Coyotes and owls are the tricksters of the animal world, hiding in the shadows, sniffing out secrets, and gliding through the forest. This week our campers joined our pack, mastered their camouflage, sharpened their eyes, and built a secret camp in a week of stealthy adventure!
Monday we focused on learning about habitats and made our own secrets homes in the woods. Then we went on a hike to the river and focused on river habitat and what critters may live there. This led us to talk about Beavers and we worked together to build a dam and change and flow pattern of the water. Today we started our daily sit spot time and journaled for a while about what we were seeing. In the afternoon we explore the habitat of a log dissecting it and see what kind of world welcomed us. Of course, we played so many games staying cool and out of the sun.
Tuesday we learned about camouflage and did an activity that focused on butterfly and moth camouflage. To stay cool we explored the Brook and found areas of camouflage that critters may use from the lead litter to the rocks in the water. Of course, we did some reflection and sit spot time. In the afternoon we went back to work on our dens and making sure they are camouflaged, some of us during this time also worked on building nests. We ended our time staying cool by the water and exploring the River.
Wednesday right off the bat we started an adventure. We hiked all the way to the Birds of Vermont Museum and enjoyed seeing the over 500 bird carvings there. We spent the morning exploring the space, see the different birds, them in their habitats, and the world they live in. In the afternoon we dissected some owl pellets and made our very own bird masks.
Thursday We wanted to work on our team and communication, so we started the day playing a super fun hula hoop communication game. This then led into playing capture the flag where we had to work in teams to keep our flag safe from the other group. We went back to the River and worked on collecting critters and making note of which critters we were catching and how many of each too. In the afternoon, so be extra fire safe, we made fires at beaver Pond. We got to practice using flint and steel to lite a cotton ball on fire. The staff made a larger fire where we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores.
Friday the morning was nice and cool, so we took the opportunity to explore Beaver Pond and search for critters. Throughout the week everyone was talking about talents they had, so we held a talent show for everyone to show off a little! In the afternoon we played Life and Death in the Forest before finishing our dens/shelters/nests.
