Jacob's Well Natural Area- Summer Camp Review!
75 campers from the Austin Nature and Science Center
40 campers from the Kidventure Camp
36 campers from the Wet & Wild Camp
Most Popular Demonstration/Activity: Virtual Water Footprints
Second Most Popular Demonstration/Activity: The Watershed Model
Least Popular Demonstration/Activity: The Rainfall Simulator
One of the main challenges I encountered this summer running the summer camp program at the Jacob’s Well Natural Area had to do with each group’s different expectations. In particular, many of the campers from Wet & Wild seemed far more interested in recreation than education. However, I have chosen to do these particular activities and demonstrations because they are tremendous fun and not lecture-based.
Another challenge I found was relating each group of children to the less attractive parts of the natural world; scorpions, cockroaches, “weeds”. Many of these young people have not come across such components in a positive light. In one instance, I took for granted that the campers probably had not had a safe and education experience with a scorpion. I was so frightened that someone would get stung I simply put it in a cup and tossed it into the field. Many of the campers wanted to see the scorpion and I failed to facilitate a connection between them and the insect because I was so worried. I learned a lot about creating safe opportunities for young people to explore something foreign, and not taking for granted that others understand how a scorpion is important to an ecosystem.
The last challenge of note has to do with being the employee at Jacob’s Well during camps. There were one instance in particular where visitors (young local males) cussed me out in front of the campers because I told them they could not swim. I was extremely distressed by this because then the counselors had to report “all of the bad words” that were said in front of the campers to their parents. There were two other occasions where visitors were aggressive and not complying with rules. This is normal any other day, but when I am with my summer camp, answering questions and telling them more about the Well while they’re swimming in it, it is not constructive for a healthy learning environment. When Jeremy and Greg were around enforcing rules, it made my experience with the campers much more positive and constructive.
It was really interesting finding my path as the main educator this summer when last year I was simply an assistant. Barbara Attwell, the WVWA’s previous education coordinator, had a particular way of going about the summer camp program that I found somewhat rigid and stagnant. After each summer camp left, I wrote a summary of the program, highlighting things that did not work and things that did. I very quickly found that small changes to an activity, such as placing the information cards under a colored piece of construction paper below the fake food in the Virtual Water Footprints, make the entire thing run more effectively and efficiently. It really surprised me how it comes down to minute changes, not monumental ones. This was a great lesson for me to understand.
As a continuation of the above understanding, I also recognize that I can learn a lot from simply being honest with the campers. One of the campers a suggestion about an activity that I used the very next camp and it works so well I will continue to do it. I find approaching the campers with respect, interest, and compassion really creates a fruitful and productive learning environment. Additionally, I immediately recognized how the tenants of urban environmental education that I learned in my first University of Wisconsin graduate course, are directly applicable to the education program I am building at the Jacob’s Well Natural Area. Authenticity, relevance, and vision became tools I utilized while sharing information and interacting with the campers. Urban environmental education’s core values will continue to be of great importance to this education program.
The last great success I had was learning to discipline and keep campers quiet without losing their attention. I was worried that if I repeated myself too much, took on an overly authoritarian tone of voice, or cut through their chit-chat, they would grow unhappy. I was impressed when I started to get the hang of it.
In general, it was such a fun program! I so look forward to doing it again next year.
