Our second day of Garden Camp was a blast!
Today campers continued learning about the weekly theme of Amazing Adaptations. While yesterday they had a chance to focus on Seeking Sun, today's theme was all about Water and Nutrients!
Today with AJ, the campers were able to build on the knowledge they learned about succulents yesterday. They dissected reeds and stems, comparing them to the succulent stems that they looked at yesterday. They spent a lot of time talking about tule reeds (pronounced tilly!) and why it is that they are buoyant.
Did you know that succulents are focused on water preservation, and reeds are focused on oxygen preservation? That's why they look and work differently!
With Ingrid, our campers had the ability to do so many things! Between painting with water colors and using experiments with chlorophyll, we got to do some art and wellness. Ingrid allowed campers to do a chlorophyll tasting. Did you know that chlorophyll is the pigment in leaves that helps make them green? What else do they do? Your camper might be able to tell you that chlorophyll is what helps plants convert sunlight into food!
What does chlorophyll taste like? My sources tell me it was salty... your camper might have a different idea!
Some of the main points we wanted our campers to take away from today was that plants fave found ways to thrive in both the wettest and the driest climates. Also that plants, just like us, need water to survive.
It wasn't quite as cold as yesterday so campers were able to enjoy the weather a little bit more than the day before.
Flower Piano starts this week! While your campers may have seen the pianos moving in yesterday, today they all had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Sound Portal. The Sound Portal will be open for everyone once Flower Piano starts, but we gave Garden Camp a sneak peak! Does your camper remember what's inside?
Tomorrow morning we'll be handing out our camp shirts to your campers before we head out on Adventure Day. This means there will either be some layering that occurs if your camper wants to slip the new shirt over their shirt, or we can have them take off their under layer. It's supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow but our staff will remain vigilant in regards to water breaks, sunscreen, and keeping your campers safe and cared for! We are handing out shirts the morning of Adventure Day so we can make sure everyone in the group is uniform and easier to find as we leave the Garden. Staff will also be wearing their Garden Camp shirts and we will take group pictures!
Question For My Camper:
-What are some of the five things that plants need to grow? If the air is very humid, what kind of plants might grow there?
-Do you have a favorite memory from today? Is there anything that you wish you could have spent more time on?
-Did you try the chlorophyll tasting? How was it? What do you think about plants using that to create food?
-Did you enjoy the Sound Portal? Would you go in again?
Tomorrow for Adventure Day, our campers will be heading to the Conservatory of Flowers as well as doing some nearby exploring at Stow Lake. Both are just short walks away from the Botanical Garden here in the Golden Gate Park. We're excited to venture out and see some of the other incredible opportunities we have just next door.
We'll see you then!
Jenn Tapler
she/her
Garden Camp Director
Office: 415-661-1316 x404
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