Jumping into a new day...

Good Morning Families, 

We've already packed so much into our day including a full breakfast of eggs, sausage, hash browns, oranges, cereal, and milk. Of course, there were vegetarian options as well. 

Right after breakfast, teachers gathered their classes to debrief the trip so far, get feedback on their cabin leaders, and select preferred activities for the afternoon. In my class, we took time to share strategies to help with homesickness and compared "roses and thorns" (one good thing so far and one bump along the way). Students roses included the food at camp, hiking, the cabins, their cabin leader, banana bread, he dance party and more. Expected bumps were some homesickness, adjusting to sleeping in a different place, and some meal components that weren't their favorite. 


Mrs. Borges' class took time for some free play. Mr. Fennessy's and Mr. Lozano's classes were in a happy mood, ready to get on with the adventures for the day. We all enjoyed spending some direct time with our entire class to get the pulse of their time at camp so far. 

This morning, the day hikers made their own lunches, packed snacks and readied for the hikes to Spider Mountain or the Ridge. Those groups will hike through the woods, up hills and into a chaparral, developing an understanding of local ecosystems and aspects of the water cycle including watersheds. Groups staying closer to camp this day will have a myriad of activities including a river study, a swim in the pool, cooperative games at the low ropes course and more. 


One area that has grown significantly since I first came here 10 years ago is the garden. Under Sasha's care, staff and visiting campers nurture a garden replete with fresh tomatoes, unusual cucumbers, lettuce, herbs (including dill that was in last night's salad), garlic, squash, and so much more. The flowers are buzzing with bees, and a newly created pergola trained with grapes serves as the perfect gathering place for Sasha to teach students about gardening and composting.

The camp integrates two types of composting: a traditional compost and a vermiculture. Both are fascinating to students as they see, touch, and smell first hand how decomposers break down waster into rich soil. Campers have the opportunity to examine the soil under a microscope as well.

If you've read this far, thank you. Know that so much energy, time and thought goes into ensuring that camp is a positive experience for everyone: students, staff, volunteers, and teachers. There are layers are Y staff dedicated solely to the health and happiness of campers, separate from the education part of Outdoor Science School.  Cabin leaders have overnight staff to help with any issues and an entire support team to help them guide young campers with challenges. That support team has yet another layer of very senior staff to resolve any more serious challenges. Of course, we teachers are part of the process along the way. We meet formally and informally every day to make sure that each child is having successes and overcoming problems. We see changes every to year as the camp staff looks to improve an already excellent program.

Look for more later today. I'm off to check in with groups close at hand and my stomach is rumbling for lunch.  This camping business is hard work.  😉