Friday

Well, Outdoor School is over! We had a great time!

Before breakfast Friday morning the students packed up their belongings and moved everything to a pickup point for loading the buses, then after breakfast they played a big game of Forts and Furs. Then it was time for lunch, goodbyes from counsellors, loading the buses and the ride home.

We would like to thank the YMCA staff for a wonderful camp. The students learned a lot, they had a lot of fun, they were well fed and cared for, and I think it was a growing experience for everyone. We would also like to thank the teachers for their willingness to go to camp for the students.

Here are some pictures of this morning's activities.

Thursday Evening

We had a great meal, then classroom meetings, then the students separated into different activity groups, some active and some a bit quieter. Then there was a muffin for a snack and then campfire at a special place in the woods. Then it was off to bed. As you can see from the pictures it was a beautiful evening here.

Thursday Afternoon

Another exciting day!

We had a beautiful sunny, cloudy, windy day out here. We had groups hiking, playing the Animal Game, and Canoeing. The wind was strong enough that a couple of our groups in the morning had to be towed back to the dock - the wind was too strong for them. In the afternoon they tried tethered paddling - a long rope kept them from blowing away. It's not quite as exciting, but they got to experience fighting against the wind and the waves.

Students playing the Animal Game this afternoon got a bit of a surprise - a black bear with two cubs strolled through the playing area! We don't know who was most surprised, the bear, or the students from another school who saw it coming into the area! The camp staff handled things very well - they got the students back to the meeting area, waited a bit, then resumed the game with students in groups of four or five. There were no further sightings in the Animal Game area. Some teachers went into the playing area as an extra safety factor. Apparently the bear then wandered through the campground, right by the lodge, where it was seen by a lot of students who were shepherded into nearby buildings. The Conservation Officer was called, happened to be in the area, and quickly came and "herded" the bear off the camp grounds (where it was heading anyway).

I was very impressed with the camp's safety procedures in this instance - they quickly and calmly worked to ensure student safety, involved the appropriate authorities, debriefed the kids, and got on with the fun events of camp in a safe manner.

Here are some pictures of a breezy day.

Wednesday Evening

Hi everybody. It's been an action-packed day, but a lot of the action involved all-day hikes for quite a few of our students, so I don't have many pictures.

It's been a great day. At 7 this morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was quite warm sitting in the sun listening to and watching the birds and drinking coffee. One hummingbird came for a couple of visits to check out Ms. Watt's and Ms. Starr's colourful jackets. It got a bit hazy and cloudy, and a bit breezy, later, but overall was quite a wonderful day. The breeze has dropped and it seems warmer now than it did earlier.

We have been very, very impressed with the counsellors out here. They seem genuinely caring, are a lot of fun, and on the hikes passed on all sorts of good information about the flora and fauna the students were seeing. We are enjoying being with them, but for some reason, the students seem to have more fun if we aren't hovering too closely!

Tuesday Evening

The chickens evaded capture, but the kids had fun chasing each other through the woods. We even had an Outdoor School fashion statement (check the footwear)!

The students had a cookie for snack, campfire, and then it was off to bed.

Tuesday Afternoon

Most of the students were involved in team-building activities with their tipi groups. One group got to use the Voyager canoes, and rescued a canoe that was drifting away across the lake! I think they all appreciated the good meal of chili, roasted potatoes, salad, etc. They are now having classroom meetings and we'll soon be getting together for a selection of activities, some quiet and some more energetic, like Capture the Rubber Chicken.

I'll try to get some tipi shots later.

We've Arrived

We all arrived safe and sound. The buses were unloaded and students joined in group welcome activities.

This is the only snow we hope to see this trip!

The students had an orientation session at the campfire and then were divided into their tipi groups. Then they hauled their stuff to their tipis. Oh, the joys of traveling light!

Then we had quesadillas for lunch.