Dinosaurs and Paper Mache Galore!

The morning began at the pool for Daring Camp and Magic Tree House camp! We always enjoy splashing around in the cool waters!

Upon arrival back at Butler Campus the Daring Campers also known as the Dino Agents, continued excavating dinosaur bones from a piece of clay.  Many of the campers got all of the bones out completely and just need to glue them together in order to have a small model dinosaur.  Later they made paper mache dinosaur eggs that they will decorate later.   

The Magic Tree House campers had a great day!  Each group made time to venture to the tree house and continue with the Dinosaurs Before Dark book.  It is so exciting as Jack an Annie encounter T-Rex and Pteranodons, what will happen next?  The Flying Monsters took time today to make a T-Rex puppet while the T-Rex group made their paper mache bone today! In the afternoon, both groups cooled off in the sprinklers and had a lot of fun playing with old and new friends.


Tomorrow is our field trip to the Natural History Museum, we will leave promptly at 9:20 to arrive in time for our Dinosaur Program.  Campers should wear their green Summer at Laurel t-shirt if they already have one, if they do not then one will be given to them tomorrow!  See you then!

The Daring Camp for Boys and Girls: Dare to be a Paleontologist!

Today is the first day of Daring Camp's Dare to be a Paleontologist week!  This week we have one group of Daring Camp running.  The group is led this week by Kim Soeder, 3rd and 4th grade assistant at Laurel school, and Christy Cardillini, a Laurel School alumna and recent college graduate. 

Campers began their morning with Project Adventure.  Project Adventure takes advantage of our low elements course out here at Butler Campus.  It is all about team building and communication skills.  This morning they did the element called Nitro Crossing which involves the campers trying to swing across from one platform to another.  They used it in several different ways, swinging for distance, and also to transport acorns from one platform to the other. They also worked as a group on the Teepee Shuffle. 

In the afternoon campers enjoyed a hike down to the creek where they stayed for a little while and excavating dinosaur bones back in the lodge.  Tomorrow they will finish making their fossils.  At the end of the day the camp came together as a whole for a nature scavenger hunt.  It was a lot of fun trying to find all the things on the list!

There is a whole bunch of fun things planned for the group this week!  Stay tuned!  Please remember that tomorrow is swimming!  Campers should wear their bathing suits under their clothes to camp, and bring a change of clothes and towel!

Magic Tree House Camp: Dinosaurs Before Dark

Today was the first day of Magic Tree House Camp's theme of Dinosaurs Before Dark!  We have two groups of Magic Tree House Camp running this week.  The first group called, The Flying Monsters, is led by Danielle Dachtler, a learning specialist at Laurel School, and Terah Coleman, a recent Laurel graduate.  The second group called, The T-Rex, is led by Meghan Davis, an afters chool teacher at Laurel School, and Hayley Elszasz, a recent Laurel graduate.

Throughout the week, campers will be following Jack and Annie on their adventure Dinosaurs Before Dark.  The book takes Jack and Annie back in time to when dinoaurs roamed the earth.  The campers love listening to the book up at our Magic Tree House each day.

Today was busy with crafts, hikes, creek walks and time in the Magic Tree House.  The Flying Monsters group started a paper mache dinosaure bone today that they will paint and complete tomorrow.  The T-Rex made a Yournameasaurus, which involed using their hand prints to create a dinosaur and then naming it (for example someone named Sarah would be Sarahasaurus!).  The campers enjoyed a trip down to the creek where they have fun catching crayfish and exploring.  At the end of the day, the camp came together as a whole to do a large nature scavenger hunt! 

There are lots of other fun and exciting things planned this week, stay tuned!  Please remember that tomorrow is swimming! Campers should wear their bathing suits under their clothes to camp and bring a towel and change of clothes!

Until Next Year, Gator Train.

It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our Gator Train campers. Although today was our last day of camp, we were not short on fun activities. In the morning, the campers enjoyed water play, read Dinosaur, Dinosaur by Kevin Lewis, and made dinosaur scratch art. After lunch, the campers relaxed under a tree and listened to The Super Hungry Dinosaur by Martin Waddell. Afterwards, we discussed how scientists excavate dinosaur bones and fossils from the ground. The campers were then given the challenge to "excavate" chocolate chips from chocolate chip cookies using only a toothpick. We ended the day with yummy popsicles and time to play on the playground.

We hope your child enjoyed his or her time at Gator Train! On behalf of all the camp instructors and counselors, we thank you for a wonderful summer! See you next year!

All Aboard for the Natural History Museum!

Today, the Gator Train campers traveled to the Natural History Museum to see the Dinosaurs! We also checked out the Perkins Wildlife Center where we discovered live animals and plants that are native to Ohio. After our tour, we ate lunch outside by "Steggy" the Stegosaurous and played a version of "Duck, Duck, Goose" called, "Stegosaurus, Stegosaurus, TRex!"

Thursday of the Olympics

Today campers had a busy day!  It started in the morning with swimming.  After swimming campers enjoyed the shade of the tree house as they listened to the adventure of Jack and Annie.  Right now, the campers are at a cliffhanger as Jack is trying his hardest to save Annie after she disguises herself as a boy to enter the chariot races and is found out!  What will happen?  Campers will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!  Other highlights of the day included, making the Olympic rings or a multi-colored streamer that can be used to cheer on the USA at the Olympic games. 

Don't forget tomorrow is BACKWARDS DAY!

The Games Continue for Daring Camp!

After the morning swimming, Daring Campers were back to assemble the Olympic Rings they made a few days ago.  Later in the day, they enjoyed cooling off at Butler Center and play a few wacky Olympic games inside.  The boys and girls enjoyed warming up with "the ladder", doing the limbo and doing a speedwalking race!

Don't forget that tomorrow is BACKWARDS DAY!

Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones!

The Gator Train campers spent Wednesday learning about dinosaur eggs, dinosaur bones, and how to keep a dinosaur as a pet! With Miss McCool, the campers decorated dinosaur eggs and got to choose a dinosaur to put inside. They also created dinosaur pictures using stickers and markers. During their time with Miss Soeder, the campers read How to Raise a Dinosaur by Natasha Wing and played Stegosaurus, Stegosaurus, T-Rex/Brontosaurus Brontosaurus, T-Rex, our dinosaur version of Duck, Duck, Goose. After lunch, the campers combined to read Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner and created their own dinosaur bone pictures using penne pasta and elbow macaroni.

Tomorrow is our field trip to the Natural History Museum! Don't forget to wear your green shirt!

Bowling Bonanza!

Daring Campers had a fun filled day, which began by making the Olympic rings.  It continued as they went to the South Chagrin Reservation and had a picnic style lunch.  The day ended with a bang as the boys and girls really enjoyed bowling and having a soda at the bowling alley.  STRIKE!