Tollgate Farm and Education Center

Welcome to Day 4 of Wildlife Animal Camp! Today, campers focused on wildlife that exists in ponds. They paid special attention to what animals and insects look for in a pond environment.

No matter the theme or the week, our daily routine includes animal chores. The chores are on a rotation so that every group gets to try each task throughout the week. Chores include providing food and water, cleaning pens/coops, milking, and collecting eggs. When chores are complete, campers have a chance to get to know the animals and hold/pet them.

During morning Garden Kitchen, Pepper Groups got right to chopping in preparation for their Potato and Chard Scramble. A combination of potatoes, rainbow chard, eggs and seasonings made for a tasty post-breakfast snack.

 Ginger Green Beans

• 2 to 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2 in pieces
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced root to stem
• 1 oz of ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Add vegetable oil to a frying pan and heat until shimmery. Add green beans, onions and ginger. Toss to combine. Spread everything in the pan and sear for 30-90 sec to lightly brown the vegetables. Stir vegetables and let sit for another 30-90 sec. Stir in garlic and cook for another min. Mix the soy sauce and sugar together and pour into the pan. Turn off heat and immediately toss the vegetables to combine. Pour the sesame oil over the mixture and sprinkle with black pepper. Toss to combine once more.

Campers visited the pond for fishing today. They experienced and observed pond wildlife in several ways. One of which being the fish they caught and were able to take a look at. Another being the turtles in the pond! One popped its head up around the fishing area. Campers observed color patterns and the size of the turtle and tried to guess what type of turtle it was. We also took note of the different insects flying around and crawling near us.

Creativity was flowing as campers painted ceramic flower pots to be used as Toad Homes. Peppers had the freedom to decorate as they pleased, some taking their time and paying attention to detail, others working at a faster pace.

Fishy Story was a demonstration that showed the effect that our choices have on the environment, specifically on our water sources and the fish that live within. This activity was hands-on and provided a visual representation of what water looks like after it's polluted. This raised some concern among the campers for our fishy friends that we know are swimming around!

When the groups were done with Fishy Story, they practiced a song to share with parents and families during the Friday Celebration.

Pond Dipping allowed campers to take a closer look at the little critters in the pond water. Campers worked in small groups to focus on samples of water collected from the ponds, streams or waterfall. Focusing on a sample instead of an entire body of water helped us to notice smaller details about what's living in the water here, at Tollgate.

Additional Safety Tip: While we do our best to protect ourselves from bug bites and sunburns, some accidents inevitably happen. Be sure to check your camper for bug bites and ticks every evening. Our proximity to these natural hazards puts us at risk for exposure.