Earlier in the summer I decided that in the midst of all the bible schools, daycamps, trips to the pool, playdates, vacations, etc. that dominate our summer schedule I wanted to carve out some special time for Aiden and I do some exploring and learning in the great outdoors. Enter Backyard Camp. I set aside a week for Backyard Camp and planned a few simple outdoor activties for each day with the goal on the final day being a campout, overnight, in the backyard. Most of the things we did were not overly amibitious (and many were, literally, in our backyard). The goal was not to have a time of intensive learning with tons of information, but just to get our hands dirty, have fun, and talk a little bit about the natural world outside our back door.
Our day "for the birds" consisted of building a simple bird feeder (using an old baby formula can), and painting a wooden birdhouse.
On our "bugs" day we did a bug safari in the yard, and then made a "worm hotel" from an upside down pot in the garden. We didn't take any pictures this day though.
"Plants" day involved a plant scavenger hunt (with some help from visiting friend Lucy) and planting some flowers in a flower bed by the shed.
We did two small day trips on the last two days of backyard camp. One was a full-family hike along the canal trail just outside of town. It's a nice shady (and flat) walk that was perfect for our band of amateur hikers.
Aiden and I also took a visit to the nearby Great Valley Nature center. They have a great rescued birds of prey exhibit that we both thought was pretty cool. And we also had a good time walking on some trails and playing at (and throwing rocks into) the stream.
I'd like to think that the grand finale of Backyard Camp lived up to the hype as we set up the "campsite," lit some sparklers, and roasted some marshmallows.
Aiden and I did make it through the night of camping, despite some serious heat. It may not have been the best night's sleep of either of our lives, but I think it was a worthwhile (and fun) sacrifice.
Overall it was really fun week that involved basically no cost, just a little bit of planning ahead, and plenty of good conversations about nature and God's creation. As you can see by the end of the week the "Camp Book" is looking well-used! And even better is the fact that it is filled up with pictures and lists of all the things we saw and talked about. Maybe this will become a yearly tradition, but at least for now we have some good summer memories to look back on!
