By Peter Josten | Orange County Camp Coordinator
Spring is changing into summer and our Earthkeeper programs are on the move too! We recently held a “Wild for a Day” camp at Blackwood Farm Park. This is our newest location and the first time we have been able to run a spring camp here! Thanks to your donations, we are reaching out to kids and able to provide scholarships to a new audience. We were also excited to have some of our Forest View Earthkeepers join us there.
The kids spent the whole day playing games, learning wilderness skills, and exploring the local creek. One of our campers, Velo, caught sight of “..four huge toads!” Lunchtime found us under a shady tree on a hill. Several minutes into our meal, the campers started exclaiming “...look at all the ladybugs!” “...there’s another one!” “we need to build them a home!” Needless to say, the spot was thereby named Ladybug Hill.
During our creek exploration, some of the kids discovered how to make their own mud slip-and-slide and were soon cackling, soaked, and muddy. Lincoln, one of our more fastidious campers, observed from a distance before finally walking up and quietly asking, “can I have a turn?” Soon, his spotless swim trunks were as dirty as everyone else's while the kids laughed and cheered him on. Seeing him decide to take the mud plunge gave us a wonderful feeling of success.
The day finished with stories, riddles, and word games. Prompted by one of these discussions, Isaiah asked, “what’s cloud watching?” Several minutes later he gazing at the sky with a furrowed brow calling out creatures, “that’s a raptor! Over there is a whale!”
It is always great to see these kids, who are apprehensive at getting dirty, or letting loose, use their imagination and watching their joy soar. We would not be able to provide these experiences and build nature connections for these children without your support. We now focus on summer, many new families have reached out for scholarships, with your help, we can give them a heart warming, bonding week at camp like those who attended our Wild for a Day camp! Many thanks for all you do!
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