Scales, Scales, Scales Camp Review

Scales, Scales, Scales

Day 1

Although all the campers we anxious to jump right into fish, we started our scaly explorations with animals in the order Lepidoptera. What’s that you ask? Butterflies and moths of course! We started the day reading a few short stories to learn what it means to be a butterfly or moth. We then ventured outside on a butterfly and moth scavenger hunt, using a “bingo board” to locate different butterflies and moths, look for different behaviors, and identify some plants they use for their survival. We were lucky to find a milkweed tussock moth caterpillar and a monarch caterpillar hanging out on their favorite, the milkweed. We brought the monarch caterpillar back to the Visitor Center for observation over the next few days. Our little friend molted during the first night! We spent the rest of the day learning about the differences between butterflies and moths and also characteristics they share. Snack was themed of course, using a banana, pretzels, raisins and chow mein noodles to create an extremely yummy butterfly. We tried to play a silly caterpillar game outside after snack, but late afternoon giggles took over! Although not a scaly critter, we did get the awesome experience of seeing an adult cicada just emerging from its nymph form. When we came back to check on it a short while later the process was already complete but the cicada was still hanging out waiting for its wings to dry a bit before taking off. We also found lots of exoskeletons left behind on trees from adult cicadas emerging.

Day 2

Wednesday brought the fish! We started the day with the help of two seasoned fisherman, Paul and Bill, assisting us in a fishing excursion. We made good use of the fairly new DOT fishing pier at the western end of Lake Kirsty. Many campers caught their first ever fish! It was an at times frustrating, but very exciting morning. We spent some time learning about different characteristics to identify each species caught, and learn some of the silly names for parts of a fish. I wonder how the scientist that named the skinny part between a fish’s body and tail (caudal) fin decided upon the name caudal peduncle! After lunch, we started our fish craft out of recycled pop bottles. They looked great all hung up together on our room divider! We also learned about Gyotaku, or the Japanese art of fish prints, and made fish prints using rubber fish.  For snack everyone got to go fishing again! This time using a pretzel stick for a rod and cream cheese for the bait to catch goldfish crackers. Some campers turned these ingredients into crazy sculptures instead. At Tifft, we think it’s ok to play with your food though (at least sometimes!) We also got to run around and play some games outside including a fish tag game where the fish (most of the campers) tried not to get eaten by a bigger fish (a small group of campers) by hiding in safe spots.

Day 3

Already our time together was coming to an end, but not before we talked about our last group of scaly creatures, REPTILES! This was a day that was long awaited by many of the campers. We went for a long walk hoping to encounter some of the reptiles that call Tifft home. We weren’t too successful with reptiles but saw LOTS of frogs and other animals. Unfortunately that is the one tricky thing about nature camp, we can’t always plan for what we are going to see, but it makes it really exciting when we see something we weren’t expecting. Some campers did get to see a Northern Water Snake from a distance in the marsh and a Painted Turtle basking on a log before it got scared into the water. After lunch, we had a special guest, Mary, who brought many of her reptile (and a few amphibian) friends with her to share. We got to hold a Ball Python and a Fat-tailed Gecko! Our final activity for camp was having turtle races! No, not those kinds of turtle races J We colored turtles and raced them across long “tracks” of yarn. This was the one time we got a little TOO loud, but we just couldn’t control our excitement.

Well there we have it, another successful summer of camp at Tifft. All the Tifft staff had a great summer getting to know all the new campers and welcoming back lots of familiar faces. We hope to see you all back sometime soon :)

Here is a photo album so you can see some of our adventures: Scales, Scales, Scales Photos

Nature Rangers Camp Review

What a great week of having great summer nature fun and learning T.A.S.K.S (teamwork, action, skills, knowledge and sharing)!

We had a number of new campers join us for Nature Rangers this summer, so we took a nice long exploration hike to start off our week, while discussing living and non-living things. We also investigated wilderness survival, the Rule of 3's and learned how to make a survival shelter out of natural items found in the woods. We also talked about being prepared for outdoor adventures and discussed some wilderness scenarios and how to make good decisions outdoors.
To start Day 2, Mr. Bob joined us and took us on a time travel adventure as we learned the history of the property of Tifft Nature Preserve. We also explored the marsh at Lisa Pond, looking for macroinvertebrates, small fish, and tadpoles. Campers voted to have a lunch 'on the trail' so we found a shady spot and enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading back for some free time. The afternoon found us practicing our orienteering skills, having popsicles for snack and designing a water strider (an insect that can 'walk' on water) out of craft materials.
Wednesday was action morning, as we worked with Mr. Zach and Mr. Forest on an invasive species resource management project. We learned all about Japanese knotweed (invader species) and helped roll weed barrier fabric out to keep this bully plant from invading more of the forest. We also got to spread wood chips to cover the fabric and water some tree saplings that had been previously planted in the area. The campers worked really hard and it was great to see the finished project. We also had a visit by a blue-spotted salamander, which we rarely ever see here at Tifft. In the afternoon, Ms. Kimberly guided us through a great nature journaling workshop-sketching, painting and getting us to really take a different look at nature in a variety of ways.
Day 4 was a hot and sticky day, but the clouds stuck around in the morning to allow us to have a fabulous morning of fishing. Mr. Paul and Mr. Bill came in to share this fishing knowledge and quite a few campers caught their first fish ever! The afternoon brought out the sunshine and our energy. A round of  Everybody's It, followed by a teamwork game called Insanity let us enjoy the sticky, sunny day. We then created a 'Thank You' picture to be included in a note for all our guest speakers this week, with each of us designing a letter to make the message. Our last experiment of the day was trying to force some worms out of their hiding places in the soil. Evidently worms don't like mustard, so we mixed up mustard powder and water and spread it on the garden. Our experiment didn't work, but it was fun to guess what would happen.
Friday brought a little rain so we started indoors playing a large version of Bananagrams, and then Mr. Walt joined us and helped us learn more about the Iroquois Indians and how they used nature in their daily lives. We got a chance to use pump drills, fire bows and drills and made a message sticks, as well as learning about lots of other tools they used. The rain let up to allow us to take a nice walk out to the marsh to look for frogs, turtles and insects. We finished up our day with learning some knots, making a survival knot bracelet and learning about fire and fire safety. We had the best snack of the week, roasted marshmallows and edible fires, before our time for the week ended!
Campers did a great job doing the work to earn the NR badge and hopefully had a fun week too!
Here is a photo album so you can see some of our adventures: Nature Rangers Photos
Thanks for letting me send time with your campers this week and share some of my knowledge with them. I had a great time getting to know each one of the campers!
Miss Caryn

Noisy Nature Camp Review

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Noisy Nature campers investigated the world of sound in nature
-ask your campers if noise and sound are the same thing :)

Our week was filled with all things that croak, chirp, cheep and buzz. We started the week off with a bird walk with experienced birders/Tifft volunteers Mr. Paul and Mrs. Nancy. Other big highlights of the week included getting to visit the newest inhabitants at Tifft, our honeybees, in their hive, thanks to Ms. Lauren; listening for the heartbeat of a tree with stethoscopes; making our own instruments out of recycled items; learning about the different kinds of owls, thanks to Ms. Kimberly; and of course, collecting bugs and hearing their sounds.

We also created our own 'ears' and did some sound exploration on the trails (sound bingo was a hit), learned a lot about cicadas (including finding one that had just become an adult and watched it change colors overnight, then released it), tried worm 'grunting', listening to music inspired by nature and had lots of fun playing games, just exploring and enjoying nature, including frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, deer and bees, and free play time.

Here is a photo album so you can see some of our adventures: Noisy Nature Photos
In the album, there are 2 videos of the campers with their recycled instruments, so be sure to listen to them!

Thanks for letting your nature explorer spend some time with us this summer and hope to see you in 2014!

Miss Caryn

Adventures Afloat and Ashore Camp Review

Adventures Afloat...

Our new crew arrived early Monday morning bright eyed and ready for adventure!  16 new campers circled up with staff to make introductions, go over the plan and goals for the week and get ready to board the Spirit of Buffalo.  New crew got involved in ship operations right away, with participants forming two "watches" (traditional "teams" of crew that operate the ship), electing Watch Captains and dividing up responsibilities such as handling dock lines, raising sails and cleaning up the deck.  Once all sails were set and we were under way on the lake, we embarked on some basic seamanship training in navigation techniques (plotting a course, determining location, using a compass) and speed calculations using some left over veggies, a stop watch and a whole lot of math!  After striking sail we came back to the dock, ate lunch and got ready for the second half of our adventures afloat.  In the afternoon, Watch A learned basic kayak strokes and embarked on a kayaking expedition up the Buffalo River, where they practiced their new paddling skills  and learned about the history, industry and environmental issues affecting the Buffalo River.  Watch B was busy practicing their traditional rowing skills with our friends at the Buffalo Maritime Center aboard two War of 1812 wooden bateaux, traditional rowing vessels used by the British to transport goods and soldiers from ship to shore.  Watch B rowed across the Buffalo Harbor to the Outer Harbor, where they embarked on a nature hike of Times Beach Nature Preserve and spent time cooling off and exploring the world of invasive aquatic plants at Wilkenson Pointe Park on the Outer Harbor.  Watch B then rowed back to the Central Wharf and spent some time in the shade before heading home.

Day Two brought more intense heat but our crew was not deterred!  The morning was spent reviewing seamanship and sailing skills, with Watch Captains taking the lead in handling dock lines and setting sail.  We spent the morning on the lake exploring a series of Lake Erie-specific topics, such as the benthic layer (we took a sample of the benthos with our Ponar grab and filtered the sample), plankton (catching plankton in the tow net and identifying it in the shipboard microscope lab), Lake Biology (using our shipboard Lake Tank to identify fish species and learn about their ecology) and Water Quality (taking water samples and completing a series of tests on chemical properties such as nitrates, phosphates and dissolved oxygen).  We even captured a weather balloon that had fallen into the lake and was floating outside the mouth of the Buffalo River!  Our young crew recorded data in their log books, struck sail and disembarked for lunch once we returned to the dock.  While afternoon activities were much the same, with the opposite Watches participating in kayaking and rowing and we were treated to a guided tour of Times Beach Nature Preserve by Jay Burney, the president of the Preserve's "Friends" Group.

...and Ashore!

Wednesday our crew could leave their sea legs at home as they headed inward to Tifft Nature Preserve to learn about the dynamic history and ecosystems that make it a gem in the City of Buffalo. The campers’ time at Tifft started with a walk exploring the past uses of the land that is now the Preserve with seasoned volunteer, Ruth Lasure (otherwise known as Osier J) and seeing first hand the ability for nature to reclaim itself after years of industrial use. Ruth also shared her interest in wildflowers that grow at Tifft with the campers. Much relief was found from the morning heat in the newly air conditioned Visitor Center while having an overview of the many misuses of PowerPoint to prepare for our presentation on Friday. After lunch we took the KidWind challenge working in teams to try and create the best wind turbine blades for maximum speed. We then moved onto a discussion about land use decisions and their affects on neighboring aquatic systems. The imagination the campers had in developing their plots of land was insightful and quite entertaining as well! The day quickly came to an end but not before we started a “meet and greet” with some preserved specimens of common local aquatic invasive species.

Thursday morning we welcomed Tifft volunteers Paul and Nancy (Pine and Nettle) Vigyikan, who came to share with us their love and expertise of birding. Tifft is recognized as an Important Bird Area due to its location on the migration flyway, as well as a nesting area for many species. It was quite a fruitful morning of birding with one of the favorites being the Green Herons we were able to see up close in the marsh.  We moved onto a quick (and messy) activity showing how the topography of the land determines how watersheds form. It was then time for the campers to get to work and remember what it was they did the last three days! Tifft staff assisted campers in developing a Powerpoint to present on Friday. Campers were then able to go out as they were finished and sweep net for insects at the base of Tifft’s mounds. The find of the day was a good sized Praying Mantis.

On Friday morning, we had a great showing of parents, who participated with their young crew members back aboard the Spirit of Buffalo in learning how to set and strike sail, steering and participating in science stations that campers chose to teach to the parents.  They chose navigation and speed calculations...showing their aptitude for the science of traditional seamanship.  The morning concluded with a  boat-building competition in which parents joined their campers in designing a boat that could hold weight without sinking.

Although our lunch plans were altered at the last minute, we were still able to enjoy the gorgeous breezy day eating lunch al fresco at Tifft. The campers then nervously presented a PowerPoint presentation highlighting their adventures throughout the week to some of the parents. We hope this gave a great insight into what the campers spent their week immersed in. The campers and Tifft staff also led the parents through a short walk out to Tifft’s 75 acre remnant cattail marsh, to share some of the campers new knowledge about Tifft with their parents.

Upon our return, campers paired up with their parents or another camper to create their own fish species, taking into careful consideration different adaptations that fish have to aid in their survival. It was a wonderful cooperative activity that had everyone digging into the depths of their creativity. Parents and campers were then invited to stay for fishing or able to leave early if they preferred. We had some great catches from both campers and parents! 

Thank you to all the parents that were able to take time out of their day on Friday to spend time learning along with (and from) their children. This was a fantastic crew who we would welcome to be afloat and ashore again with us any time!  Nice job!

Here is a photo album so you can see some of our adventures: Adventures Afloat and Ashore Photos

BUOE and Tifft Staff :)

Spy on Nature Camp Review

Our Spy on Nature Detectives discovered how to view nature in a whole new way! Camp Educators Kimberly and Angie guided campers in observing and capturing the natural world with a paint brush and a camera. They also made creative crafts such as nature names, a nano trail brochure, and pressed flower bookmarks. Campers also explored the far reaches of the preserve with hikes to the southern Mounds and Lisa Pond. Thank you to our campers for great memories, great fun, and great new friends in the great outdoors!

Here is a photo album so you can see some of our other adventures: Spy on Nature Photos

Ms. Angie also posted a little information on our photo blog: Photo Blog

BIG & little Critter Encounters Camp Review

Summer camp started on the wings of a cool breeze, but it did not deter our 18 campers from having a great adventure learning all about the BIG & little (and in between) of the natural world. Ms. Mary led the campers through 3 days of exploration as we investigated lots of insects, properties of water and measurement. Campers got to use cool tools like binoculars, magnifying glasses, microscopes and eye droppers, as well as making and keeping their own nature journals. Bubbles were a big hit (despite the rainy conditions) and so was doing some amazing experiments with water (even using a drop as a magnifier). We also visited with some of Ms. Mary's friends: a giant millipede, a mouse and a rat. Seems like the days were over just after they started!

Here is a photo album so you can see some of our other adventures: BIG & little Photos

Hope this camp was a BIG hit with your nature explorers! Thanks for your support of Tifft and hope you had a great summer!
Miss Caryn