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THe Greenway Foundation Blog

Iconic Colorado At SPREE HQ Aug 13-17

8/17/2018

1 Comment

 
This week of SPREE Summer camp was dedicated to learning all about the state symbols and icons of Colorado. Monday's focus was on Colorado's terrestrial state animals: the mammal, bird, and insect. One of the most well-known state symbols is our state mammal, the bighorn sheep! We made marionette sheep and practiced ramming their heads together! Colorado's state bird is the lark bunting. We learned about these beautiful and unique birds by building some model nests, looking around the park for their food (insects), and acting out some of the silly and unique moves they make! We wrapped up the day by learning about the Colorado hairstreak butterfly. It is bright purple and orange on the inside of its wings, and camouflaged with eyespots on the outside!
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Tuesday's focus was on aquatic (or semi-aquatic) creatures. The state fish is the greenback cutthroat trout, which was once thought to be extinct in our state! It was later rediscovered and then made Colorado's state fish. Campers learned about trout habitat, and explored the River for signs that trout could live there. The state amphibian is the tiger salamander- it is found in all of Colorado's counties! We played games to help us learn about their metamorphic life cycle and how they can regrow their tails if it gets nibbled off by a predator! We also learned about their porous and slimy skin by making our own slime! The state reptile is also semi-aquatic, the painted turtle. Campers explored what it means to be cold blooded, learned the differences between terrestrial and aquatic turtles, and crafted little mini turtles to take home. 
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Wednesday was all about plants! The state flower is rocky mountain columbine and the state grass is blue grama. Campers planted seeds of each of these, and made a flower press use for drying and studying other Colorado plants in the future! While learning about the claret cup cactus, campers dissected a piece of cactus, learned about cactus anatomy, made a model cactus, and played games to demonstrate how cacti gain and retain water in arid environments. Lastly, campers learned about the state tree, the blue spruce. We found a blue spruce in the park and learned how to identify it, and learned identification tricks for several other types of Colorado trees as well.
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For our field day on Thursday, we went to nearby Vanderbilt park. We explored the pond and park, identified native plants and animals, and played lots of games about native Colorado animals!
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Our week wrapped up with Colorado rocks and fossils. After learning the differences between rocks, minerals and gemstones, we could learn which ones are Colorado state symbols: yule marble, rhodochrosite, and aquamarine respectively. Campers learned how these rocks form, played rock bingo in the park, and made their own rock "friend" to take home. Finally, we made it to learning about our state fossil, the stegosaurus! We used silhouettes to make a skeleton, studied the natural history of Colorado dinsosaurs, and learned about dino adaptations. As always, we finished our week with a graduation ceremony!
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Cherry Creek Train Campers Inspired By Nature Aug 13-17

8/17/2018

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Summer campers at the Cherry Creek Train had a fantastic week getting "inspired by nature!" On Monday, all of our nature art projects were about color. First, we made natural dyes and painted pictures with them. One set was made with plants and spices like turmeric, blueberries, and strawberries! Another we made with mud and food coloring! Another color project we worked on was swirled colors made from household objects. We made one picture with swirled colors made of vegetable oil and food coloring. Another was made with shaving cream! We wrapped up our colorful day with tie dye!
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We had a special guest artist join us on Tuesday! Local artist Michele Brown came to work with the campers to paint our HQ supply closet doors that were in need of a bit of a facelift! She's done many great works around Denver- and plenty at SPREE camp with our campers, including the outside of the SPREE HQ buildin, the fish mural over the whiteboard, and the mural inside the Train! Learn more about Michele's art here! Our other projects of the day were about all about paper. We made our own paper with recycled paper scraps from camp,  sun paper prints, and animal collages! 
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Campers enjoyed another great guest artist on Wednesday! Paul from Originateve came and worked with campers to make homemade felt from sheeps wool! Our other projects of the day were focused on making art outside and art with found materials. We made animal sculptures with items from nature, and rock mandalas near the river.
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Thursday was field trip day! We trekked to the Denver Art Museum and saw many awesome  pieces of art that were inspired by nature! Campers especially enjoyed making art at the many creation stations throughout the museum. 
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Campers brought art to life on Friday with movement and performance! We made puppets, put on a puppet show, and we made our own musical instruments! Then, we celebrated our wonderful week with a graduation ceremony!
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Water ENgineers at SPREE HQ Aug 6-10

8/15/2018

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SPREE summer campers this week became water experts during Water Engineers camp! We started by learning more about what an engineer does, and what the engineering process looks like. We did an activity to figure out the typical order of the engineering steps: 
​1. Identify the Problem (What do we need to do? What is our goal?)
2. Brainstorm (the most important step!)3. Design (blueprint)
4. Build (may be a model/prototype at first)
5. Test and Evaluate (Then may need to go back to step 4, until it is perfect and safe and ready-to-go! Or even go back to steps 2-3)
6. Share the Solution
Monday's focus was on many different forms of River engineering. One activity was on bridges. We learned about many types of bridges and how they work. Then, we constructed our own mini river bridges with limited materials and tested them out with different weights on top. Another river engineering feat we learned about and modeled was locks and dams. We learned about how they work, made some models, and tested them with some mini boats we built!

"The power of water" was the theme for Tuesday! Campers learned about the unique skills and properties that water has, as well as the power it has that people can harness for work and energy. First, campers learned about hydropower- how it is harnessed and how it works. Then, we built our own models of waterwheels and tried them out in the creek! ​
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On Wednesday, campers learned about a different aspect of water engineering- water quality! First, we experimented with our enviroscape. An enviroscape is a model of a city that shows how pollution and runoff in cities and rural areas get into and affect waterways. Then, we made a model water filtration system using rocks, dirt, sand, and other natural materials. While not safe to drink because it was just filtered and not sanitized, we got some very cool and successful results! During our daily critter crawl, we learned more about water quality through the animals that live in the River. Did you know that different macroinvertebrates have different tolerances to pollution levels? We caught many critters and sorted them into their water-quality indicator groups. The South Platte River is home to many pollution sensitive groups! Another cool thing that campers got to do on Wednesday was work with a guest educator, who worked with them to do a scientific check up on the River. Campers did different chemical tests that help us see the health of the waterway and learned more about  water quality in Denver.
Our field day took place on Thursday. The campers walked to nearby Vanderbilt Park to investigate and play! We played lots of games to beat the heat and looked for critters in River.
Friday's focus was on the "Clean River Design Challenge." Campers were tasked with putting all of their gained water engineering skills and knowlege to the test to build miniature trash removal devices for the South Platte River. This was inspired by a competition that The Greenway Foundation hosts annualy, in which college students from several Colorado universities compete to design, build, and ultimately implement their in-stream trash removal devices. Campers were thrilled to have the CRDC event coordinator as well as a member from 2018's winning team as guest speakers for the day. They brought several models from the competition with that served as inspiration for campers' designs. And, one of Greenway's board members, Sarah Dominick, who works with Denver Water, came to share her expertise with the campers as well as help build and evaluate the campers' designs!
Campers did a great job learning about and experimenting with many different aspects of water engineering this week! We wrapped up our day and week with a graduation ceremony to celebrate. ​
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Journey of the River at the Cherry Creek Train Aug. 6-10

8/9/2018

4 Comments

 
This week, the campers went on a journey- a journey of the South Platte River! 
On Monday, campers started in the mountains, learning about where and how the South Platte begins. We made our own mini mountain models and discovered how snow melt forms into creeks, streams, and eventually rivers. And, we learned about how Colorado is the headwaters state, and that all of the water in Colorado flows out into other states. 
We built miniature watershed models demonstrating how water gets to Denver through the transmountain diversion and how it is then distributed and used throughout the city.
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On Tuesday, the focus was on how people in Colorado use and utilize the river as a resource. We played games about irrigation, explored native and non-native plants, dug miniature reserviors, and built our own model water-treatment plants. ​

Field Day was on Wednesday! We went on a mini field trip to Larimer Square with our special guest, Lauren from The Greenway Foundation. She showed us a new installation of a storm water filtration device that was recently installed by The Greenway Foundation! We learned that all stormwater in Denver, regarless of what trash, debris, or even chemicals it picks up, flows into storm drains and right into waterways like the Cherry Creek without any treatment or filtration. This new storm drain helps catch trash and even chemicals and oils and prevents them from getting into Denver's waterways. We saw that the device was working when Lauren opened it up and we got to peek at all the trash inside! 
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Thursday and Friday were dedicated to the animals of the South Platte in Denver. On Thursday, we focused on the larger, vertebrate river dwellers. Campers acted out the lives and skills of beavers, made prints with native fish, and learned about Colorado's state fish- the Greenback Cutthroat Trout. ​
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On Friday we zoomed in ever further on the South Platte. We caught, looked at, and learned about macroinvertebrates such as crawdads, clams, and dragonfly nymphs. Our kid experts even got the share their "aquarium" with some passersby on the trail and got to teach others about some fun critter facts! In another activity, campers also loved acting out the lives of animals with exoskeletons- like crawdads! Then, we got to look at some microscopic life, too! We used microscopes to look at and learn about some of the tiniest critters and particles that are in the river water. We especially liked learning about tardigrades, or water bears. They are tiny, near indestructible microscopic creatures that have many cool adaptations that allow them to survive in a wide variety of environments- even space!
Next, we did some scientific tests to give the river a "check up." We tested the dissolved oxygen levels, pH, turbidity (clarity of the water), and took its temperature. With these test results, combined with the pollution intolerant critters we found, we were able to determine that the River is pretty healthy! 
Finally, after a week of learning about the South Platte's journey, the expert campers had a graduation ceremony!
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4 Comments

SPREE Campout Aug 4-5

8/8/2018

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SPREE campers and families had a blast at the 5th annual SPREE Summer Campout in Johnson Habitat park this park weekend! Eight adventurous families enjoyed cooking dinner outside, exploring in the River, and sleeping under the stars!
 We started off with "critter crawl!" Kids and adults alike enjoyed hunting for crawdads, minnows, clams, and insects in the South Platte River.
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Next, we made crafts with our special guests from Originative. We made "god's eyes" made from turkey feathers- and, we discovered we could "fly" them like birds! 
After all that activity, we had worked up quite and appetite! For dinner, we made "pudgie pies in the campfire! And no campout would be complete without s'mores!
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Thanks to all those who came out! Hope to see you all again year for another fantatstic event!
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Tangled In the Food Web at the CHerry Creek Train July 30-aug 3

8/7/2018

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This week at SPREE HQ, campers delved into local ecosystems and explored the food webs of the parks and waterways of Denver. We started off with the basics: learning what all living things need to survive. All living things need: air, water, soil/food, and sunshine! We planted our own little bean seeds to see if this would prove true (and they did grow during the week!). We also learned about another very important aspect of food chains on Monday as well, "FBIs!" Fungus, Bacteria, Insects, and Scavengers are very important to food webs and ecosystems because they help balance everything out. They help to break down things that are dead, and make new resources for the other living things to survive. And, we learned that even though we can't see it, bacteria are everywhere! We collected some samples from around camp, and grew some little bacteria colonies in agar plates over the week! To wrap up our day, we played a fun tag game outside where everyone got to play a role in the food web!
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On Tuesday, we took our knowledge about food webs and applied to our own park. We learned to identify some plants around camp, acted out predator and prey relationships of local animals, and explored the river and how it connects to the park food web. Then, we started our project of making ecosystem dioramas.
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We switched our focus to the river food web on Wednesday. We learned about different types of aquatic plants that live in the water, discovered the crazy adapations of some aquatic macroinvertebrates, and made some craft dragonflies. Then, we caught some critters in the river and sorted them by where they sit in the food web.
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Thursday was field day! We walked to nearby Commons park to explore the food webs of plants, animals, and the pond there. We did scavenger hunts, played games, and looked for signs of animals that live in the park that we couldn't see.
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The week wrapped up with a day themed around ecosystem engineers and keystone species. We did activities about how different animals big and small such as wolves, bees, and beavers have huge impacts on the food webs and ecosystems that they live in.
Then, as always, we wrapped up the week with a graduation ceremony for all the campers!
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Outdoor Adventure Skills Camp at SPREE HQ July 30-Aug 3

8/7/2018

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The last week of July, went by in a “SPLASH” as campers at SPREE HQ learned and practiced skills they could use when they are unplugged, exploring the outdoors. Whether it was skills used to survive in the wilderness or enjoying the outdoors safely, by the end of the week, campers and staff alike were ready for any adventure exploring the front and back country of Colorado!
​On Monday, we focused on teamwork. In any outdoor situation, campers learned the importance of working together. Campers had to accomplish challenges and tasks while working and communicating with their team. 
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Tuesday, we focused on the principles of Leave No Trace. All day, whether we were on land or in the water, campers thought of ways that we can enjoy the environment without negatively impacting the plants, animals, and other park users. Through fun games & looking for critters in the River we made sure to take extra care to leave no trace!
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We switched gears on Wednesday, getting campers down on the ground to further explore how our environment can help us stay safe while adventuring in the outdoors. The day included learning about Colorado animals and making guide books. Afterwords campers worked on gaining knowledge of forged foods in the state and finding critters during Critter Crawl. ​
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Thursday was the perfect day for water activities at nearby Overland Pond Park. One of the best ways to stay safe in your environment, is to stay hydrated and cooled down. For some campers, today was their first time rafting and even for the experienced paddlers, the highlight of their day! We also had a special guest, from Denver Parks and Recreation, came into teach us about all of the cool animals we can find in our park! Other activities included critter crawl and making miniature shelters.
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By Friday, campers and staff alike, were raring to get outdoors and use their newly specialized skills! There was still one especially relevant topic to cover- fire! This fire season has been a vibrant one, and there was no lack of discussion with campers about this fascinating but dangerous phenomenon. Campers learned about the Fire Triangle- oxygen, heat & fuel- the three ingredients that all fires need! They also learned some "camping hacks" like making a lantern for the times when fire bans are in effect, or how to use the sun to tell time! We celebrated the end of our week with a graduation ceremony before the campers headed home. 
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(303) 743-9720 - SPREE 
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  • About Us
    • About Us >
      • Greenway Current (Annual Report)
      • Flood of 1965
      • Greenway Videos
    • River & Trail Info
    • Blog
    • Success Stories >
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010-2014
      • 2015-Future
    • Volunteer
    • Employment
    • Staff
    • Contact Us
    • Search
  • Education
    • SPREE >
      • SPREE Home Page
      • Just for Kids!
      • Support SPREE
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Field Trips >
      • Excursions By Grade >
        • ECE
        • Kindergarten
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        • 2nd Grade
        • 3rd Grade
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  • Water Resources
    • The Water Connection >
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      • Minimum Stream Flow
  • Projects
    • River Vision Implementation Plan (RVIP) >
      • Johnson Habitat Park
      • Weir Gulch
    • Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project
    • USACE Feasibility Study
    • Clear Creek Greenway Design Effort
    • Cherry Creek Stewardship Partners
  • Events
    • Family Events >
      • Beaver Bonanza
      • Art on the River
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      • Family Fall Stewardship Day
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    • Citizens for the River
    • Reception on the River
    • Rock the River >
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    • Gala on the Bridge
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