...will be full of fun, adventure, growing and nature exploration! Once those priorities have been agreed upon, I have structured the camp so every day is set up the almost in the same way: this way kids and parents know what to expect. Here is a sample of one of our days (remember, the theme of the camp is From Seed to Harvest, so each day will have activities representing the gardening/farming process)
Day One: Seeds Theme
Our first day together will be slightly different in that the very first part of our morning will be devoted to "housekeeping:" safety, location of the washroom, how the day will be schedueled.
We will also introduce ourselves, and I insist we do so by saying our name and a fruit or vegetable that starts with the same letter. For example, I am Lisa Lettuce. Or Lisa Lychee. I haven't decided yet. We will then spend a few minutes decorating tags with our names and our fruit or vegetable and get to know each other a bit. For example, I might ask Tommy Tomato if he actually likes tomatoes! Or Christin Carrot if she has ever had jello with carrots in it before...
We will also have a tour of the farm, and the children will be allowed to "adopt a tree" where the maples stand alongside the property. Each day, they will have the opportunity to visit their tree, explore it's bark, what makes their tree unique, do a quiet activity underneath it's branches, leave the tree little gifts... Our trees will be in close proximity to one another so no one will be alone in the woods, of course.
We will then have a 15 minute break for snack and unstructured play (aka running around).
After break I will introduce the theme activity for the day (in this case, seeds). This introduction can be in the form of a story, or a song, dramatic expression or demonstration. We will look at different types of seeds, from the tiny to the large, and what they need to sprout. The children will be able to plant seeds on the farm, and also plant something to take home with them.
After this, another small break.
After break, we will create a Mother Nature Collage (http://gardens-without-borders.blogspot.com/2010/07/mother-nature-collage.html.) This is not the type of collage you glue together and take home. It is one we make together, that is meant to be temporary, with leaves, flowers, rocks, twigs. We will also leave seeds and nuts on the collage for animals to eat. I will then take a snapshot of our creation. We will then come back the next day to see how Mother Nature's hand altered our collage (through wind, animal friends nibbling the seeds, etc).
Just before pick up time, the kids will have 15 minutes for more unstructured play. To "shake those sillies out" as it were!
