Trail to the Environment
Camp Fire was excited to visit some of our Day Camps this summer to lead fun group activities from our Camp Fire Group Program curriculum ! Our curriculum features five trails: Trail to Knowing Me, Trail to Family and Community, Trail to Creativity, Trail to the Environment and Trail to the Future. These trails are sets of projects that our youth can complete in order to earn emblems and beads as they work through each level in Camp Fire. Each Trail is designed to be entertaining, informative, and challenging to the designated age group and program level.
Inspired by Nature
This summer, many of our campers at Horizon, Blyth, Tall Timbers, Carkeek and Hans Jensen Day Camp got the opportunity to participate in some fun Trail to the Environment inspired activities! These activities included leaf rubbing, sun printing and learning how to tie different knots. By doing these activities, campers were able to appreciate nature by using it’s natural resources to create crafts and learn valuable skills that could help them in the wild!
The Activities
Both Blyth and Horizon Day Camp made their own art by using the patterns found in leaves. They did this by using a technique called leaf rubbing. Campers collected their own leaves from nearby trees that they wanted to use for their rubbing. Leaf rubbing is when you take a leaf and place it under a piece of paper, vein side up, and lightly color over it. By doing this, the outlines, veins and details of the leaf will appear on the paper. While campers worked on their craft they learned about the different parts of a leaf and what each part does for a tree. Campers were able to make some very creative and colorful leaf collages!
Campers at Tall Timbers and Carkeek Park Day Camp got to use their imaginations to turn natural resources into an art form called sun printing! In order to make sun prints, campers first had to go out into nature and collect leaves, flowers and other natural items that have a patterned texture. They then used their materials to create a design on top of sun dying paper before placing them in the sun to sit and set, before soaking them with water. When dry, the pattern made from the leaves is revealed on the paper!
Our last activity for Trail to the Environment was knot tying at Hans Jensen and Carkeek! Tying knots is a great challenge for campers that helps improve hand eye coordination. They were able to learn the double overhand, double figure eight, double fisherman and reef knot. While practicing each knot, campers learned what they could safely use each knot for.
Knowing Your Environment
By participating in Trail to the Environment activities in Camp Fire Group Programs, youth will learn about conservation, weather, plant life and more. Learning about a state flower, bird or tree; researching an organization that helps protect wildlife and volunteering at you local community garden are all examples of Trail to the Environment curriculum. Fun activities like these can earn you beads and emblems! Other curriculum topics could include conservation, natural resources and camping.
Learn More About Camp Fire Group Programs
Learn more about starting a group and discover how to get started in Camp Fire, and join us for one of our council events that are open to non-members and are a great way to try out Camp Fire with your child or family. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Rebecca Bobko, Director of Community Programs, at (206) 826-8934 or rebeccab@campfireseattle.org.