Back to Nature - Day 5

For our final day of camp we studied animal camouflage. First we read The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. Then we talked about how camouflage helps protect animals in the wild. We also learned about another way animals can hide - by staying very still, like rabbits when they are scared. We played a special game of hide and seek where the children hid and stayed very, very still and quiet. Do you see them?

After that we played another type of hide and seek. Ms. Claire took out some special animals

 Then she hid them so they would be camouflaged

 The children really loved this game! They played it over and over, each time finding and hiding the animals in different places.

 It was very hot and muggy outside so we cooled off with popsicles. Yum!

 Between the downpour a few nights ago and all the water play, our garden was more like a mud pit today. The children didn't mind though!

 More tomatoes and peppers were also discovered!

 Our first art project was making rabbits like the ones we frequently see around school. I think one might even have a home under the Japanese maple in the courtyard.

 Did you know baby rabbits are called kittens?

 Our other art project was mosaic rainbows. The children were very interested in this and some of them spent quite a long time arranging their tiles.

Thanks everyone for a great week at camp! We look forward to seeing you on Wonderful Wednesdays - we'll study a different country each time!

Camp Day 4 - Animals!

D. is waving his arms like a monkey

 For day four of nature camp we focused on mammals. Did you know that squirrels can use their tails as an umbrella or a blanket? We played a game where the kids took turns acting out different animals. It was interesting to think about the different ways animals moved. We had a very accurate representation of a bee!

L. turning her head like an owl

J. is soaring like a hawk

 For our snack we had apple rings with sunbutter and raisins.Then we made a 'squirrel snack bar' by spreading sunbutter on pinecones.....

rolling the sticky pinecones in birdseed, and tying on a string to hang the snack from a tree.

 We played with shaving cream and food coloring to experiment with color mixing. I got this idea from the Play at Home Mom Blog which has lots of creative, fun and inexpensive ideas for children.

 All the children, from the oldest to youngest, enjoyed this activity

 Of course, we had water play too.

E. made a 'shaving cream pirate' nose and kept it on for a long time. We all thought this was pretty funny!


The week has gone by so fast - it is hard to believe tomorrow is our last day. We'll be talking about camoflauge and celebrating with a popsicle party!

Back to Nature - Day 3

Summer Camp day three was all about insects.

 We started out talking about the parts of an insects body - head, thorax and abdomen. Several of the children also observed that insects have six legs and antennae. We passed around an ant in a magnifying jar before going out with our own magnifying glasses to look for insects.

 We saw lots of insects, but perhaps most exciting was the baby lady bug this group of children found.

 A large banana pepper was also discovered, and shared with all the students right off the vine.

 After the insect hunt we came back in to read a story about ladybugs. One of the toddlers was really hungry for snack though.....

 For snack we made 'ants on a log' with sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds), celery and raisins. mmm.

 Then we tried on our awesome shirts. :)

 Our art project was making butterflies from food coloring and coffee filters. The colors turned out beautiful.

 Finally it was time for some water play - today we broke out the old school slip and slide for the older kids. They LOVED it!

 Everyone enjoyed mixing cornstarch and water. If you've never done this, give it a try. The texture is very unusual.

 All the fun wore out our youngest little guy before lunch!

No pictures form yesterday due to technical difficulties, but here is a shot of the art projects - leaf/bark rubbings and trees made from recycled paper. The children learned their arms are like tree branches, reaching for the sun, their skin is like bark to protect them,  their back bone is like the trunk to stand  up tall, and the roots are like their feet to hold them to the ground. (Although one child pointed out it was gravity that held us to the ground)

We are having so much fun at camp! We still have a few slots open for our Wonderful Wednesdays mini camp June 22-July 27. Please email colmdirector (at) gmail.com for more information!

Back to Nature Camp!

 Today was the first day of our summer camp and everyone had a great time! We are focusing on nature this week and today's theme was nature awareness. We started out by listening to the sounds all around us.
 We heard woodpeckers, squirrels, crickets, the wind.....

 Then we did a nature memory game. Ms. Claire laid out objects that could be easily found in the garden....

 Then she covered them with a bandana and the children had to remember what the objects were and find them outside. Some of the younger ones just found a pine cone or sweet gum ball. The older ones were able to remember all the items.

 The objects were: pine cone, wood chip, rock, pine needle and sweet gum ball.

 Everyone was amazed by how much our peppers, tomatoes, flowers and peas have grown. We are going to have a tomato feast soon!! Then we made T shirts with our logo and spray on fabric paint. The children picked their colors and they all turned out beautiful!

 Water play was LOTS of fun!!

And we finished up with a little yoga! Thanks everyone for a great time - we'll see you tomorrow!