Tonight on Tollgate Action News: Campers have fun getting to know each other, the farm, and their edu-leaders. Stay tuned.
Good afternoon everyone. This is Coltrane T. Turtle reporting live from the Activity Center in the midst of Garden Kitchen. I’m here to tell you all you need to know about the first day of Bug Camp 2018.
Coltrane the Turtle: your nightly news anchor
After the campers split into four pepper groups (youngest to oldest: green, yellow, orange, red), they also divided up animal chores. From the goats to the chickens to the rabbits, all animals were accounted for and taken care of.
Our stewards are the GOAT (greatest of all time)
Oh hello, Elenore!
Going in for the egg
Eggs secured
Following that, campers got a chance to tie-dye shirts so that they have an awesome outfit for Friday. Everyone was able to put their own unique twist on the shirts, and this reporter’s prediction is that they will come out great! They also got to play with a parachute during this time, which looked like quite a lot of fun.
Parachute fun!
The key to a great parachute? Teamwork!
A great stripe design
Artists at work
Then later in the morning, campers got to board the Wagon Of Fun for a tour of the whole farm. It was a tight squeeze, but everyone managed to find a spot to enjoy the ride.
Mean green tractor machine
Snug as a BUG
A beautiful day for a wagon ride
When the wagon returned, the campers came together for lunch. They reenergized and headed back out for the “Build a Bug” project! Peppers got to design their very own bug, and will be adding details to them each day as the week goes on. Today, the peppers started by sketching their ideas.
A camper and her bug creation!
Imagination is key
Yellow peps
After the sketches were completed, the campers wandered over to the compost pile to look for worms. Why? To make a wormarium (it’s like an aquarium, but with worms) that we can keep an eye on all week long!
How many worms can you spot?
Climbing the pile for mission worm
Adding some dirt to the temporary worm home!
After that, the peppers started a week-long citizen science project. The project is called “Lost Ladybug,” and it is being hosted at Cornell University (more info). The scientists are looking for citizens like our campers to look for ladybugs and report back how many were found. Today, campers decorated big ladybug nets that they will use for a later phase of the project.
The nets were made out of pillow cases!
Net art
Not your average net
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Tollgate summer camp without Garden Kitchen. Ms. Leah came prepared with a week’s worth of great recipes, and today, the peppers were off to a rockin’ start with rainbow wands and kale salad.
So healthy. So good.
Nothing like a little fresh fruit to make your morning
Rainbow wands grant wishes
Garden Kitchen smiles
Here’s a look at today’s recipes
And an exclusive photo of today’s schedule
Breaking news! We also have a photo just in for our segment “Coltrane’s Captured Moment!”
Kale isn’t for everyone
For more illuminating photos of today’s camp day, click here.
So there you have it, folks, your exclusive look into day one of Bug Camp. It looks like it’s going to be a great week, and I will be here to cover it all. Signing off for Tollgate Action News, I’m Coltrane T. Turtle.