Survival 2 + Horse Camp: Day Five

Hello and welcome to the grand finale of my investigation. As a reminder, I’m Detective Coltrane Turtle, and I was hired to determine whether or not Tollgate campers had fun this week. Stick around to the end of the post to hear my final verdict.

Remember that more pictures can be found for Survival Camp HERE and Horse Camp HERE!

Plus, check out the camp slideshow here:

Investigating the wagon

…and taking it for a spin!

But first, my breakdown of today. It all started with something very familiar at this point: animal chores. However, there was something new during this animal chore session. A delivery truck came to give Tollgate more sheep food! And not a moment too soon because those sheep were hungry. 

MORE sheep love!

Fresh off the delivery truck!

And of course, we can’t forget about the goats!

Then, campers went to the garden for a fun project called “Seed Tapes.” Campers glued some seeds to a few sheets of toilet paper to create a seed tape that they could plant and grow anything from peppers to lettuce to all kinds of herbs.

Ready to be planted!

Hard at work

Then, something fairly rare here at Tollgate happened: Morning canoeing! It was so relaxing to be out on the water in the perfect weather!

 

Can you spot the camper in the middle?

Watch out for the algae!

Cruisin’

After those great morning activities, it was time for some lunch. After campers had some yummy food, they were ready to continue the shelter-building saga. But today’s goal wasn’t to build; it was to dismantle them! This is part of our Leave No Trace philosophy.

Taking down what we put up

What a great week-long project this was!

After the peppers got back from the woods, they went straight to the lower barn’s survival maze. This is a game where each pepper gets a turn to find their way out of the maze. If they take one wrong step, it’s the next person’s turn!

Helping a teammate out!

I’m very slow so this game would take me a while, but the peppers really rocked it!

Then, the campers got to go on a wagon ride around the farm! They sang songs (“Purple Stew” is becoming quite the favorite) and chatted with each other as the wagon went all the way around the property.

What a grand time

A beautiful day for a wagon ride!

Towards the end of the day, we enjoyed some popsicles as we watched the pepper skits! Each group did a great job presenting a story or song for the rest of camp (and some parents!) to watch.

An Orange Pepper production

This morning, I also went to the horse pasture to look at plant species growing in the field. The campers brought picture cards to identify plants that are poisonous for horses. Thankfully Tollgate horses are smart and they hadn’t eaten the poisonous plants we found.

This plant is poisonous to horses

No poisonous plants here

Black walnuts are poisonous to horses

I also saw campers riding horses again today. They practiced all of the skills they learned earlier in the week around the whole arena.

Crossing the bridge

Cone patterns and obstacles

Practicing tight turns

On my way to survival camp I saw Sesame out for a walk. The campers practiced leading Sesame around the farm.

Out to the animal barn

Through the field

She’s back in her pasture!

In the afternoon, the horse campers enjoyed saddling Friday. They put on the saddle blanket, the saddle, and tightened the girth around her belly.

Putting on the saddle blanket

Putting on the saddle

Securing the girth around her belly using the cinch

I learned it is very important to clean a saddle in order to keep the leather clean and soft. Oil can be used to clean the saddle and bridle. It is important not to put oil on the bit that goes in the horse’s mouth.

They’re using oil to clean the leather

Thanks for keeping equipment clean!

Then they learned about different horse breeds. There are as many horse breeds as there are turtle breeds!!

This is a Clydesdale horse

At the end of the day, the campers played capture the flag to wrap up the week. What a great game!

Capture the flag

Because it’s Friday, we only had one morning Garden Kitchen session, but don’t worry! Campers had a scrumptious destination snack on the afternoon wagon ride that they had helped prepare in the morning.

Slicin’ up the greens

Beet bite preparation for the destination snack

Nothing like the crunch of a fresh green bean

TGIF!

 

Recipes of greatness

So, I know you’re all waiting for me to declare whether or not campers had fun this week. In answer to your question, I’ll allow you to take a peek at my investigation notes:

Pretty good handwriting for a turtle. . .

So there you go! Campers not only had a great time, but learned new skills, made new friends, and created lifelong memories. How cool! I will report my results to the Tollgate bosses immediately. Thanks for sticking with me through this investigation. Hope to see you again soon!

-C.T.

***If you happened to leave a personal item at camp, you can stop by the activity center and pick it up!***

Lost and Found

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