In November, six eager EcoTeam representatives packed their suitcases and headed for the great outdoors! They spent three nature filled days and two starry nights at YMCA Cedar Glen EcoCamp with other YRDSB schools. Here are their stories.
Ephemeral Art
By Niti Ghandi
During our time at EcoCamp,there were many different engaging for us to participate and learn from. One of them was Ephemeral Art or art that lasts for a short period of time. We connected with nature to create art using things that we found outside. We used rocks, sticks, and dead leaves to make our pieces. Our group tried to express how we feel about the environment through our art. We learned that you can make art using resources from nature.
Campfire
By Niti Ghandi
We ended off our first night with a magical campfire at the outdoor theatre in the woods. We were very honoured to have met “The wizard of the Forest” who told us a story about the forest and how it needs us. He cast a spell on the camp fire that made it spark into different colours. During the campfire we sang lots of funny songs that made us laugh while appreciating the nature around us. Although we didn’t roast s'mores we had an amazing time during the campfire with the other schools that were there.
Leadership and Action
By Pearl Natalia
At Eco Camp we participated in many activities that taught us how to be a leader. The first challenge, we balanced on thin ropes and had people on each side to keep us balanced on the rope. Our second challenge was to get to the other side of the field with six people on 2 thin boards and rope tied on each side. We had to communicate with each other to lift our feet at the same time. If you didn’t then the board wouldn’t move. We were able to communicate with each other and won the challenge. The third challenge was the bucket with fake poisonous beanbags. As a team we had to move the bucket without touching it or the bean bags on top. We were given ropes and bungee cords. We were able to move the bucket and bean bags from one circle to the other without dropping them. All of these challenges taught us how to be a leader and work as a team. Being a leader means to accept others ideas and to be positive. Working as a team means listening to each other’s ideas and making sure everyone is included. Finally we learned that to succeed at a challenge you have to use more than one strategy and persevere when something does not go as planned.
Photo Scavenger Hunt
By Pearl Natalia
When we arrived at Eco Camp we were given a Photo Scavenger Hunt. We had to take pictures of objects from a list that we were given. It seemed easy at first but after a while some of them took until the last day right before our deadline. Most of them were hidden while we did some of the activities. For example, we had to cross a bridge to get to our activity spot and the bridge was on the list. Other objects included a type of medicine the first nations used and it turned out to be a pine needle. The object we mostly struggled on was a granite carving. It ended up being a picture in a book that was in the main lobby. It took us forever to realize where it was hidden. The photo scavenger hunt was one of our favourite activities because wherever we went we were always on the lookout!
Night Hike
By Suchi Patel
In Eco Camp we have done a lot of activities that are educational and very enjoyable. One of the activities we did was the night hike and that's when we went on a hike, but in the night….. We had so much fun! We had stations and they were all different. Do you have good eyesight? To test that we did a test. We chose a crayola colour without looking at it and wrote what colour we think it was. Then when we went back to our cabins we saw if we were right or wrong. It was a total surprise until then! Have you ever tested a meteorite sample? We did and it was an awesome experience. We took a meteorite sample and bit it to see if a spark would appear. This was test to see if it was a real meteorite! It smelled like mint and it even tasted like toothpaste. Are you hungry? We were but we had to catch our meal! We played this game where someone was a bat and the other person was the moth and they both had shakers. The bat was blindfolded and has to find the moth by the shakers. It was a great experience. That activity tested your hearing sense and how you would act if you had no eyesight. Are you afraid of the dark? The scariest part of all was when we had to go on a hike without anyone! At first we were all scared, but then after the hike we weren't. Knowing what it’s like to be alone and not be scared and have the courage to try everything. That’s what it’s all about! The best station we explored was when we had the opportunity to look into the telescope and see the moon. We even used the iPads to find constellations and it was so cool! Our favourite constellation was when we saw the stars form a princess in the sky. The next time you are out at night, look for her shining in the sky!
Solo Sits
By Sachin Solanki
In Eco Camp, every program/session we did solo sits. Solo sits are when we sit down with our recycled paper notebooks and we just wrote in our notebooks about what we saw outside, or what we were feeling at the time. We could have also wrote about what we did before the solo sit or during the program.
Organic Food
By Jackson Mauro
At EcoCamp we ate a lot of delicious food. The vegetables we ate were grown in the garden behind the cabins and it they were freshly picked. They weren’t sprayed with any pesticides which was even better. On the second day, Ms.Sacco convinced us to eat salad. I tried it and it was amazing. I’m not really a salad person but the spread that was put out for us made the greens look more appealing. The first day I tried a grapefruit. It was too sour for my liking, but it was healthy and made me stronger to do more fun activities at YMCA Cedar Glen Eco-camp.
Sunrise Ceremony
By Vidhi Patel
During the sunrise ceremony we woke up early so that we could greet the sun and thank it for rising at 7:00 am. It was a cold morning, but totally worth it! We formed a circle around a fire and YRDSB’s First Nation, Metis and Inuit Education Curriculum Coordinator, Pamala Agawa, led us in a traditional First Nation song, dance, and prayers as the sun rose up from the sky. We left a little opening in the circle so that the ancestors could come inside. We also had to hold tobacco while this was happening so that we could offer it to the ancestors. I couldn’t think of a better way to begin day two at EcoCamp.
