Crafty Critters (AM)
This week at morning pre-school nature camp was all about learning about and acting like animals, crafting and exploring the world around us here at Audubon. We have been working on our journals throughout the week, coloring, crafting and adding to them as we please.
Tuesday morning, we had the pleasure of watching Audubon's conservationist Mark do his bird banding program--we saw ovenbirds, cardinals and several other birds up close! We hiked all around the sugarbush, then hiked back up to the barn for some more games and fun.
On Wednesday, we started the day by making our own critter masks out of paper plates; some of us made troll masks, while others made fairy or gnome masks. After that, we ventured up to mossy rocks and forest camp to work on building some fairy houses, gnome homes and playing in the wild. We had a blast using sticks, rocks, leaves and other things surrounding us to create some awesome homes.
Today, we will be making paper out of seeds, which will grow when we put it outside in the sun. Then, we will take a walk on the Audubon's sensory trail and practice using all of our senses in the woods. Friday, we will work more on our journals and finish out the week with some crafty creations. What a fun time!
Wild in the Woods (PM)
Wild in the Woods is all about adventuring throughout Audubon through hiking, exploring, learning and of course, playing in the wild! Tuesday, we hiked down to beaver pond, where we caught leeches and played in the mud, and looked for frogs and turtles. We hiked around the sugarbush and saw lots of cool stuff. We also did stretching led by counselor Lily, and then we shared our own ideas for stretches. We even found a tiny baby toad the size of a fingernail!
Wednesday, we saw something totally awesome; the caterpillar that the pre-schoolers had been taking care of turned into a Swallowtail butterfly after lunch, and we got to see its release into the garden.
After, campers participated in a chipmunk hike where we split into two groups and started on opposite ends of the Hires Trail to search for chipmunks, and met in the middle. There were several cards cut out into chipmunks hidden along the path that campers had to find, and they each had a fun chipmunk fact on the back. Mixed into that was some boxese filled with various objects, from acorns to seeds, that campers had to reach in, feel and guess what they were based on how they feel. During this, we took a break to sit at Lookout Rock and saw a great view of Camel's Hump and Mansfield. We came back for some running and playing games where we got to pretend to be our favorite animals.
Looking forward to Thursday and Friday, we will be playing in the mud, woods and grass to make our own sculptures and other creations. Since it is going to be hotter than the past couple of days, we will venture to the river or the brook and cool down while searching for critters and continue to use our inner wild instincts.
