lunch time, the campers sat around the pond and ate. They got to try the stone soup they made! It was delicious. After lunch/recess the campers had quiet time. Some collected items in the woods while others sanded and made bracelets.

In the afternoon the campers got back into the water as soon as possible! Some made stick fishing poles and others rotated on the canoe. Some sat outside the pond and made bracelets or read. A lot of relaxation happened and the campers loved it!

Overall it was a great day at the pond. The weather was awesome and the campers were all well mannered.
Can't wait for tomorrow!
-Shannon

June 16th!

Hi everyone!

We are so excited for the second week.  The weather is looking great so we are hoping for the best. Today started off with many activities. Rene and Allie took a group of campers to finish up the solar oven. They put some cookie dough in it and put the boxes directly in the sun. The campers  rotated the boxes throughout the day. After the cookies were started, the campers made mandalas. Mandalas are a geometrical representation of the environment around us. The kids drew circles and glued nature items inside the circles. Chantelle took a group out for a nature scavenger hunt. Dylan and I went with a group of campers to continue the shelter building. It is really coming along!
The kids ate lunch and played a game of capture the flag. During quiet time some sketched while others made bracelets outside. Campers in the barn read and sanded.
After lunch, a group of kids went on the blind fold walk with Allie and Dylan. The campers used their senses other than eyesight while their partner led them through the woods. Rene took a small group for the "ant-eye-view" hike. The campers laid on the ground with a magnifying glass and examined their surroundings from there. The campers presented and mentioned the small plants and insects they saw. Meanwhile Chantelle and I led a fun activity of frisbee. The campers got to learn different throws.
In the second block, Dylan and Chantelle went out to build more of the shelter while Allie and I continued frisbee. Rene took another couple campers to do the ants eye view. After the second block the campers gathered and got to eat the cookies from the solar oven!

Looking forward to a sunny pond day tomorrow!
-Shannon