Candy Experiment

What happens to the structure of candy when you put it in hot water? The Explorers wanted to find out!  They tested out their theories with buckets of hot water and gummy worms. 

Prepping the materials

Our young scientists are watching gummy worms in hot water to see what happens.

Experiments are so much fun!   

That cup looks a little murky! 

Some of the campers thought this looked yummy! Ew!

 

Outdoor Property Improvements

We have an eye to the future and are developing our outdoor facility. Have you noticed the new and improved baseball field that is soon to be completed? It's getting a scoreboard today! Also, our play areas have seen some renovations. Come check it out!

Wow! Look at the progress on the baseball field!

The scoreboard will be here soon!

The playground has new mulch and is ready for campers!

The old sandbox is ready to go with new sand!

We added a new sandbox for the campers to use!

   

Beach Day

Nature cooperated with our beach day. We couldn't have ordered better weather! It was warm and sunny with a cool breeze. The water was refreshing and our campers loved the beach. They even found a stream filled with frogs to entertain them.

Here's our Morgan's Beach Top 10:

10. Getting Food from the Snack Bar

9. Eating Lunch

8. The Playground

7. Um...?

6. Lake Football

5. Sandcastles

4. Making a Beach Hot Tub

3. The Bus Ride!

2. Swimming!

1. More Swimming!

What do you do when it's hot? Go swimming!

We love going to the Orono Nickerson Community Pool, especially when it's hot outside!

The boys created a chain in the kiddie pool. Looks like fun!

After lots of swimming, these ladies bought some cold treats at the snack bar. 

The water feels great on a hot day!

Survival Skills Training

This week our Leaders' Group visited Sewell Park to learn how to build shelters out of natural materials. 

 The survival skills class is every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon through the end of July.

A Message from Jason Baker, our survival skills instructor:  

Humans today are insulated from the natural world.  Our interactions are as a tourist.  Even when we camp, we insulate ourselves behind tent walls, sleeping pads, and bags.  When we hike, we speed from destination to destination, often missing the rich environment we pass through.  What most of us have failed to discover is the rich belonging and connection to all things that can be gained through the immersion in our natural world.  Our Survival Skills Class with Jason Baker teaches:

• The Sacred Order of Survival - Shelter, Fire, Water, Food
• How to build an effective shelter quickly that will keep a person dry and warm even in extreme winter weather
• How to make fire from friction
• How to find clean water and purify it for human consumption.
• How to forage and find food in Nature

In the process of learning these basic wilderness survival techniques many other areas will be learned and taught such as:

• Track location and identification
• Plant and animal identification
• Habitat exploration and understanding the web of life
• How heat moves and natural things with insulating properties
• Awareness of what is around us in the woods as well as awareness of how we affect the wilderness and each other
• How to safely make a fire
• How to safely use a knife
• Movement through a wilderness environment
• Individual and team work

RSU #34 Summer Lunch Program

We are excited to once again host a site for the RSU #34 Summer Lunch Program! Beginning Monday, July 11th, we will offer breakfast and lunch to our campers and community members.

Breakfast includes:

• one serving of milk
• one serving of a vegetable/fruit or full-strength juice
• one serving of a grain/bread/cereal

Lunch includes: 

• one serving of skim or low-fat milk
• two or more servings of vegetables and/or fruits
• one serving of grain or bread
• one serving of meat or meat alternative

Menus are available at the Old Town Recreation Center and will be posted on our facebook page. 

Animal Orphanage Service Project

Our Leaders Group went on a trip to the Animal Orphanage this week. They delivered donations from our generous Rec family. As you can see in the pictures, they also spent time with the animals and volunteered their labor for the Animal Orphanage. 

Challenger Learning Center

The Adventurers group traveled to the Challenger Learning Center in Bangor today for "The Wet World of Science." This grant-funded opportunity included fun activities investigating how water supports life, the watershed, water-borne diseases, and how rivers and tributaries move water.   

The Adventurers get an update about the activities.

Water in and water out - make sure you stay hydrated  

Sweat releases water from your body.  

How much water does your body need to stay hydrated?  

Which tube is full of water?  

Will salt dissolve in it?  

Does it have a chemical reaction with baking soda?  

Will a toothpick sink or float?

How much of the Earth is covered in water?  

Where do water molecules go?  

What disease do you have?  

Can you create a path for your river?  

Where do the fertilizers and pesticides go when it rains?

Thanks Challenger Center!