Week 3’s theme was Outdoor Adventures
Week 3’s theme was “Outdoor Adventures”, so we learned all about insects, pollination, crops/plants, and farming!
Explorers posing with their art
Explorers learned about different fruits while making a yummy fruit salad. They also played Fruit & Veggie Bingo!
Explorers playing Fruit & Veggie Bingo
Explorers got creative by painting nature murals and making a class flower.
Nature murals painted by Explorers
Explorers working on their nature mural
Flower made by Explorers
Investigators walked to the Midtown Greenway and did a Nature Photography lesson with Ms. Len.
Flower photo taken by an Investigator
Investigator taking photos with a DSLR camera
“I’m gonna take the best photos!” – Investigator before the photography lesson
Low angle shot taken by an Investigator
They learned about different kinds of shots, angles, and photo techniques. Groups each got a camera and tried to check off all the different kinds of photos on a Bingo sheet. A few groups blacked out the whole board!
Investigators at the Midtown Greenway doing photography
Forest Hunt from Ojibwe Pollinators came and talked to both groups about insects.
Forest playing “Insect or Not?” with Explorers
Investigators’ list of insects vs not insects
We played a game of “Insect or Not” then went outside to catch bugs (temporarily before releasing them)!
Investigator with Mr. Lewis looking at a bug he caught
Campers caught lots of gentle bumblebees, and a few were brave enough to catch wasps!
Explorer presenting the bumblebee she caught
“I caught a bee all by myself!” – Explorer with Ojibwe Pollinators
Forest helping Investigators safely release their wasps
An Explorer also spotted a katydid blending in with the leaves!
Katydid we found in the process of laying eggs
Vice Chair of GMCC’s Board, Erin Rupp, visited on behalf of Pollinate MN with her live bees.
Investigators checking out the hive
Both groups learned about different kinds of bees and their roles, anatomy, and behaviors.
Erin teaching Explorers about different kinds of bees
After, we tried on beekeeping suits, taste-tested honeycomb and different honeys, and looked at the hive.
Investigators helping cut the honeycomb samples
Explorers posing in their beekeeping suits
Campers were able to feel the warmth from the hive, listen to them buzz, and even spotted the queen!
Investigators listening to the hive buzz
Explorers looking at the hive and feeling its warmth
On Friday, we drove all the way to Amery, Wisconsin for our field trip to Whetstone Farm.
Campers looking at the horses at Whetstone Farm
Farmers Klaus and Clint and their kids welcomed us to their family-owned farm.
Campers playing outside on the field trip
Before lunch, we got to play in the barn and outside with the farm dog, Cosmo.
Campers playing in the barn
Klaus and Clint grilled us delicious, fresh picked corn on the cob, with butter and salt.
Campers trying fresh grilled corn
Campers got seconds, thirds, fourths, and even fifths because it was so tasty!
Explorer posing with her corn on the cob
“This is the best corn I’ve ever had!” – Explorer eating fresh corn
Farmer Clint preparing corn while Mr. Mohamed and campers get seconds
Farmer Klaus took us on tractor rides through the fields to see the herds of sheep and cows.
Investigators riding the tractor
Explorers looking at the sheep on the tractor ride
Investigators looking at the sheep
Whetstone Farm cows
Farmer Clint showed us how roots work and how he gathers seeds to grow more plants.
Farmer Clint showing campers roots
Farmer Clint showing campers seeds
He even showed us how to use a food milling machine to crush tomatoes and separate the skin & seeds.
Investigator with the tomato he picked; Clint showing Investigators the milling machine
We got to try fresh raspberries, leeks, and kale, and picked apples, onions, and tomatoes to take home.
Explorer eating the apple he picked on the farm
The farm field trip was an awesome way to wrap up our week of Outdoor Adventures!
“This was worth the long drive!” – Explorer during the tractor ride
Thank you to our partners for this week!
Ojibwe Pollinators
Thank you Hennepin County Green Partners for supporting our environmental-themed weeks!
Thank you to Youthprise for providing free breakfast & lunch every day of camp!
And thank you so much to our youth funders for supporting our program!
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