Check in here on our Parents’ Page to see how our weeks at camp are going! We will post pictures here and on our Instagram @philliesbridgefarmcamp to show you what we’ve been up to! Updates are typically posted 1-2 days after the week concludes.
Thank you to all the campers and families for an amazing summer at Phillies Bridge Farm Camp! We hope to see you all again next year!
Week 8 – Native Animals
As camp always goes, the end of summer snuck up on us after what felt like simultaneously no time at all and a thousand years! Instead of feeling down about the end of camp though we had another joyous week of friendship, learning, and connecting with the land.
The week started a conversation about eels and the construction of eel habitat dioramas. That was followed by a walk through the nature preserve to participate in a native animal scavenger hunt. Campers saw all sorts of animals including rabbits, snakes, birds and newts! On Wednesday we helped warblers “migrate” by engineering devices to help our model birds get from New York to Puerto Rico by way of the Atlantic Ocean. Thursday had another engineering project, and classic egg drop to help protect the eggs of endangered and extinct species!
Week 7 – Decomposition
This week we started focusing on what some people thing of as the grimier side of agriculture, decomposition! While it’s always fun to play we worms, we also learned about topics like biodegradable materials and riparian zones.
The week started with a basic introduction to decomposition, plus a scavenger hunt around the farm looking for different creepy crawlies that help break things down. After that, we had a lesson about soil blocking, a method that lets farmers cut down on the amount of plastic used in seedling growth. Campers all had the chance to try using the soil blocker and got to take home a seeded radish block in a newspaper pot! On Wednesday we went back to creepy crawlies, but with an artistic flair: campers got to create their own worm marionette puppets! On Thursday we had a special treat when CIT Sylvia’s dad came in to lead a lesson about riparian zone repair. After folding paper boats made from biodegradable mulberry paper and decorated with natural vegetable dyes, campers loaded up the boats and set let them sail down the creek in the nature preserve.
Week 6 – Natural Cycles
Well, if there was ever a week to talk about natural cycles, this sure was a good one! The on and off rain from Hurricane Debby threw a wrench in some plans, but overall it was a delight to enjoy the breezy weather and play in the rain.
This week we started by talking about the changing seasons, and more specifically about the changing leaves. Hopefully you saw your child’s painting of the different tree colors each season! The next day we zoomed out, and discussed the earth’s rotation and how that causes day and night. Despite the rain clouds blocking out the sun, the kids got to make their own sun dials! Continuing the rainy day theme, the next day we learned about the water cycle and made our own rain stick instruments. On Thursday we talked about the plant life cycle, and campers got to take home their own winter squash seed. Hopefully all the campers will get to watch the progression from seed to sprout!
Week 5 – The Colorful World of Nature
We’re officially in the second half of the summer! Time is flying by, but were’ making the most of every day we have.
This week we explored the colorful world of nature! To start off, we went on a walk on our Nature Trail collecting different samples of the color green. We brought them back to the barn to add to our nature journals! On Tuesday we learned all about camouflage, designing our own critters that could blend in either in the barn or discovery garden. From blending in we went to standing out! After learning about particularly colorful animals, we made kites inspired by birds of paradise. On Thursday we had a mix of individual and collaborative art through stamp printing. Each camper was able to take home their own mini flag, but we also created a giant banner that was painted all together as a camp!
Week 4 – Sunshine
After two weeks of heat waves, we finally started our Sunshine week only for it to rain! We still had a blast doing rain dances in the barn, catching raindrops on the back porch, and picnicking on the barn floor when it was too wet to each outside. Even with the rain, we did a ton of learning!
We started with making cyanotypes, also known as sun prints. After gathering materials from the nature trail we made “photographs” of the negative space using a chemical reaction from the sun. On Tuesday we used our engineering skills to make shelters for pipe-cleaner animals that had light sensitive beads on them. After that we let our inner artists out made shadow puppets. On Thursday we explored the farm and nature trail to find a whole rainbow of colors in nature!
Week 3 – Pollinators
What a week! In week 3 our theme was “Pollinators” and there was non-stop learning and fun to be had! We started the week with the all important question “what is a pollinator?” After discussing the important role of pollinators and giving some examples, we went out and collected flowers from around the farm to dissect. Campers used magnifying glasses to identify the stamen, pistons and anthers in their flowers! The next day we discussed the the amazing monarch butterfly, and ran an activity called “launch-fling-fly” where we invented contractions to help monarchs “migrate” from Canada to Mexico! On Wednesday we had a special visit from Bob the Bee Man, a local bee keeper who brought in a real bee hive and let us try some of the honey he harvested from his hives at home. That afternoon we made paper towel roll bees to decorate the barn, and had a parade of the weirdest bees we had ever seen. On Thursday we learned about hummingbirds, and each group made hummingbird feeders to hang around the farm! Of course, we ended the week with our favorite farmers market.
Week 2 – Shapes and Patterns in Nature
This week was hot! Even 90+ degree days couldn’t get in the way of our learning and fun though! This week we explored the theme “Shapes and Patterns in Nature”. We started the week with an engineering challenge, trying to determine which shapes are the strongest. Campers built towers out of mixed materials like paper, straws, popsicle sticks and q tips. The tallest freestanding tower was 24 inches tall! On Tuesday we went out to the nature trail and collected materials to make our very own mandalas, and discussed how we can find symmetry in round patterns. Wednesday included a nature weaving activity, where we gathered natural materials and created our very own woven pieces of art. Following the “over, under, over, under” pattern all of our materials were able to stay snug! We had another engineering challenge on Thursday with a classic egg drop! Campers designed structures and shells to protect an egg being dropped from a great height. We had two teams that were even able to protect their egg when it was dropped onto a rock for the finale round!
Of course between all of it we had tons of fun playing in the sprinkler to stay cool, taking care of the animals, and of course working in the garden! Thank you to everyone who came to our Friday Farmers Market, the campers really loved being able to show off all their hard work!
Week 1 – Growing Our Roots Together
This week we learned all about tree and community through the theme “Growing Our Roots Together”. We started the week with a walk in the nature trail, taking bark rubbings from different trees and starting to identify the wide range of species in the woods around us!
Moving on from bark, campers collected leaf samples, strengthening their tree identification skills. The patterns and colors of the leaves were perfect for making crowns and collages!
To tie it all together we had an art specific day, using thumbprint and q-tips to make our very own tree paintings!
As always, we had farm chores through the week. Campers helped care for our new batch of goats and our 8 week old chicks! Along with animal time, campers have also been harvesting from the education garden and helping maintain the discovery garden. There’s nothing to keep spirits up while weeding quite like munching your way down a garden bed of kale, radishes, broccolini and more! We also have mint a plenty this year, so keep an eye out for some dried and fresh samples at upcoming farmers markets!