by Brittney Gonzalez, ENC Intern
Today I had the pleasure of working with Sue, Valerie, Karis and many of our little naturalists attending winter camp. It was amazing having the opportunity to adventure, eat and craft with everyone.
On our trail hike, Sue found the exoskeleton of a crayfish. Did another animal ate him for a meal? We all got to feel some very fuzzy leaves and talk about how everyone liked the soft texture of them. We imagined fairies sleeping on top of the leaves high above, and sloth monsters down below the bridges. We even paid the imaginary sloth monster one leaf each, to let us pass through. At the very end of our adventure, everyone sang “tap, tap, tap, we made it to the back!” All the campers had an opportunity to stop when they found something interesting in nature, and explain what they thought what was so unique about that specific plant, rock etc.
The kids made “bear” snacks next, consisting of rice cakes, almond butter, cranberries and sunflower seeds. Everyone was proud of their bear snack and were ecstatic that they got to eat them after making them. The best part was when the kids put on bear, fish and snake costumes, and pretended to be that animal, slithering like a snake, SSSSS! Or growling like a bear! RAWR!
After playing a matching picture game of adult and baby animals, the little naturalists made masks of their favorite bear species. All of the kids’ masks were so creative with fluff balls of all colors. I saw many polar bears, koala bears, brown and black bears! Parents will be uber excited to receive the masks their children made.
These children can really remind us adults how to have an imagination, and how to let our creative juices flow. At least I know they did for me. For those of us who have writers block, or who are feeling uninspired about our lives, just spend some time with children and you will find your creative space again. These kids are having the time of their lives here at the ENC, with smiles on their faces, and getting the wiggles out while enjoying nature. Honestly, there is no better place to go to be able to run around and play with friends than here at the Environmental Nature Center! After attending just one day of their four day winter camp, I’m hooked, and wished I could spend more time with everyone.
Before you know it, your kids will be teaching you about nature! They will take you on walks, instead of the other way around, and at the end, you’ll get to celebrate and sing “Tap, tap, tap, we made it to the back!”
We still have space in our Camps for the next two weeks! More info HERE.