Red Planet Survival Camp: Friday

July 16, 2019

Red Planet Survival Camp: Friday

All of our Pepper Groups survived their visit to Mars! Red Planet Survival Camp has come to a close but not without plenty of exploration and excursions around Tollgate.

One of the campers and volunteers work on watering the vegetables being grown from hay bales.

It wouldn't be camp without song and dance breaks! Orange and Yellow Peppers met in the woods to practice a song for the closing celebration. Purple Peppers and EduLeaders broke it down after lunch in a performance of a few Just Dance routines.

Miss Madeline took the Pepper Groups on a Wagon Ride to tour Tollgate. They got to see more of the fields and bits of the woods we don't visit on a regular basis. Campers were shocked at how much land we actually have here!

By the end of the week, our campers were pros at the Wrens and Jays game. The Wrens were using strategy to safely hide their nests while the Jays worked to go undetected when following Wrens to their hiding places.

During our morning Garden Kitchen, campers made Breakfast Quinoa topped with bananas. We celebrated the end of our camp week with an "on the go" snack consisting of popsicles and Monkey Munch in the afternoon. This meant that Pepper Groups were able to stop and pick up their snack as they were finishing up their afternoon activities.

Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup dry quinoa rinsed
1 ½ cup canned lite coconut milk + more for drizzling
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon + more for sprinkling
pinch of salt
2 bananas, chopped (optional)

Directions: Combine quinoa, coconut milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes until quinoa can be fluffed with a fork. Divide quinoa into two bowls then cover with bananas and a few extra drizzles of coconut milk.

Pepper Groups faced the ultimate teamwork challenge! They had to work in teams of 4-5 to complete the Plank Walk Challenge. Groups found it most effective to count to three and then call out a right or left step. When the steppers tried to move at different times they encountered bits of frustration before reassessing and changing their plan. Once the Pepper Groups had all tried it out, they wanted to see their Stewards and SITs attempt the task. During reflection, campers made the connection between the activity and trying to survive in the wilderness. In order to survive, it's important to work with your peers and have good communication. Letting out our frustrations with one another did nothing to help us win!

Our work on Shelters and Robot Arms was completed on Friday. Pepper Groups took turns sharing some of their creations with one another, taking time to explain their designs. Some of the younger groups worked as a whole on their projects while the older campers split into smaller groups (or even worked independently). The imagination and engineering that the Pepper Groups showed was incredible!