On October 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, the fifth grade unit went camping at Camp Whitcomb-Mason. Little did the fifth grade know that we would do so many different activities like archery, canoeing, pond study, ropes course, blindfold hike, wetland hike, night hike, microscopes, owl pellets, and fishing. Once the fifth grade did these activities, we learned a lot without even knowing it! At night, we did a birthday team building activity, Ms. Adedapo told a story, and some people had a pillow fight with Ms. Ferosie.When we first got to camp we sat in a big meeting room. There we were introduced to "Suzy" and "Musky". Suzy is a wee little round wood chip with a face painted on her. Musky is a stuffed muskrat.
We had so much fun at Camp Whitcomb-Mason, but that wouldn't have happened without the help and caring from our teachers and parents. So thank you to everyone who made this wonderful experience happen. This was an experience that I donžt think anyone in the fifth grade will ever forget!
One of the activities at camp was pond study. Pond study is a activity where you can learn more about insects and animals that live in or around the pond. Ms. Ferosie was the supervisor of the group. We had to go in the water with waders (long boots that go to your waist) and nets. We had to scoop up the pond water and look for things we caught.I thought pond study was educatonal and fun.
Another activity was fishing. Mr. Steebs was the supervisor. The fifth graders had to dig for their bait. We had to sit on a shaky pier and wait for the prey to take a big, juciy bite. We had to use ice fishing poles to catch the fish. Charis Harris caught a big fish.There is one important rule for fishing, "never give up."
One of the many fun things that we did camping was canoeing. The people that taught us canoeing were Keith, the counselor, and Mr. Huwiler. There were groups of twos and threes in the canoe. Before we got into the canoes, we had to wear a life jacket. In order to get in the canoes, one person would sit on the front of the boat while the other person would get in the back of the boat. Then the person on the front of the boat would get in the boat.The person in the back would steer and the person in the front would help paddle. When you would get out, the person in the front would beach the boat and sit on the front of the boat and if you were lucky, you would get weta-butta-cheeka.
Weta-butta-cheeka is when the buns on your butt get wet and the only cure is for the wind to dry it off.
After the back person would get out, then you would get out and put away your stuff.
For those of you who don't know what archery is, it is when you shoot an arrow at a target. Now does that ring a bell, sort of like Robin Hood. At archery there would be teams of three and four, each person would have five chances to hit the target. You would get more points for the better shot that you made.Our target was made of hay with a black, yellow, blue, and red circle. The center of the circle had a balloon. If you hit the balloon, it would be worth 10 points, the red was worth 5, the blue was worth 4, the yellow was worth 3, the black was worth 2 and if you hit the hay, it would be worth 1 point.
Just about all the kids had fun there.
Camp was one of the best things that the fifth graders ever had. One of the greatest activities was the challenge course. This was an activity where groups of fifth graders had to help each other without falling off two wooden boards into the (pretend) marsh. The object was to make it across the land and eat a feast. If you fell off of the two 2 by 4 boards, the food got moved back.We had to divided into different tribes. Our tribežs name was the Bugga Ugga tribe. It was tough trying to get 14 people on two 2 by 4 boards- one for each leg, but we made it!
Another activity was owl pellets. Owl pellets are fur, feathers, and bones from small animals that owls ate. Owls regurgitate the fur and bones because they canžt digest them. Ms. Ferosie was in charge of this science activity. The object was to get all the bones out of the pellets and create the animal that the owl ate. It was pretty rough. But at the same time it was fun.
The food at camp was delightful! We had two supreme breakfasts, which were pancakes and eggs.For the two lunches, we had tacos and chicken patties. We had spaghetti and meatballs for our first dinner. The second dinner was chicken with cheese dressing.
They had a salad bar for every meal, except breakfast. You didnžt have to have it, but it was delicious. Also at the salad bar you could have a dessert such as Jello, or another side dish such as pasta.
We ate in a cafeteria at tables that could seat seven children and one teacher.
The food at camp wonderful and I hope all you fifth graders said Thank Youū to the cooks.
On the first night, all of the groups (except the people who didnžt want to go) went on a night hike. Ms. Adedapo and Ms. Ferosiežs group went down to the lakefront. Most of the other groups went to the boardwalk on the marsh. Right before we went on the night hike, Ms. Adedapo told a scary story about the dead rising up, and witches. I know for a fact that Ferosie and Ms. Adedapožs group were very scared!At the end of the night hike, each individual group did an experiment with Wintergreen Lifesavers. This is a safe experiment to do at home. You need some Wintergreen Lifesavers (other kinds of Lifesavers donžt work), a mirror or a partner, and a total dark room. Stand in front of the mirror or stand face to face with your partner in the total dark room. Take a Wintergreen Lifesaver and suck on it for a minute, or until you get used to the flavor. (If you have a partner, give him/her a lifesaver too, otherwise this experiment wonžt work. Then, put the Wintergreen Lifesaver on your back molars. Watch your mouth in the mirror and bite, with your mouth open. Or if you have a partner, watch your partneržs mouth. Youžll see sparks! Watch them fly!
After the night hike, all the groups went back to the lodge. All the people who went had fun!
At camp, usually before lunch, Ms. Llanas and Mr. Steebs took some kids outside and played football and volleyball. One day Mr. Steebs woke some boys up to play football at 5:00 in the morning. Most boys refused to go because it was so early in the morning. I know because I was one of them.
Mr. Chou also helped with volleyball. He had a really mean serve. Mr. Steebs was playing tackle football. Just kidding! It was two hand tag. To play with these two teachers you had to have good sportsmanship, be able to turn negative into positive, and you had to know how to play the game.
We really enjoyed playing with our teachers. It was a great experience and we would like to do it again.