Hey Campers!

            Today was another damp day at the Land Lab, but we still had a great time. In the morning, Dylan and I helped kids finish off their woodworking projects from yesterday, and began the sanding process. After sanding, the stools will be soft, sturdy, and even more beautiful than before. Allie took some kids on a walk in the rain to finish hanging up the flags for the scavenger hunt, and Chantelle and Rene worked on the porch with kids doing various arts and crafts.  They have made all sorts of cool drawings, as well as prints with stamps, and tons of intricately braided bracelets.

            For lunch, we all dried off, and huddled up in the warmth and shelter of the barn. We had another indoor recess, then quiet time on the porch - listening to bird sounds, doing arts and crafts, and doing our best to stay dry.

 In the afternoon, many campers stayed on the porch, playing board games, and doing arts and crafts. We made more bracelets, and played cards. Later in the afternoon, Dylan and Chantelle took some campers on a rain walk, so they could take in some of the rainy day in the woods before camp ended. Other Campers ran in the field with Rene, playing with paper airplanes they had made on the porch, and the rest of us stayed inside finishing our games and creations.

            It was a cold and rainy day, but we still had a great time at Land Lab Camp. I urge parents of campers to continue doing a wonderful job dressing your campers for the weather, and for sending clean changes of clothes so we can keep going on adventures. Dry socks are so comfortable after coming inside!

See you tomorrow!

Alex 

Morning meeting

Staying warm in the barn

Sanding in the barn

Rain walk!

Monopoly on the porch

Telling stories in the barn

Apples to apples on the porch

Making bracelets

Making paper airplanes

Drawing on the porch

Hey Everyone!

            Today, we finally got some good weather! We also had a guest counselor, Judy Gianforte, come in and help Dylan instruct kids in the woodshop. We split the campers into four groups that took turns in the woodshop over the course of the day. In the morning, those of us that weren’t in the woodshop split up into several groups. One group went with Chantelle and Rene to learn about how to take pictures in nature, while respecting the environment, and making sure that there is proper lighting. Another group hiked with Allie and I throughout the Land Lab and placed the flags that the campers made over the last couple days for a future scavenger hunt.  Once the first group was done in the woodshop, we all rotated activities.

            Many of us enjoyed lunch outside on mats around the barn to enjoy the summer sun that we have been craving all week. We decided to celebrate with an extended recess through quiet time. Some kids played capture the flag the entire time, while others chose to have a mini quiet time on the porch doing arts and crafts with Allie.

            In the afternoon, Allie and Rene continued to take people to place flags throughout the Land Lab during the first afternoon block, while Chantelle and I took more kids to take pictures with their cameras. In the second afternoon block, Allie, Rene, Chantelle and I all took the kids who weren’t in the woodshop on a scavenger hunt, trying to find a piece of nature that started with each letter of the alphabet.

            Overall we had a wonderful day, but tomorrow’s forecast looks like rain, so please remember to continue sending your children to camp appropriately dressed for cold and rainy days, with a change of clothes and extra socks. If the forecast is for sun, please don’t forget sun block, bug spray, and clothes for warm weather. 

Hanging flags in the woods

Heading to the pond

Working with Judy

Working with Dylan

Making stools

Putting it all together

Readying in the barn

Nature walk

Nature photography

Lots of tadpoles at the pond this year!

Good afternoon!

               Today was another day of rain and cold at camp, but we had a great time! As we were all arriving, we decided to enjoy the outdoors before the rain came, and had a 15 minute time when the campers could run around outside. We then gathered for our daily meeting in the barn, discussed the day’s activities, and what indoor activities the campers might be interested in.

               In the morning, Dylan and Chantelle took a group of campers to start gathering materials for our shelter, and returned two hours later with stories of adventures dragging trees through the mud and rain. Allie stayed on the porch with campers who didn’t want to get wet so early in the day, and Rene and I took a third group on a walk around the Land Lab, gathering bark and other cool materials for an upcoming project. Although it is hard to quantify the progress we made on projects today, it definitely helped prepare us for the rest of the week.  Allie and the campers who stayed on the porch created some great works of art, ranging from drawings to flags to colorful bracelets.

               We broke for lunch, and enjoyed the shelter of the barn while watching the rain pour down outside through our great view out the garage doors. We had indoor recess because of the rain, and had an extended full of sanding wood, reading, and more arts and crafts on the porch.

               In the afternoon we had mainly indoor activities. We had a group on the porch playing board games, card games, and continuing work on bracelets and other arts and crafts projects with Rene and me. Another group went on a rain hike with Allie and Chantelle gathering even more cool artifacts, this time for the “feely box.” The “feely box” is a box in which we put different pieces of nature that we have gathered and we try to identify them by the way they feel, rather than how they look (choices such as moss, pine needles, or mushrooms are common). Dylan also taught a group of kids in the barn how to tie all sorts of different knots.

               We had a great time today, and enjoyed plenty of outdoor time, despite the rain. Remember to continue dressing your children appropriately for the weather, sending sweatshirts AND rain coats, extra clothes and socks, and waterproof shoes. If your camper asks to bring a book from home to read during quiet time, feel free to send it along. 

Heading out into the rain

Gathering bark and other crafting materials 

Playing mancala in the barn

Sanding wood

More wood projects underway 

Making flags on the porch

Quiet time in the barn 

Learning how to tie knots with Dylan

Can you name this knot?

Apples to Apples!

Hello All and Welcome Back!

            We hope you all had a good school year, and that you’re all ready for some summer fun!  Today we had lousy weather, but we all still had a really great time.  We focused on introducing some of the newer campers to the experience, while revisiting some of our past activities for returning campers.

            We started off the morning with our annual blindfold walk. The campers paired up, and took turns leading a blindfolded teammate through the woods. This exercise reminds us of the importance of using all of our senses, not just sight. It also builds trust in the campers, and teaches them to work together, something that they will use consistently throughout the upcoming weeks. Later in the morning we went on walks to familiarize the campers with the various paths, and the shelters we have built in the past 3 years that have fallen into disrepair. This year we have decided that, rather than starting a new project, we should spend time renewing and repairing our past shelters, and perhaps taking them to newer and greater heights.

            We had lunch in and around the barn during a short break in the rain, and enjoyed a game of capture the flag at recess. During quiet time campers enjoyed activities such as reading, drawing, making bracelets, and listening to bird noises on the porch.

            In the afternoon, the weather got worse, but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits. During the first block, Dylan and I took a group of campers to begin planning the renovations to our shelter, Allie and Rene worked with students on the porch doing arts and crafts, and Chantelle took a group to gather flowers to be pressed. In the second block, Dylan and Allie took a group on an intermediate level blindfold rain hike, helping the campers hone their senses, while Chantelle, Rene and I stayed on the porch with the remainder of the campers doing more arts and crafts.

            We would like to remind you to send your children with fresh sets of dry clothes, and appropriate clothing for cold and rainy days like today. Check the weather in the morning to make sure that they are adequately prepared, and make sure that they have extra socks and something to cover their heads on cold days like today. Don’t forget sun block and bug spray as well!

Looking forward to a great two weeks,

Alex