Soil, Seeds and Sun!

Welcome to Session Five: Soil, Seeds, and Sun! We have been having lots of fun at camp this week as campers explore outdoors and learn about plants, the sun, and how we're all connected! All campers sang a great song today with special guest Debbi Friedlander called "The Web of Life" that fit with our theme perfectly. The verses describe all living things, from decomposers to producers to consumers, and how we all connected in the web of life. You're invited to hear us sing the song together on Friday at Camp Share!

Today the Explorers traveled to the new Silvio O. Conte Refuge in Hadley to collect leaf samples and explore the new trails. They will compare and categorize the leaf types and use them for a special craft tomorrow. If you are not familiar with these trails, check them out! They are located at the old Bri-Mar Stables on Moody Bridge Road in Hadley, and all the trails are handicapped accessible, through lots of beautiful, varied habitat.

The Young Naturalists have been having a great time exploring outside, collecting worms for Speedy, and playing "Everyone's It"

Observing Speedy the box turtle in his outdoor enclosure

Playing "Everyone's It"

Because everyone is trying to tag one another in Everyone's It, lots of people end up tagging each other at the same time. Therefore, it involves a lot of "rock paper scissors" to determine who sits down.

Animal Superheroes!

Wow, what a week! Here are some photos from last week's bird photography presentation by Northampton photographer, John Van De Graaff. Campers loved seeing awesome close-up pictures of birds from near and far. We looked closely for cool adaptations, like sharp talons or long, pointed beaks.  

On Monday Debbi Friedlander visited our camp and sand nature songs with us. The Explorers started working on verses for a new song about Animal Superheroes.

Insect Collection at Conte National Wildlife Refuge

Happy August! Yesterday the Explorers went on a field trip to Bri-Mar Stables, a new trail network in Hadley that's part of the Fort River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge. This new conservation area, the trails of which are still being constructed, just so happened to be on the front page of the Hampshire Gazette the day before! The Explorers walked the beautiful trails, scooping the tall grass with insect nets to see what they could collect. In the afternoon they went to the Mill River Recreation Area, where some swam in the pool and others explored the river!