2022 Survival Camp: Day 1

How to survive in the wilderness of MSU Tollgate Farms!

2022 Survival Camp: Day 1

 

IMG_5719C.A.R.E.S.

The most important acronym that we talk about all summer long, for each week of summer camp that we do, we mention this acronym. It stands for Cooperation, Attitude, Respect, Empathy, and Safety. Through this acronym, we teach about our Tollgate Farm camp rules and why it is so important to follow all of these rules. Our Stewards and Stewards-In-Training (S.I.T.) performed skits highlighting good and bad examples of each word.

Goats!IMG_5762

Animal chores are a must to learn about when participating in a camp that centers around a farm. Now, these chores revolve between groups, so each group gets to learn each activity at least once throughout the week. Today, one such group learned about how to milk our goats, as well as what the goat's milk is used for in different products, such as cheeses, bath bombs, even our homemade Tollgate Farm soap bars! 

IMG_5758Tie-Dye & Wagon Rides

A time-honored camp activity that occurs during every Monday of each week, each camper gets a white t-shirt to tie up with rubber bands, rinse with water until it is wet all over, then spray the colors of choice where you want them to be. When the day is over, each camper takes their bagged tie-dye t-shirt to take home and it is recommended that the shirts are left with the colors at least overnight to let it be a really bright spread of colors to wear on our Tie-Dye Friday!

Hummus & MuffinsIMG_5796

An amazing time to try new foods that you may not have tried before! Garden Kitchen is the name of the activity, and every morning and afternoon, the campers get to participate in making new foods that they will all get to sample by the end of the activity. There is a 'no thank you' bite that every camper must take before you decide that you are not partial to the food, so that you don't miss out on trying something that you could potentially like.

IMG_5783Flag Painting

Each camper group, in addition to tie-dyeing their t-shirts, got to paint a group flag, with their own designs and inspirations that will represent their group for the entire week. Each .group of campers had vastly different ideas on what to paint, including breaking the flag into different sections, all the way to crazy splattering! It was so cool to see how each group cooperated to come to their final design ideas, and how the painting process affected the outcomes.

Casting PracticeIMG_5789

Today is the day we practice casting a fishing line! Not into the water just yet, but on land, aiming for a hula hoop far away. We do this practice to teach, as well as how to practice good safety while casting a fishing line. The fishing poles are casted without hooks, but it is good to practice being safe regardless! Tomorrow, we will put these new skills to use!

 

IMG_5772STEAM Shelter Building

This Survival Camp week, our STEAM (Science, Technology, Environment, and Mathematics) Project is making a wilderness shelter for our furry little friends the squirrels who live in the forest property on our Tollgate Farm. The campers got to think of some wonderful ideas to put down on paper and started moving sticks, leaves and branches that have already fallen on the ground that would be useful for making a shelter.

 

Check out more of Survival Camp photos here!
2022 Survival Camp

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