Our second day at College Settlement was amazing! We woke up bright and early for a day filled with “lessons.” Throughout the day, we worked with the camp counselors to explore all of the things the camp has to offer. We went on an ecology hike, where we learned about trees like beech, tulip poplars, and sugar maples. Another lesson was on survival skills. We ventured into the forest and learned how to build shelters. We were also able to visit the organic farm, where we learned all about farming techniques, visited greenhouses, and sampled kale, arugula, and spinach. For many of us, visiting the animals at the environmental center was the highlight of our lessons. They were so cute! We pet guinea pigs and turtles, held a corn snake, and picked up some (very speedy) chickens. We all loved meeting the donkeys and goats, who were very happy to get scratched behind the ears.
After our lessons and lunch, we were allowed to choose between a few activities. Many of us went fishing again. While no one caught a fish, it was fun to sit on the dock and trade stories. A lot of us were excited to go to the campfire cooking activity. We made hand pies over the fire out of fruit and chocolate – a very delicious snack! Some of us went over to the climbing wall again for some fun exercise and repelling. A smaller group was excited to plan theater skits that they would perform during the evening campfire.
After our dinner (ice cream sandwiches for dessert!), we met with Whittier, our counselor, to plan a special team building activity that we will share with the MFS 4th graders when we return to campus. We don’t want to give away too much about it, but there were a lot of laughs!
We ended the night with an epic campfire. We sang songs that echoed across the lake, laughed as our classmates performed hilarious skits, and toasted marshmallows for gourmet s’mores. Off to bed now!