Blog  September 1, 2011

A summer of green city adventure

Campers and camp staff show off their wild side. (Photo: Michelle Laporte)

By: Michelle "Ladybug" Laporte, Camp Program Coordinator

What do you get when you take squishy mud, flourishing gardens and magical ravines and add kids to the mix?! You get Evergreen Brick Works’ Green City Adventure Camp!

On July 4, we kick-started our summer camp with 40 excited kids and many helpful camp counsellors who go by kooky nature names like Mr. Raven, Great Blue Heron and Ladybug. It was the start of summer adventure hikes and bike rides, harvesting and eating from our gardens, and exploring the trails and crafting up nature-inspired projects.

Camp staff and campers work on a model of the Don Valley. (Photo: Michelle Laporte)

On day two, five lucky campers spied an incredible sight on their walk to camp through the ravines—a male deer munching on some leaves just metres from the trail! The kids froze, the deer froze and we were all able to enjoy this unbelievable scene for a few minutes before he trotted off and disappeared into the woods.

Throughout the summer, 368 kids had a chance to discover where and how the creatures in the ravines and creeks live and survive—documenting their discoveries on maps, sharing stories and preparing tasty treats together.

Campers and staff illustrate how parts of nature are connected (Photo: Michelle Laporte)

The focal point of the Green City Adventure Camp is Chimney Court, our brand-new outdoor education and play space that is designed just for kids. This interactive space is filled with opportunity for the children to experiment with many of the things they have learned out in the field at camp.

Every Thursday, activity in Chimney Court comes to a high for a special event we call Chimney Court Circus. Run by camp staff and Evergreeners, kids roam freely and participate in different activities at a series of stations. Each one reflects our themes (earth, air, fire and water), and are designed as hands-on and skills-building.

Some examples are cob mixing and building, finding out where charcoal comes from (the fire pit!) and using it for art projects. Plus, creating hammocks out of old coffee sacks, discovering the wonders of compost tea and bringing the plants to life, making cordage from tree bark, and so much more.

Campers make a new friend in the Weston Family Quarry Garden ponds.
(Photo: Michelle Laporte)

It has been a wonderful summer and it’s hard to believe that it is almost over but as we say good-bye to one camp, we look forward to a new set of adventures in March when the camp returns!