Welcome to Tollgate!
Today marked our first day of summer camp and the start of our Green Science Adventure Camp. Campers were welcomed by their Eduleaders and sorted into their Pepper Groups.
Here at Tollgate, we teach some of our core values to the kiddos by using CARES. It stands for Cooperation, Attitude, Respect, Empathy and Safety. Each of these values ensures that campers can have the best possible experience and help others to do so as well! As I visited each Pepper Group, I was so impressed to find that campers were already demonstrating that they knew how to use CARES. Checkout all of these super helpers showing cooperation by working together to move their group wagons!
As campers made their way to the woods they realized that there’s more to this farm than just gardens and farm animals….there are tons of BUGS! They went for a bug hunt and had a chance to observe and discuss what they noticed about where bugs live and what they might like.
“Guys! What if we fill the cups with the environment and then they’ll be attracted to it!”
-A Green Pepper’s idea to get more bugs into the collection cups.
Each Pepper Groups was assigned a morning farm chore. During my visit to the chicken coop, I found some campers feeding hens and collecting eggs.
A Tollgate camp tradition is to have time to tie dye on Monday and wear our new shirts on Friday. Check out the cool designs that the Orange Peppers tried out this week!
During Garden Kitchen, campers made Greek Yogurt Parfaits in the morning and Strawberry and Spinach Salads in the afternoon. The recipe for the salad is as follows:
Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Spinach
- Sesame seeds
- Strawberry slices
- Dried cranberries
- Feta cheese (optional )
Dressing:
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
Directions: Combine all dressing ingredients in a measuring cup with a spout or a mason jar, set aside. Toast sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned. Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with dressing on salad or on the side.
Campers went through several different experiences that helped them think about what it means to have a sustainable farm for years to come. They used materials they found around them to build farm models.
Pepper Groups ended the day with time to reflect on how things went during the day. I found the Yellow Peppers sharing the “sunny” and “cloudy” parts of their day. It sounded like although campers were wishing for more sunshine during the day, they still had loads of fun building their small farms and bug hunting!
Check in throughout the week for more updates!