… can look very different from one day to the next and perspective is everything.
From what I heard from campers as a Lead Educator here at Tyler Arboretum, a single day can be both long and short, challenging and encouraging, tiring and exhilarating.
From a visitor’s perspective, I can imagine stumbling upon our Tyler summer camp groups makes them wistful for their own days of carefree exploration with friends.
From an instructor’s perspective, each day of camp is a new adventure and a chance to watch campers discover and grow. Like a day last summer, I think sometime mid-July …
Arrival: 8:55 – 9:15 am
It’s Wednesday, and the campers know the drill. As each camper gets dropped off, they run to their respective instructors, throw their backpacks down, and sit with their group.
Today my group has a mystery box to explore; it can be scary putting your hand in a box when you don’t know what’s sitting in wait inside. No one loses a finger, but we do immediately lose our carefully crafted schedule. I could have just told them the mystery object was a seed pod from a nearby plant, but where’s the wonder in that? We make observations, we ask questions, we break open the pod and reveal seeds, we go on a hunt for look-alikes. The triumph of finding the plant is loud, and so satisfying.
Opening Circle: 9:15 – 9:30 am
We’re a tad behind schedule and still excited from the great plant hunt, so we skip the usual wake-up game and get right to business mapping out our morning. Everyone will need to bring their water shoes because after we learn to build shelters we’re going to explore the creek!
Shelter Building: 9:30 – 10:30 am
I’m with the Foxes this week (1st and 2nd grade), so our shelters are going to be miniature — the perfect size to house the seed pods that have somehow appeared in everyone’s pockets. Campers split into groups and let their imaginations run wild. Simple lean-tos grow into extravagant bug hotels, bustling villages, and a combination highway/castle/hoagie shop.
Each group shares their creation explaining the camouflaging properties, waterproofing, and sandwich storage areas. Then, it’s both somehow already time for snack and FINALLY snack time. The chant for “chippies” (tortilla chips) can probably be heard from the trailhead.
Creek Exploration: 11:15 am – Noon
The highlight of some campers’ week has arrived! We carefully catch crayfish, minding their claws so we don’t get pinched and they don’t drop an arm. We search under rocks for macroinvertebrates, and we watch a salamander crawl across the creek bottom. One camper makes a rock circle so no one accidentally steps on the fragile creature. With the focus on the creek, one camper misses the bee buzzing along the bank and realizes their mistake too late.
Bee stings are never fun, but after the stinger is removed and there’s no sign of an allergic reaction, we just focus on taking deep breaths and wait for the pain to subside. The group gather around their hurt friend, offering all the things kids find comforting — hugs, the best rock to sit on to view the salamander, and an offer to hold the seed pod that the group determined is the best specimen. The last one does the trick, and soon everyone returns to the creek — two sentries standing by their friend watching out for other bees. Now back to exploring.
Lunchtime! Noon – 1:30 pm
Lunch is a handoff: the campers get to spend time with different instructors while they listen to stories, play board games, do craft projects, and hopefully take a few minutes to sit and enjoy the cool indoor space before the heat of the afternoon.
I go eat lunch, disassociate on the floor for a few minutes, rave to my fellow instructors about how kind the campers were to one another at the creek, and set up for our afternoon activities.
Afternoon Block: 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Today we’re at the Pollinator Preserve doing pollinator-themed crafts, exploring the garden with the help of magnifying glasses, playing games, and using chalk to create obstacle courses along the path. Aka an afternoon of controlled chaos to encourage campers to play, learn, and explore together. At some point, the chant for “chippies” starts up again, heralding afternoon snack time.
Closing Circle: 3:30 – 4:00 pm
We gather our projects, our water bottles, and a couple pairs of discarded shoes and head to pick-up. We review our day, taking turns sharing our experiences — what surprised us, what we enjoyed, what challenged us, and what we’re looking forward to tomorrow. The group starts to break up as adults arrive and the campers in aftercare head over to see what activity they’re doing today. The last few campers travel between the shrinking groups, trading stories with siblings and showing off the day’s projects to favorite instructors. The day ends as the last camper passes through Tyler’s front gate.
Time to set up for tomorrow: a new day at Tyler camp, and a whole new adventure.
