Creation Care Kids' Camp, June 6-9, 2011

We have just completed our first week of camp for the summer, and it was great! We had 19 campers ranging in age from 4th to 8th grade. Several were students scholarshipped from Goleta Homework Club and Eastside Querencia Kids' Club. We hiked, we studied, we ate, we planted, we played and we collected scientific data. Day one took us on a Geology hike through the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. Our two mile hike looked at the concepts of geomorphology and the dynamic nature of the Santa Ynez mountain range. Day two caught us studying botany. We started the day hiking a short botanical loop on the Five Loaves site identifying native plants and learning their historic importance to the Chumash. When we came back to our site we were given a real treat when Alicia Cordero and her cousin Tima shared with us several Chumash items that they had made from the very plants we were observing. How cool is that! Afterwards, farmer Emiko had us planting pumpkins and beans. We started day three birding with Mark Holmgren, board member of the San Marcos Foothills Coalition. We saw a pair of young Scrub Jays and a pair of "amorous" White Tailed Kites. We participated in a sort of "trash" in an effort to learn more about how to live sustainable. We then went on an insect sweep around the property. Thursday four found us at Arroyo Burro Beach playing Erosion Explosion and gathering data for a Pacific Mole Crab study for NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries. Alicia ended our day with an amazing snack at the beach of Chumash treats: acorn mash, seaweed, salmon, Chia treats, and fry bread with nectar. Incredible!

Thank you to all of our helpers: Megan, Sam, intern Debra, Sean, and Emma. Thank you also to all the parents who made such incredible and healthy snacks for us this week.

It was a great week and a nice kick-off to our three weeks of camps. I look forward to seeing all the campers at our astronomy night on June 22nd at 8:00. The Astronomical Unit will be there with several telescopes and if the fog cooperates we should have some great views of Saturn. Come prepared for an adventurous night hike/walk along our botanic trail as we look for owls and other night friends.