2022 Farm Camp Recap - Week 1 (June 6-10)
Monday - Welcome & Orientation
Today was a great opening to our first week of farm camp. Several of the students are back from last year and it was lovely to reconnect and see how much they’ve grown. We spent the first part of the morning reviewing our class agreements and getting oriented to our outdoor classroom and farm space. We met the chickens and even collected a couple of eggs. The Willows watered the sunflower house and talked about weather patterns at our weather station. Ms. Nora told a story about the old woman who weaves the world during snack, and after, we did a scavenger hunt to get even more comfortable with our surroundings. By lunchtime, the temperatures were definitely getting up there, so we moved to the tasting room to cool off and enjoy lunch. The Oaks played a circle game called Weasels and Squirrels, then both groups heard the story of “Miss Rumphius” about a woman who tried to make the world more beautiful by planting lupine seeds all around her town. This was a perfect lead-in to one of our favorite farm activities: making seed balls with native seeds. We finished the afternoon with some water play on the slip ‘n slide and super soakers.
Tuesday - Bug Day
We started off with a game of “Monarchs and Viceroys” where we explore the concept of biomimicry in nature, then went for a morning walk through the woods behind the farm to our herb labyrinth and historic cabins at the edge of our property. Along the way we observed many carpenter ant colonies. The kids were fascinated by their ability to carry pieces of straw 4 times their size! We also spotted lots of animal tracks and mused about their origins. We visited the chickens, dodging a couple of ornery roosters to catch a glimpse of two hens in the coop, each setting on a clutch of eggs. The Willows got to see the baby chicks in their coop and we talked about the role and function of chickens in a farm ecosystem, including their manure being very hot!
After snack, we learned a song about insects, then discussed the importance of beneficial insects on an organic farm like ours. We set off on a bug hunt to catch insects around the farm, then tried to identify them using our good bug / bad bug field guides. We then held a series of bug races, much to everyone’s delight - especially the insects once they were released back into nature.
We moved up to the tasting room for lunch, after which the Oaks played another active game called “Metamorphosis,” then made homemade garlic bread from garlic that was harvested from the farm. The Willows talked about lady bugs, and their beneficial role as controllers of aphids and other harmful bugs on fruiting crops, then colored some coffee filters with crayons to make them look like lady bugs as we talked about them. We finished off the day with water play, including an awesome water dumping relay.
Wednesday - Tomato Day
Wednesday was tomato harvest day at camp. After our morning games, we went on a hunt for tomatoes and found many shapes, colors, and sizes. While feeding the chickens, the Oaks discovered a dung beetle - they were fascinated! The questions they fired off were amazing: Why is he rolling the ball backwards? Does he even know where he’s going? Does he eat the poop while he’s rolling it? Maybe he’s taking it to his family. Do bugs get hot? Do they stink? Should we help it? Definitely a highlight of the week!
After a couple of games (and plenty of hydrating) we brought our tomatoes to the tasting room and made pico de gallo salsa and masa dough. The Willows helped out by prepping the tomatoes and onions by cutting them with kid scissors. After lunch we alternated between water play and rolling & pressing tortillas. The kids happily made enough tacos for everyone in camp (including seconds.)
Thursday - Color Day
The Oaks warmed up with a fast-paced game of Scramble (like dodgeball with bandana balls), while the Willows played Blindfolded Samurai, which was a big hit. After some hydration games, we got an early start harvesting flowers for our dyeing project and some edible flowers too. During snack, Ms. Nora told the story of the Princess of the Moon, and then did a craft with the flowers we harvested earlier, using dowels to pound the color out of the flower, transferring it to a white cotton cloth. The Oaks packed up for a hike up the hill before the farm, visiting the cows on the way and looking at some antique farm equipment that’s been here as long as anyone can remember. The hike took us through some native scrub to a shady forest overlooking the farm where we rested then played a fun tag game called “Bird Survival.” We hiked back down for lunch in the tasting room, then started our tie dye project using the marigolds and sunflowers we collected earlier. The Willows made some yummy edible flower canapés, then everyone cooled off with water play.
Friday - Plant Medicine Day
For our final day we learned a bit about plant medicine. After our morning games, the Oaks collected calendula, bee balm, and plantain and learned how to make a “spit poultice” from plantain which can be used for insect bites, bee stings any wounds. Ask your student how it works! The Willows explored the herb labyrinth and learned about the healing properties of yarrow and harvested lemon balm, basil and mint for sun tea. Best comment of the day: “I can’t believe these special plants have super powers!” We cooled off with some impromptu spray bottle wars, then headed over the creek to the big field where our new chickens are now homed. The next game for the Oaks was “Nutty Squirrels” which was a huge hit. After lunch, they unwrapped our beautiful tie dye handkerchiefs and made a batch of healing salve from farm-grown calendula, plantain, chickweed and comfrey. It can be used for any kind of skin ailment, including rashes, stings, bites and wounds. We recommend keeping it in the fridge during the heat of summer. The Willows drank our delicious sun tea we had harvested from the garden, and made homemade tea bags with dried herbs from the farm. They cooled off with water games until it was time to say goodbye. The Oaks wrapped up with a round of Rose, Thorn and Rose Bud where each camper had a chance to share something they loved this week, something they found challenging, and something they learned. It’s a wonderful way to bring closure to a busy week - and I can tell you that everyone had an awesome experience. Hope to see y’all back for more- we still have some openings at the end of June and most of July!
