Monday August 5th: The Big Tesuque

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The first day of the last week of camp was wonderful! We started the day meeting our buddies and playing games with one another. Then we headed up the mountain to the trail.

The Bobcats went off on a hike to a shelter and a beautiful lunch spot where they played games (team building games and ‘meet a tree’) and learned about the different trees and wildflowers.

The Otters played in the river and then hiked to a nice spot in the shade for story time. After our story we talked about trees and split into teams to build shelters and look at the various big shelters already built with the aspens. We reflected on our trip and then ended the day working together as a group to learn a camp song called ‘a-mia.  We then split into buddies to play and then headed home for the day. Looking forward to another wonderful day tomorrow!

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Wednesday, July 31st, 2013: Leonora Curtin Preserve

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Today we played tree tag at the Children’s Museum and then had a circle where we talked about how trees are used by people. We examined various products to show how trees are used in so many different ways.

Our adventure today was to the Leonora Curtin Nature Preserve, a 35-acre property owned by Santa Fe Botanical Gardens. It is located on the I-25 frontage road south of Santa Fe. We had a wonderful tour guide named Susan who showed us around and pointed out various flowers and trees including Lemon Verbena, Cat tails, Cottonwoods, Russian Olives, and Yerba Mansa.

We did pastel drawings of flowers and plants that we liked, we read books about trees, and we went on a beautiful hike to a pond. At the pond there were dozens (literally dozens) of frogs! Since this was so exciting for the kids, we played games like Frog Detective and What Time is it Mr. Frog? It was such a treat to be there and to see the wetlands.  Thank you to Susan and the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens for showing us around this beautiful treasure!

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Tuesday July 16: Tsankawi

The weather was perfect today! It was not too warm and perfect for our adventure on the top of a beautiful mesa. We began the day talking about flint and steel and how to put out a fire safely. We also spoke about why we cannot use fire in New Mexico because it is too dry and too dangerous. Both groups did a lot of hiking. The Bobcats did the whole loop, stopping for lunch on the trail and time to play in the caves. The Otters went up a few of the ladders and visiting the ancient pueblo ruins. Lastly (and for you to practice at home if you want), we learned an acronym about what to do if we are lost. It is SAFER:

S: stop and stay put

A tell an adult (where you are going)

F: go with a friend (never alone)

E: bring an equipment kit

R: make sure you rest

This first slideshow is of the OTTERS:

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The slideshow below is of the Bobcats. Enjoy!

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Monday, July 15th: Beaver Ponds and Children’s Museum

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We had a lovely day. Unexpectedly, we canceled our trip to the mountains due to rain (YAY for rain!!) and cold. The Bobcats (7-11) went to the Beaver Ponds. They went for a short hike until they saw that the lightning was getting closer and decided to head back to the museum for snack and games and stories. We learned about the water, the four directions, and how to stay safe with too much sun,  rain, or lighting. The Otters (5-7) stayed at the museum for the day. We did coloring activities, played games, read stories, and had a really nice, mellow day. It was great to have so much time for the group to get to know each other. The kids did activities with their buddies and had time to really socialize.  We built a great foundation for our big hike and adventure tomorrow. Apologies for the lack of Otter (and Bobcat!) pictures. We will make up for that tomorrow! 🙂

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