Summer Camps 2008

June 23-June 27   and    July 21-25

9:30-Noon   Ages 4-6

Life & Lore in Turtle Village

                Little Beaver is a young Woodland Indian of long ago, living in a place he knows as Lenapehoking, or the land of the Lenape. He and his sister, Touching Leaves, enjoy life in the village – there is so much to do!  Touching Leaves helps her mother and aunts gather wild plants, nuts, berries, and other good things to eat. Soon Mother will teach her how to cook and make clothing, pots, and baskets. Little Beaver had helped to make the houses of the village with his father and uncles, with tools they had made. He will accompany them on their next hunt!

                After the chores each day, Touching Leaves and Little Beaver gather with the other children of the village to play favorite games like spear-the-deer and jackstraws. Everyone enjoys singing and dancing to the tunes and rhythms of drums, flutes, whistles and rattles. Come evening, Grandfather tells entertaining stories of spirits, heroes, monsters, and the exciting adventures of their ancestors long ago. Come, learn the ways of these gentle people who lived in harmony with the land, and their friends, the animals, in a lively and an adventuresome week in the Lenape Village.

1-3:30 PM   Ages 6-9

Dances With Turtles

            The Eastern Woodland Indians who lived in our area long ago were a peaceful people who taught their children to respect the land. We'll discover the lifestyle of these Native Americans, learning how they lived, worked and played. We'll examine their tools, their clothes, their customs, and their games, and find out how humans can live in harmony with their surroundings.

                We'll discover how the Indians ground their corn and cooked their meals. We'll also drill wood with a pump drill; model a breechcloth; play spear-the-deer; make a model dug-out canoe; and examine some authentic Indian artifacts and plant and animal resources that were commonly used in making their clothing, toys, games, and tools.

June 30-July 4th    and    July 28-August 1

9:30-Noon   Ages 4-6

Hatchlings & Sprouts

                There is a beginning place for all things, and in this very special place of mystery and wonder, we explore from beginning to end the hatching and sprouting of eggs and seeds. We'll plant seeds to grow a living playhouse, make a butterfly observation house, and visit the woods, fields and wet places to find and observe their living newborns. We’ll provide nest helpers for parent birds and learn how they care for their very hungry babies. We’ll make pressed flower cards, play games that help us know what it’s like to be a small animal in a big world, and discover what all living things need to grow and change. Good beginnings in the outdoors start here!

1-3:30 PM   Ages 6-9

Monkeyshines! (And other Nature Games!)

More fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys, this special weeklong adventure is chock-full of fun, safe, hands-on, fully participatory games and activities as we learn about wildlife and basic concepts of the world around us. With names like Jamaquack, Oh, Deer!, Quick Frozen Critters, Race to the Sea, Rainforest Soccer, Trash Tag, and the ever-popular Caterpillar-Chrysalis-Butterfly Parachute Game, we’ll build friendships, share laughter, celebrate life, and enjoy the fun in investigating various habitats, animal needs and adaptations, camouflage, predator/prey relationships, life cycles, diversity, recycling and more!

July 7-11    and    August 4-8

9:30-Noon   Ages 4-6

2008 Roving Rangers Nature Safari

                This summer the Roving Rangers are on Safari in search of a home for Tiki. This woodland elf sees how Friend Squirrel can climb and build a leafy nest in a tree, while Friend Chipmunk burrows cozy tunnels under the ground. Friend Fish makes pebbly nests in its watery world, while Friend Robin builds sturdy nests of mud and grass to raise her young. Nearby, Friend Butterfly flutters from a home-spun sleeping bag attached to a leaf. What kind of home is the right kind for Tiki?

                Each day, the Roving Rangers will explore new worlds and learn about how different creatures are adapted to different kinds of homes. For their kind assistance in finding Tiki a home, each Roving Ranger will receive an official Nature Safari Certificate of Appreciation.

1-3:30 PM   Ages 6-9

Junior Naturalists Outdoor Society 2008

                At the Junior Naturalists Outdoor Society headquarters in Faraway Woods, an urgent message has been received. There have been reported sightings of birds walking down trees headfirst and creatures swimming backwards. Another report tells of flying frogs, birds swimming underwater, and insects leaping over 20 times their own body length! What is happening? The JNOS must stalk, trail, observe, and capture specimens from the Special Order of the Locomotion of Animalia (those critters who soar, fly, glide, hop, ooze, slide, walk, and otherwise get around).

                Junior Naturalists will learn how to make and use the tools of the trade used by professional naturalists. They will make dragonfly wings to learn about flight, build a terrarium to learn about creatures of the soil, and how to safely and gently trap and release animals. Junior Naturalists receive a Certificate of Outdoor Investigations.

July 14-18    and    August 11-15

9:30-Noon   Ages 4-6

Wildlife Adventures in the Web of Life

How do animals live and grow? Why do they need each other and their surroundings? How can we know? Join us in an exciting romp through meadow, forest and stream in search of new and amazing adventures. We’ll meet new wildlife friends and discover what they eat, where they make their homes, and how they live. With daily hikes, nature crafts, songs and games, we’ll range the local portion of the worldwide web of life to search for “rainbow chips,” collect natural materials to form a Backwoods Band, play Eat & Run, and make fun frog and Starnose masks to wear. We’ll create pictures with sunshine, “build” a tree, take a fuzzy sock hike, climb through a giant spider web, and much more!

1-3:30 PM   Ages 6-9

Special Forces: Predator Power

                Many predators have special weapons that help them catch and eat their prey. Wolves and jaguars use their strong jaws and long teeth. Sharks do the job with a whole mouthful of sharp incisors. Hawks and owls have no teeth, but they do have powerful sharp talons on their feet. Discover the tools of the trade of some of the more fearsome and some not-so-fierce animals by examining the features and techniques of special forces used by predators: the speedy sprinters, fast flappers, long leapers, heavyweight champs, and those ever-popular predators of the past, the meat-eating dinosaurs!

                Track the Special Forces of predators by examining the food chain of command, protective coloration and its benefits, underwater predators (with a visit to their watery lairs!), and other incredible adaptations to an eat-or-be-eaten world!