Theme 8 had us exploring the depths of the South Platte and the Cherry Creek! We learned about the river and creek as a habitat and about the many creatures that live there.
We learned about macro invertebrates, fish, birds, crawdads, reptiles, beavers, amphibians, plants, and more! The campers also learned about water quality and performed water quality tests, and we of course explored in the water and caugt critters every day! The Cherry Creek Campers went on a field trip to the Downtown Aquarium and the HQ campers went to Overland Pond Park where students from ELK (Environmental Learning for Kids) taught them how to fish!
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SPREE's 4th annual summer camp out took place on July, 22nd in Johnson Habitat Park. We had 12 families attend! This was one of three great overnight events SPREE hosted this summer to connect Denver youth with urban nature.
We had an amazing time playing games, cooking our dinner over the campfire, acting in silly skits, and having s'mores, of course! The highlight of the eveining was when Denver Park Ranger Jennifer came and spoke with the group. She talked with us about Leave No Trace, or LNT, principles that we can use in all of our future hiking andcamping trips. It is important to stay on hiking trails, leave things in nature as we find them, and camp on durable surfaces. This way, we can all help preserve the natural areas we are in for all the plants and animals that live there, as well as for future visitors of the parks and trails. She also taught us about many Denver animals, and we got to see some very cool pelts and skulls! The next morning we had a great time exploring and catching critters in the South Platte River! We had an amazing week learning about outdoor adventures! Each day was packed with explorations, activities, and critter crawls!
We had a days dedicated to hiking, camping, survival, geocaching, and Leave No Trace. We also had an amazing time learning to stand up paddle board (SUP) and raft! Theme 6 took us back in time through Colorado's history! We started in the time of volcanoes, the first mountains, and even back to when Colorado was under water! Then we learned about giant fish, huge insects, and of course, dinosaurs! Then, we jumped to more recent history and explored the lives of the local Native American Tribes, the Arapahoe and the Cheyenne. Thursday's theme was about the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, prospectors, miners, and others who traveled west to live in Colorado. We wrapped up the week with Colorado today- and also took a field trip to the History Colorado Center! Ryan Aids accepting TGF's grant package from Xcel Energy The Greenway Foundation wants to give a big thank you to the Xcel Energy Foundation for its continued support of our youth education programs! We have been awarded a grant of $15,000 that will help fund our SPREE Excursions, River Ranger program, and Greenway Leadership Corps. Through these programs we connect thousands of Denver children with the South Platte River, provide meaningful employment and hands-on training to underserved high school students, and provide opportunities for hundreds of Denver youth to participate in environmental stewardship and outdoor adventures.
Grant funding is only one of the ways that Xcel Energy is supporting The Greenway Foundation this year. We are also honored to be chosen as the non-profit beneficiary of Xcel Energy's sponsorship of Family 4Pack ticket packages for 2016 Denver Outlaws games. $5 from the sale of every Xcel Energy Family 4Pack will be donated to The Greenway Foundation! The Xcel Energy Family 4Pack includes 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 beers or sodas. Enjoy some family fun and support The Greenway Foundation this summer by purchasing an Xcel Energy Family 4Pack! Over the week of July 4th we had a short week of camp, but it wasn't short on fun!
This week we dedicated ourselves to having all kids of active and outdoor fun- we didn't want to have the summer couch potato take over our lives! Each day we played sports and games, made crafts, read books, and did experiments! And, best of all, we explored the creek and river each day! We also had some amazing special guests from City Wild who taught us some very fun games and activities! At the end of the week, the campers at the Cherry Creek Train location walked to the Children's museum and explored there as well! Theme 4 of summer camp transformed the kids into scientists! All week we talked about the amazing power of water and investigated how we use it day to day. We explored the water cycle, made mini water wheels, learned about the wastewater treatment process, and even made devices to collect trash that floats down the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. And of course we got into the water every day and learned all about all the macro invertebrates that live there!
We also had two special guests this week: Matt Bond from Denver Water, and Jim Tallent from the Littleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant! |
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