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:
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.
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.
Then, something fairly rare here at Tollgate happened: Morning canoeing! It was so relaxing to be out on the water in the perfect weather!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
I also saw campers riding horses again today. They practiced all of the skills they learned earlier in the week around the whole arena.
On my way to survival camp I saw Sesame out for a walk. The campers practiced leading Sesame around the farm.
In the afternoon, the horse campers enjoyed saddling Friday. They put on the saddle blanket, the saddle, and tightened the girth around her belly.
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.
Then they learned about different horse breeds. There are as many horse breeds as there are turtle breeds!!
At the end of the day, the campers played capture the flag to wrap up the week. What a great game!
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.
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:
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!***