Winter Camp Update: Thursday 12/23
Our last day was just magical. We warmed up with a game of scramble, then started right in with a story written by Eve Bunting called “The Night Tree,” which set the stage for our entire day. In the story, a family enjoys the tradition of driving out into the woods every Christmas Eve at the edge of town to decorate a favorite tree with edible ornaments as a special treat for the wildlife. This led to a discussion of different holiday traditions that our own families do each year. We then found the perfect tree and set out to decorate it with popcorn & cranberry chains, sun butter & birdseed feeders, and gelatin bird treats molded with cookie cutters. We finished up by stringing up sliced apples and hanging them as ornaments. Our tree looks amazing and we think the wildlife will be very pleased.
After lunch we played fox and rabbits, then took a walk to look at the beehives. We never get too close, but I always have students pick a little bit of plantain, a common herb that can be used topically to ease the pain of insect bites and stings - just in case. Ask your child about how it works!
We continued on past the creekbed to a meadow for more hide and seek tag and a final game of capture the flag. Logan used some plantain on a bug bite and he says the pain went away immediately!
We wrapped up the week with rose-thorn-rosebud where each camper got a chance to share what they liked / didn’t like / look forward to. Some of the “roses” were: getting to know each other, doing all the crafts, and cooking over the campfire. “Thorns” included prickly pears and fire ants. For “rosebuds” - they all said look forward to the next camp!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful kids with us this week. We wish you all have a peaceful Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year.
Bridget & Phaedra
Winter Camp Update: Wednesday 12/22
It was surprisingly cold this morning, so we had the campfire ready for the start of the day…and what better way to make use of a campfire, than to cook baked apples! Our morning game was Eagle Eye, which gets the kids comfortable sitting still in nature for long stretches while hiding from a stationary eagle in his/her nest. They really enjoyed this one and played several rounds.
We helped on the farm by assisting Mr. Austen with mixing up the chicken feed, then we learned how to properly transplant seedlings. We planted cardoons (a relative of artichokes) at the ends of the row beds. They’ll tell you we planted “cartoons.”
During snack, we had visit with a “real life” social butterfly, who landed on almost every student. We then painted our salt-dough ornaments with watercolors - they really turned out nice.
We played Bird Survival again in a new part of the farm - where a couple of kids had a run in with a patch of prickly pears, but no harm done. Despite the wide age range, these kids are very accepting of each other - quick to apologize and we’ve had very few hurt feelings this week. They also love singing together - it’s really sweet.
After lunch, we finished up our ornaments, climbed some trees and relaxed in the shade. Finally, at the end of the day, we hiked across the creek to the big playing field and finished with a few rounds of Fire in the Forest, a type of freeze tag with a wilderness flavor. Another great day in the bag.
We’ll see y’all tomorrow for our last of camp!
Ms. Bridget
Winter Camp Update: Tuesday 12/21
It may have been the shortest day of the year, but we made the very most of it! When we first got to the farm at 8 AM, it was only 31°! Good thing the farmers covered the crops yesterday. The early arrivals warmed up a bit doing jumping jacks with Phaedra, then we got right to work starting a campfire. The kids learned the ABC’s of fire safety. Quiz them to see how many they remember:
A - ADULT must always be present
B - BOUNDARY -make sure fire site is contained by rocks or metal ring
C - CLIMATE / CONDITIONS - no fires if winds over 15 mph or during a burn ban
D - DISTANCE - nothing flammable above or around the fire site
E - EXTINGUISH - have water nearby and extinguish completely
F - FOREIGN objects not allowed in the fire
We then enjoyed the warmth of the fire while listening to a Native American story about this time of year called The Longest Winter. After the fire burned down to coals, we cooked up banana boats, a camping favorite similar to s’mores.
After a game of Cougar Stalks Deer, and a bit of King of the (compost) Hill, we grabbed our water bottles and took a long hike to our cows behind the vineyard, then to the secret pond (checking out the deer skeleton on the path), and on up to the hill above the farm. While there, we then played a fast acting game of Bird Survival where pairs of sparrows attempt to collect “eggs” while fending off blue jays and a hawk. It’s a great introduction to the strategies that different bird species might take in order to survive in the wild.
On our way back down to our classroom, we sang Christmas carols. (Did I mention these kids are tireless?) After lunch they went off to the herb labyrinth to collect plant specimens for today’s art activity: salt-dough ornaments. I’m baking them at home tonight, and we’ll paint them tomorrow.
We wrapped up the day with a classic - Capture the Flag. Whew! They definitely wore us big people out. Back at it tomorrow!
Have a great night,
Ms. Bridget
Winter Camp Update: Monday 12/20
Welcome Farm Camp Families!
The day started off chilly, but we warmed up quickly with a game of blob tag. After settling into our outdoor classroom, we reviewed our agreements on how to treat each other and the farm. We then took a long walk all around the farm, through trails in the juniper brakes that some of these students helped clear in previous classes, and stopped by the old German house build by the original homesteaders over 200 years ago. We also discovered super cool nature “treasures” along the way like raccoon bones, maybe? coyote scat, and a massive red harvester ant colony.
After snack time, we played a game of “Monarchs & Viceroys” which introduces the concept of biomimicry in nature. They then heard the story of “How Groundhog’s Garden Grew,” which is a wonderful children’s book about starting an organic garden. After reviewing our farm rules, we set out on a salad walk, tasting freshly harvested carrots, cilantro, Swiss chard and red lettuce. All agreed that these were the best carrots they’ve ever tried. One child noted that the Swiss chard tasted salty, but was still quite tasty. We finished the farm walk with a visit to the chickens to feed the birds and collect eggs.
By request of the “old timers” we spent time in the dry creek bed - the ideal place for hide and seek tag. This group LOVES to run and play!
After lunch, we crafted Christmas trees from gathered sticks, yarn, juniper berries and maybe a little bit of Michaels-style glitz. Wrapping the trees with yarn was a challenge for several of the kids, but they all succeeded with beautiful results. As a Waldorf teacher, I can’t encourage fiber arts enough for children - its so good for developing focus, hand-eye coordination, confidence, and patience!
If you ask your kids, though, they’ll tell you that the best part of the day was playing in the giant leaf pile!
Phaedra and I are looking forward to another epic day tomorrow. I expect they’ll sleep well tonight.
Warmly,
Ms. Bridget