Well, this week of Bug Camp is halfway over, and we can hardly believe it! Time really does fly when you’re having fun!
Each pepper group was responsible for feeding and watering the farm animals this morning. Some of our resident goats are at the Oakland County 4-H Fair this week, so be sure to check it out and support our 4-H Club if you can! The fair is happening until Sunday.
This morning’s Garden Kitchen snack was homemade omelettes. Campers were able to choose vegetables and/or cheese to add in their omelette, and they were responsible for cracking their own eggs and whisking everything before Ms. Pam cooked them up on the griddle.
A Green Pepper works on adding a little bit of milk for his omelette.
Red Peppers enjoying their omelettes.
We visited the pond this morning and learned about the ecosystems that exist there. We collected samples of pond water and looked for bugs and other critters to examine further. Some groups found crayfish, spiders, and all kinds of water bugs!
Red Peppers search for bugs in the pond.
Yellow Peppers examining their water sample.
Green Peppers checking out the water bugs. See if you can spot the spider!
During Garden Time this morning, we talked about toads and their function in gardens. They prey on bugs and help keep the damaging insects out of the garden. We learned that toads prefer wet or moist habitats, and we worked on creating a toad house for our warty friends. We painted terra cotta pots and each camper will get to take theirs home. Help your camper find a cozy spot for their toad house and see if a toad moves in!
An Orange Pepper works on decorating her toad house.
Orange Peppers decorating their toad homes.
We spent some time learning about our wiggly worm friends this afternoon, and each pepper group created a wormarium. We used a couple of jars and filled them with dirt and worms. We will continue checking on the worms for the rest of the week and observing their behavior.
Yellow Peppers getting up close and personal with our worms!
We went for a hike and hunted for bugs in the woods. We searched under logs and leaves for squishy bugs in particular. The forest ecosystem is a great place to find all kinds of critters!
Red Peppers overturning a log to look for squishy bugs.
We made a Creamy Fruit Salad for our afternoon snack, and the campers had to whip their own whipped cream and slice up the fresh fruit. With a little teamwork, we had a perfect creamy fruit salad very quickly!
Orange Peppers whipping cream for their fruit salad.
An Orange Pepper enjoying his creamy fruit salad!
We continued searching for ladybugs and logging their locations as part of our STEM project. We used our sweep nets and other equipment to catch and photograph the beetles and submit them to the Lost Ladybug Project.
We sent home an evaluation survey with each camper during pick-up today. We ask that you take a few moments to complete the survey and give us some feedback about you and your camper’s experience during this week of camp. You can return the completed survey during drop-off or pick-up until the end of the week. Your input is extremely valuable to us, and we look forward to working with you to make camp an even greater opportunity for children in Southeast Michigan in the future. We look forward to our time with your camper each day, and we appreciate your help in making camp and MSU Tollgate a destination for experiential learning!
Creamy Fruit Salad
Ingredients
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Fruits of choice
Directions
- Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Place the sugar into the mixing bowl and add the whipping cream. Whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks. Store any unused portion in an airtight container for up to 10 hours. When ready to use, rewhisk for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Add desired cut up fruit.