MSU Extension Tollgate Farm and Education Center

Thursday:

Welcome to day 4 of Green Science Adventure Camp! We kicked off the morning with inclement weather so went to the Activity Center for shelter and games. We played a few rounds of games and then started our Garden Kitchen Snack for horses. We all took turns cutting fruits and vegetables while talking about food safety and horse diet. The campers did a great job using the knife properly and watching for their fingers.

After the pony snack preparation was complete by the green peppers (Yellow peppers will complete tomorrow) we ventured off to do farm chores. Today was goat milking day for the green peppers! Such exciting and exhausting chaos. Not sure if the weather turned the goats wild, all the Goat-erade they have been drinking, or just our powerful green pepper energy-- but it was an experience. Goats escaping left and right, 3 goats attempted to be milked, sweet feed and milk everywhere-- A memory for sure! Quite a few campers were excited to attempt to milk, however, I don't blame the others for not trying this time. Tomorrow we will just visit the goats :) 

Chores for the yellow peppers included the ducks and the rabbits plus a bonus visit to the kid goats. As you can see from the pictures below the kids loved the kids ;)

After chores we headed out to the CSA field to learn about tomato trellising from Farmer Darby. We learned about the trellising, pruning, pests, and so much more! The campers were excited to ask really good questions, however, we were all excited to return to the fresh and less humid air outside the tunnels.

After tomatoes with Ms. Darby it was time to explore the pond. We took a hike around the WHOLE Pond, then finished off with some more water creature exploration. The campers found crawfish, nymphs, snails and fish. We also got a brief peak at the famous Tollgate Pond snapping turtle! 

Snack time was apples for us and apples and fruits and veggies for the horse. Campers enjoyed their apples but I think the campers enjoyed Friday and Sesame eating their snack more! 

After lunch we learned about the importance of pollinators and how we can help them. Today we made them pollinator hotels. We created two styles: one using tubes from wood straws, bamboo and toilet paper rolls and the other by drilling holes into a log. Both experiences the camper enjoyed. We will be adding these hotels to our garden. 

We capped off the day with more games like Owls and Mice and Poison Dart frog. And then working on our STEAM project: Sustainable Farm. 

Thank you for another great day! See you all Friday! 

Friday:

Happy Friday! Another day of crazy weather, except this time it is lovely cool weather! We started our day with some games and the flag ceremony led by the Yellow Peppers.

After the flag ceremony it was time for chores. The Green Peppers did ducks and rabbits while the yellow peppers did goats and chickens. 

After chores we got to meet up with Ms. Sam and our two ponies, Sesame and Friday, to learn about horse grooming and horse safety. We got to spend quality time learning about what makes a pony a pony, types of brushes, and all about hooves. 

After grooming it was time to play some games. We played Owls and Mice and Where's my Chicken in the children's garden. 

After games we went back to the animal barn to grab a yearling goat to take them on a harness walk. No goats loose for the green peppers today! How ever the yellows did have some run loose today, good thing we have gates! ;) 

We added goat saddle packs filled with snacks so that Erma and Delilah (the goats) could carry our snacks  until we could enjoy them at the half way mark. Erma did an amazing job for the green peppers while Delilah was a little bouncy for the Yellow pepper group. 

After lunch we finished our STEAM: Sustainable Farms and had a group presentation. We saw lots of shade in our farms, clean pond water, pathways for humans, and organized areas for animals and rocks. :) 

After our STEAM activity it was time to throw our seed bombs from the other day into our old garden bed to be cover cropped. We analyzed the area for where it needed more seeds and threw our seed balls there (best we could). 

Then it was time to complete our camp survey to find ways we can improve for future camps, enjoyed some popsicles, and then reflected. Then it was time to go home. What an amazing week of camp with an amazing group of kids! We hope to see you all again soon! :)