It has become our tradition at Audubon to hold Day Camp Reunion on Presidents’ Day each winter. We invite all the kids who attended Summer Camp to return for a day of “camp” in the winter. I had the 3rd and 4th grade group.
Mostly, they just want to play. And mostly, I just let them. It takes so little to amuse them. A pile of snow in the driveway provides a good half hour of fun. They call it “Butt Sliding” and “Belly Sliding.” It doesn’t take much elevation to enjoy the pull of gravity.
Their favorite was frozen water. A recent thaw which resulted in flooding, followed by some good cold temperatures made for a plethora of skating rinks.
Not all of the rinks were sturdy, and that seemed to delight all the more.
Each time we stopped our hike to play, I scouted around for tracks and signs of wildlife. They especially loved learning about the Subnivean Layer!
Here’s a partial list of tracks we saw:
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rabbit
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squirrel
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mouse
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mole
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shrew
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deer
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fox
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mink
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grouse
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great blue heron
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crow
At one point when I was showing the differences between a squirrel track, a mouse track and a chipmunk track, one of the boys in my group said, “Jennifer, you’re better than a book.”
How’s that for the ultimate job reference?
For more Day Camp Reunion pictures, click here.
A Passion for Nature 
You have a simply wonderful place to work!
Oh wonderful! The children looked like they had a blast!
You ARE better than a book–or a video game,or a trip to the mall,or maybe even a warm pizza ( no,skip that one ). The young respond to active learning in a fun setting –and to someone who CARES.
If anyone ever told me I was better than a book, I would take that as the Very HIghest complement ever.
I have one friend who is, but he’s a genius with a photographic memory… so he’s kind of cheating.
Congratulations!
Jenn, it looks like you had as much fun sharing your knowledge with the kids as they had learning what you had to share with them. Great job!
“Better than a book” What a compliment Jenn. Gotta love those kidlets!
And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? What lucky kids! Wish there was a Jenn around when I was growing up! It’s more difficult to learn it all now!
That is one really awesome compliment. And it was good to write it down for the remembrance. Those kinds of things just inspire me to keep learning more.