Imagine close to 100 kids unplugged from electronic devices interacting with nature and learning from science teachers on 22 acres of wooded campgrounds under the sun on a warm summer’s day and you get the picture of the successful event held this week at Camp Wa-Ri-Ki.
Monday, August 18th, Camp Wa-Ri-Ki held its first Nature Explore event in conjunction with the Forest Service, the Parks Foundation of Clark County, and Vancouver Summer Adventure and combined a celebration of Smokey the Bear’s 70th Birthday with lunch and a science filled exploration of the wooded camp area and pond.
Guiding the kids were local community leaders including Nat, a counselor with Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington, who had never been up to the Camp before, and Mark Watrin, a Science teacher from Battle Ground Schools. The children progressed from area to area marked by sign posts and staffed by local experts who introduced them to their surroundings. Kids especially enjoyed the “pond lady” who introduced them to many aspects of the local Camp pond itself, including tadpoles.
Ashley Davis of Boys and Girls Club led a group of kids from the Washington Elementary Clubhouse to the Camp for the event (that’s her on the right behind the kids, standing with the counselors in the group photo). We were pleased to see them visit, in keeping with their mission of “To inspire and enable young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens”
Phyllis Goldhammer, Camp Director, thanked numerous volunteers and reported that the Camp will seek to work with the agencies involved to hold at least one more Nature Explore event in the coming year.
Here’s a gallery of photos to give you a taste of the event:
- The gang from Boys & GIrls Club
- Boys and Girls’ Club Group with Science wildlife sign.
- Counselors and Kids from Boys & Girls Club Vancouver, explore at Wa-Ri-Ki
- Kids helped draw this poster to celebrate Smokey Bear’s Birthday.
- Kids find their science station during the Nature Explore event.
- Unplugged and at one with nature.
- Smokey the Bear makes an appearance
- Boys and Girls Club group poses during their outing at “Nature Explore” event.
- Coloring at Camp with my camp mates.
- Learning at Wa-Ri-Ki pond, discussion environmental science with “the Pond Lady”.
- Fun with the fire hose.
- Smokey turned 70 recently
- Ready to look for wildlife.
- Lunch on the Deck.
- Volunteers Marsha Sherman and Ashley Johnson from in gym.
- Learning from the Skamania Fire Crew.
- Aboard the Fire Truck from Skamania Fire.
- Kids on the deck preparing Smokie’s Birthday Sign.
- Camp volunteers and staff debrief after the event — Camp Director Phyllis Goldhammer and past board President Valerie Shaffroth at right.