Hello, everyone! Today was Fishy Thursday here at MSU Tollgate Farm. Fish are vertebrates that live in water and have gills, scales, and fins on their body. They come in many different shapes and sizes, and many of them look very odd indeed! As Dr. Seuss might say, 1 fish, 2 fish, red fish, blue fish! I know the peppers enjoyed our fishy friends because I could hear all the fun they were having from my pen.
A Red Pepper showing off a fish.
As usual, the day started with a pepper party (moo!) where Mr. Alex, Ms. Jackie, Ms. Mandy, and Ms. Courtney told the peppers about all the adventures they were going to have. Before heading off on a fishing adventure, the little peppers learned a bit more about the environment fish live in, the pond. They took water from the pond (don’t worry fishes, they put your home back!) and identified invertebrates, or animals without backbones. The peppers also observed the muck of the pond (yuck!) and discussed what animals were consumers, producers, and decomposers.
Green Peppers exploring water ecosystems.
Now that the peppers knew a bit more about the fish’s home, it was time to go fishing! Some of the peppers had been fishing before and for others it was their first time! All the peppers were excellent fishers! Peppers learned that fish bite for worms but not for corn because fish are carnivores. Now the peppers are experts at fishing and can go on all the family fishing trips!
Mr. Alex helping a Red Pepper reel in a fish.
After an exciting morning of fishing, it was time for a snack. Swamp Juice Smoothie to be exact! Ms. Katie explained how smoothies are made and let the peppers blend all the ingredients. I bet the cold smoothie felt nice after a hot morning of fishing.
An Orange Pepper pouring swamp juice into a blender.
To end the morning, the peppers made their own print moldings of leaves and animals that they can display at home and tell their friends and family all about.
The afternoon brought the peppers even more adventures. Once again, the peppers played in dirt. This time they learned about the different soil types. They learned that soil has different layers. The top layer has large particles such as rocks and the last layer has the finest sand.
Ms. Courtney showing the Green Peppers the different layers of dirt.
The older peppers spent time in the Maple Forest exploring and learning about the different plants and animals in the forest while the younger peppers went on shorter pepper hikes near the pond and visited me and the goats.
In the Garden Kitchen, the peppers made Fish Food Ice Cream. Yum! They put the ice cream mixture in an ice cream ball that has a layer of ice outside of it to freeze the mixture. The peppers had fun playing games and learning about each other while shaking the ice cream ball. Mmm… talking of ice cream really makes me want a good bottle of milk. Is it feeding time yet?
Yellow Peppers shaking the ice cream ball.
To end the day, the peppers learned about different types of animals. They learned that herbivores eat only plants, carnivores eat only meat, and omnivores eat both meat and plants. Then they played a game where the counselors said an animal such as “fish” and the peppers had to run to the right sign. All the peppers ran to the carnivore sign when fish was called. Those smart peppers!
Ms. Mandy asking the peppers what an omnivore is.
Peppers also played a Bat/Moth game. The peppers gathered in a circle and one pepper was designated the bat and another was designated the moth. All the other peppers were trees. The bat was blindfolded because bats have very poor eyesight and rely on echo location to find food. Whenever the bat yelled “bat” the moth had to yell “moth” and the bat would have to follow the moth’s voice to find him/her. If the bat got too near a tree the tree would yell “tree” so the bat would know not to run into it. The peppers had a great time playing bat/moth and each bat did very well locating the moths.
Ms. Jackie choosing the bat for bat/moth.
I’m very sad and excited for the last day of camp tomorrow. I’ve had such a great week with my new pepper friends and tomorrow will be the best day by far! It’s feeding time here at MSU Tollgate Farm, so I’m off to grab my bottle of milk, but check out the gallery below to see more fun from our day.
Until tomorrow,
Clifford the Calf