Cole's Adventures at Camp Rogers

The second grader's went on an awesome field trip to Camp Rogers just a few days before school was out.  It is filled with nature, survival, and co-operative learning.  They also had their very own version of Bear Grylls, who was obviously a kid favorite.

Exhibit 1 - Bear Grylls Jr. (no, not really!)

Bear (which I'll call him because I can't remember his real name) showed them all kinds of survival skills.  He talked about how to build shelters, forage for food, deal with weather, and the kids favorite - how to make a fire.  The kids divided into two small groups and were tasked with making a fire with only wood, and were allowed only one match to try to start it.  Turns out the kids needed a little instruction and were fascinated when Bear actually started a fire on his example.  Bear also taught them a fun game called 'Camouflage', which had the kids dash around the woods (pretending to be animals) and try to hide behind trees, logs, etc. That game was lots of fun in the woods - not so much fun at home when Cole would randomly shout out 'camouflage' and expect us to scurry around and hide.  Outside of the woods, we call that hide and seek.  : )

The last thing Cole's group participated in were some co-operative learning / teamwork type games.  One game had another mom and I blindfolded, and the kids had to work together to direct us through 'minefields' (frisbees).  Another game (top photo) found the kids having to make it across the rope the counselors were holding.  The catch was that they all had to cross at the same time.  The last game had the kids working in pairs.  One was on the ground, blindfolded, while the teammate directed them to the ball using only verbal directions.  Then they changed positions.  All the games were fun, but did have an element of frustration because the kids were not used to working in groups, making joint decisions, etc.  It was a really good experience for them all to have.

They offer an overnight camp during the summer that we will consider next year for Cole.  They had a really good program and activities that would be very beneficial for Cole.  This is the first year the kids went to Camp Rogers for a field trip, and it was a great one!