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THe Greenway Foundation Blog

Cherry Creek Train Summer Camp Week 9: Colorado Frontier

8/13/2019

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Campers delved into early Colorado’s past as we reenacted the lives of settlers, pioneers, and prospectors.
Monday: Mountain Men and Women
Campers kicked off the week learning about Colorado before it became a state, and, about some of the people who came West to explore it in the early 1800s. These mountain men and women were typically fur trappers and explorers. Many have Colorado landmarks named after them, like Pike's Peak for Zebulon Pike! After learning some facts and history of some of these historic figures, campers then reenacted some of their lives through making journals to record notes and discoveries in, as well as making some explorer vests! Then, we made a DIY compass to help us explore, and went on a scavenger hunt to learn about some of the important things that these explorers used day to day, or were looking for in their travels- like a beaver pelt and feather pens. We wrapped up the day "fishing" in the creek as some of these mountain mountain men and women would have, too! ​
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SPREE HQ Camp week 4: Colorado Frontier

7/2/2019

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Campers delved into early Colorado’s past as we reenacted the lives of settlers, pioneers, and prospectors.
Monday: Mountain Men and Women
Campers kicked off the week learning about Colorado before it became a state, and, about some of the people who came West to explore it in the early 1800s. These mountain men and women were typically fur trappers and explorers. Many have Colorado landmarks named after them, like Pike's Peak for Zebulon Pike! After learning some facts and history of some of these historic figures, campers then reenacted some of their lives through making journals to record notes and discoveries in, as well as making some explorer vests! Then, we made a DIY compass to help us explore, and went on a scavenger hunt to learn about some of the important things that these explorers used day to day, or were looking for in their travels- like a beaver pelt and feather pens. We wrapped up the day "fishing" in the river as some of these mountain mountain men and women would have, too! 
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TIME TRAVELERS CAMP at the Cherry Creek Train July 23-27

7/31/2018

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Over "Time Travelers" week, SPREE summer campers had a blast discovering many different phases of Colorado's history. On Monday, we were back in "deep time" learning about this area's geologic history. We analyzed rocks, mapped out dinosaur fossil finds in Colorado, drew a mural of what a river would have looked like millions of years ago, and even made fossils of our own! 
Tuesday's focus was on slighlty more recent history- but still all the way back to early tribes and megafauna! We learned about some giant animals that used to roam the forests and plains, made plaster "cave art," and even made a model of an ancient Pueblo building. We also learned about some history of the Pueblo people and reenacted some of their daily lives by making traditional crafts such as clay pinch pots and beaded art.
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Wednesday had us move to a little more recent time, around the 1700s, where we learned about Native American tribes that lived in our area then, and still today! Campers had a fantastic time practicing "hunting" skills through making animal disguises and playing games- such as practicing aim through a hoop and dart game that kids of these tribes used to play. Another way we learned about Arapahoe and Cheyenne traditions was through art. We made some of our own sand art inspired by sand paintings that were designed to help heal sick tribespeople. We also got to hear traditional fables, and write and, act out some of our own stories! ​One of our own River Rangers also talked to the campers about some of her own Native American heritage!
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On Thursday, campers were introduced to the Europeans that started coming West to explore and start fur trading. We acted out some aspects of the daily lives that these "mountain men" (and women!) would have faced. We went on field day at nearby Confluence Park, painted water color landscapes, caught macroinvertebrates with our kick-net, and went on a trolley ride! 
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Friday's focus was on pioneers and prospectors of the 1800s. Campers had a blast playing pioneer games like a 3-legged racing, potato sack races, and kick the can! We also made some pioneer-inspired art by making aluminum-punch pictures. Our whirlwind travels through time wrapped up with gold panning in the river- where many campers found magnatite, garnet, quartz, and even a few flakes of gold. After a great week, we also had a graduation ceremorny for our new Colorado history experts!
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Cherry Creek Train Campers Explore Iconic Colorado July 16-20

7/25/2018

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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 creek 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 evergreens as well.
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We took a field trip to the Colorado state capitol on Thursday! We got a great tour, got to look out over Denver from the dome, and learned lots of cool history about our city and state. It was an awesome (and exhausting) trip! 
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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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Time Travelers Camp: SPREE HQ June 11-15

6/22/2018

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Over "Time Travelers" week, SPREE summer campers at HQ had a blast discovering many different phases of Colorado's history. On Monday, we were back in "deep time" learning about this area's geologic history. We analyzed rocks, mapped out dinosaur fossil finds in Colorado, drew a mural of what a river would have looked like millions of years ago, and even made fossils of our own! 
Tuesday's focus was on slighlty more recent history- but still all the way back to early tribes and megafauna! We learned about some giant animals that used to roam the forests and plains, made plaster "cave art," and even made a model of an ancient Pueblo building. We also learned about some history of the Pueblo people and reenacted some of their daily lives by making traditional crafts such as clay pinch pots and beaded art.
Picture
Picture
Wednesday had us move to a little more recent time, around the 1700s, where we learned about Native American tribes that lived in our area then, and still today! Campers had a fantastic time practicing "hunting" skills through making animal disguises and playing games- such as practicing aim through a hoop and dart game that kids of these tribes used to play. Another way we learned about Arapahoe and Cheyenne traditions was through art. We made some of our own sand art inspired by sand paintings that were designed to help heal sick tribespeople. We also got to hear traditional fables, and write and, act out some of our own stories! 
Picture
Picture
On Thursday campers were introduced to the Europeans that started coming West to explore and start fur trading. We acted out some aspects of the daily lives that these "mountain men" (and women!) would have faced. We made our own version of a journal. These journals were imperative for explorers and trappers who needed to make important notes that helped them survive, and, help with their business records. These journals are one of the ways that we know so much about some of the people that came out West to explore. For more fun, we did a scavenger hunt through the park to find some traditional items that could have been seen here a few hundred years ago! We wrapped up our day with some "fishing" by the river- as many people have done for hundreds (and thousands!) of years.
Picture
Picture
Friday's focus was on pioneers and prospectors of the 1800s. Campers had a blast playing pioneer games like a 3-legged racing, potato sack races, and kick the can! We also made some pioneer-inspired art by making aluminum-punch pictures. Our whirlwind travels through time wrapped up with gold panning in the river- where many campers found magnatite, garnet, quartz, and even a few flakes of gold. After a great week, we also had a graduation ceremorny for our new Colorado history experts!
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Before Denver was Denver

3/19/2018

9 Comments

 
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Denver was not always the city we know today - in fact, it wasn't even called Denver at first! Around 160 years ago, pioneers headed west looking for gold, and many of them stopped at the confluence of the South Platte River and the Cherry Creek. They established the first settlements that ultimately lead to Denver. But first we had Montana City, Auraria, and St. Charles.


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(303) 455-7109 - Greenway
(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
        • 1st Grade
        • 2nd Grade
        • 3rd Grade
        • 4th Grade
        • 5th Grade
      • Excursion Signup
      • Feedback
      • Excursion FAQ
    • Camp >
      • Summer Camp
      • School Break Camps
      • Leaders in Training
      • FAQ
    • Learning SPREE
    • After School
    • High School >
      • River Rangers >
        • School Internships
        • Summer Employment
        • Why Environmental Education?
      • Greenway Leadership Corps >
        • The Water Connection >
          • About The Water Connection
          • Nautilus Installed in Cherry Creek
          • TAP-IN Colorado
          • Gutter Bin Pilot
          • Clean River Design Challenge
          • Minimum Stream Flow
  • Water Resources
  • 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
    • Spring South Platte Stewardship Day >
      • Family Spring Stewardship Day
    • Art on the River
    • Citizens for the River
    • Reception on the River
    • Rock the River >
      • Rock the River Catering
      • Rock the River Viewing Instructions
    • Gala on the Bridge
    • Bridge Party
    • Fall South Platte Stewardship Day >
      • Family Fall Stewardship Day
    • Family Fishing Day
  • Donate
    • Colorado Gives Day
  • Email Sign Up