SCVi Camp Connection

A portrait of Brandon: Outstanding in his field....

2010-02-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

"Whatcha doin' Brandon" asks the teacher with the camera.

"Just lookin' around," he replies.

Campfire's Most Excellent Adventure~

2010-02-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

If you've been to camp, you probably remember the evening campfires. Sitting around the bonfire while roasting marshmellows for s'mores, exchanging good jokes, and enjoying the silliness of campy performances made the evening memorable.

To the disappointment of our SCVi Campers, there were no s'mores - and those riddles were NOTHING like a good joke, but the cabin skits were hilarious and the kids had a fabulous time.

Each cabin was responsible for a performance to entertain the other campers. All of our budding actors were stand-outs, but a special shout-out has to go to "Captain Jack" Kirby barking orders at his boys. "WHICH ONE OF YOU BOYS KNOCKED OVER THE OUTHOUSE?" is a question that won't soon be forgotten.

All of our students left the campfire craziness with lighter hearts. Most importantly, they know what you call a cow with no legs, a cow with 2 legs, and a cow with 3 legs.

:-)KDL

Incommunicado! Internet goes down in Teacher Cabin!

2010-02-19T14:29:00.001-08:00

We apologize profusely, parents, for the lack of blogging last night from Camp High Trails. The internet is "dial-up" and slow as weight loss in general... but yesterday the whole system was down and no amount of plugging, unplugging, or tinfoil rabbit ears would help.

Miss Marni went through withdrawals of the worst sort and Mr. Faulkner and I had to walk her around the camp to keep her mind off her dead cell phone and the laptop that was impersonating a paperweight.

:-)KDL

A little nitrogen cycle, anyone?

2010-02-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Camp High Trails employs a very professional and knowledgeable staff. All of the instructors are college graduates with a respect for life and a love of teaching. How else to explain a circle of suburban children, sitting in the middle of the woods, listening intently to a teacher diagram, discuss, and explain the nitrogen cycle? This discussion came on the heels of an informational session on scavengers, fungi, bacteria, invertebrates, and other earthly decomposers.

There was also a reference to a dead snake in the road - having been hit by a car. Hypothetically, of course.... all a part of the nitrogen cycle and the education of our campers.

Happy Hair and French Toast .... or ....French Hair and Happy Toast?

2010-02-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

This morning found the SCVi campers just frantic over French Toast! They could hardly wait to serve themselves and then heap on the maple syrup. But wait! Extra syrup is considered food waste and our kids are committed now to ZERO food waste. So... Elijah was elected to lick everybody's platter clean. All efforts to photo-document this occasion were thwated by big fat kid heads.... heads with the wildest set of bed-head you've ever seen.

Two of our young bed-heads were taken to task by their cabin mistress for refusing to shower. Their excuse?

"We heard that the shower hurts your feet so we decided we weren't comfortable with taking a shower."

In true problem-solving and make-lemonade-from-lemons fashion, several of our campers are now sporting some rather unique hairstyles that celebrate the Camp Bed Head look.

:-)KDL

caveat: The students pictured here are not necessarily the recalcitrant shower-takers. In fact, they probably showered. At some point. In fact... the students pictured here are not responsbile for the quote in red. Really.

Wednesday Night Fever - Camp High Trails

2010-02-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

Child abuse was the charge last evening at Camp High Trails near Big Bear, California. Over 50 SCVi student campers were forced to wear "village people" hats, masks, and other accessories while dancing to loud and questionable "fun" music. One of the instructors appalled the sensibilities of these poor children by wearing clothing too ridiculous to even discuss in public.

Making children DANCE while wearing what amounts to FISHING WADERS? Puh-leeeze. Children's Services will be notified.

:-)KDL

Footprints in the Snow

2010-02-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

The snow up here in the mountains not only surrounds Camp High Trails, it is everywhere!

Any walking that has to be done is on the snow, in the snow, around the snow, or... in the mud. The mud appears as the snow melts and, with the beautiful weather, the snow is melting.

The kids have been instructed to bring extra socks to all camp activities. Their socks are covered with plastic bags in order to keep young feet dry and somewhat toasty. Just imagine the aroma in the boys' cabin as they change into their pajamas tonight.... the teachers are very happy to be UPwind from this assault on the senses.

There have been many opportunities for the students to hike in the snow. They must trudge through the drifts in order to get to any of the activities they are going to do. Yes, they had to walk uphill in the snow, but don't believe them when they tell you it was "both ways."

Today, they had archery, orientering, and outdoor adventures. The latter included sliding down hills on blue foam pads. You can imagine how much fun they had! We would post pictures but many of them are suddenly camera shy.

There was a full archery course. The kids learned about the sport, its history, and careful use of the bow and arrow. Safety was the most important concern. We are happy to report that none of our students experienced archery-related injuries. As a teacher, this is always a relief. Explaining arrow injuries in young posteriors is never an easy task. Parents lack a sense of humor when it comes to these things.

Tonight is LINE DANCING. Yee haw and watch those bows and arrows!

:-)KDL

2010-02-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

To hike or not to hike...That is the question.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's.... some guy in goggles?

2010-02-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

He's faster than a flying fifth grader and stinkier than boys' feet! Yes... he is Captain Compost!

Why are our young campers being instructed by a over-exhuberant college student wearing swimming goggles and a table cloth?

To learn, dear friends and family, to learn! One of the camp-wide goals is to reduce our food waste - and our students have done very well.

The children were ASKED about compost and to our sheer embarrassment only ONE of them knew what it was or would admit it publicly.

Considering the fact that SCVi is "going comPostal" very soon, this was a real teachable moment.

SCVi's first graders are leading effort to begin school-wide composting. What our fifth and sixth graders are learning about the ultimate in organic recycling can be used back at school this Spring. The kids are also learning about recycling aluminum cans - something we have been trying to do on campus - perhaps with the help of our SCVi campers, school-wide recycling will become a reality sooner rather than later.

:-)KDL

Coat Catastrophe

2010-02-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

How many teachers does it take to unjam a zipper? Apparently, it takes all of us, but we failed to hold our mouths just right and the zipper on Kelsey's white puffy jacket remains stuck.

Originally, we tried to baby it, gently wiggling and then pulling it up and down. When that didn't work, we looked around for a strong man. Not seeing one, we drafted Mr. Faulkner to use brute strength to budge the recalcitrant zipper.

The camp medic was reluctant to part with a scalpel for some delicate surgery - so, Kelsey remains the owner of a toasty-warm and very attractive white puffy jacket - with a jammed zipper.

Will Kelsey overcome this obstacle? Will her jacket's zipper remain forever jammed? Will grit and determination prevail over hopelessness and despair? Will dogs and cats EVER live in peace?

Stay tuned for further updates!

:-)KDL

HydrationTruth and Consequences!

2010-02-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

We spoke truth regarding the need to stay hydrated. We pleaded, nagged, cajoled, and wheedled. Yet, some of our SCVi Campers did not take this truth to heart. They listened with their ears but did not process with their minds.

Were there natural consequences, you might ask? Well, yes there were! (And thank you for asking!)

Four (count 'em) FOUR of our SCVi Campers got nauseated. Several completed the natural reverse digestive process. Let me tell you that there is something very disconcerting about trying to eat dinner while Camp Staff is powering up the little green steam machine to remedy the results of this.... process.

We trotted out several I.V. poles during dinner and made sure the kids saw the EXTRA LARGE GAUGE needles.

That giant sucking sound you heard was our little SCVi Campers - happily hydrating.

:-)KDL

Got Broc?

2010-02-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

There are three different kinds of students here at SCVi:

1. Kids who like broccoli - no matter what.

2. Kids with discerning broccoli palates.

3. Kids who think broccoli is part of a vast conspiracy to make them miserable.

The group 1 students were real troopers, especially since the broccoli was probably flash-frozen during the Clinton administration. The color was something that might be in the green family. In fact, the government used that color a LOT when painting military installations.

Group 2 are afficianados. They like their broccoli bright green, lightly steamed and approaching aldente. The fact that this offering sorely misses the Chef Dawn Smell Test is not lost on them. They reluctantly put a limpy stalk on their plate. Some of them actually ate it. I am certain the rest of them stashed it in an unsuspecting classmate's hood.

Group 3 pretended that the offending gustatory challenge was not meant for THEM, surely! Kelsey explained it this way: "Broccoli scares me."

I am not one for broccoli stalks but I ate them in the interest of our zero food-waste policy. My sacrifice meant nothing to Group 3.

:-)KDL

Getting Ready for a Hike!!!

2010-02-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

2010-02-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

Arrival has been certified!

2010-02-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

The SCVi Outdoor Science Camp students have arrived safely and in relatively good shape. The bus trip was uneventful and filled with lively conversation. Nobody got sick and only a few students suffered minor bruises while turning around in the traveling bathroom.

We are pretty certain most of the kids got off the bus and didn't make the return journey to Santa Clarita. The bus driver made a final sweep, but some of our kids are very creative.

The kids met their cabin counselors and began scrubbing the floors, walls, windowsills, doorjambs, and bunkbed frames with tiny toothbrushes. A few of them complained, but after going without food, we are certain they will come around.

Lunch was sloppy joes, vegetable soup, carrot sticks, and bananas. In order to avoid dehydration, the kids are encouraged to drink at least two cups of water before they go get fruit punch. They quickly determined that the "punch" was really watered down and it was just better to drink the water. A few of them complained about the water requirement so we gave them graphic descriptions of the symptoms of dehydration. We made a few up, so go with us on this one if your kids ask. Several continued to complain about the water requirement but a quick look at the medical staff's I.V. fluid supply helped them rethink their opposition.

It soon became FASHION WEEK as the campers were introduced to the oversized, rubberized, and wintersized khaki green all-purpose snow pants. Complaints were vociferous and several of our fashion-forward young trendsetters refused to wear them. Relocating their street clothes helped them to understand the importance of proper camp accessories. It is a win/win situation. They are hydrated and waterproofed.

The camp staff took the kids up to the bathrooms before taking them on a local hike. We naturally followed them in order to take some embarrassing pictures of our campers falling in the snow. All embarrassing pictures will be on sale AFTER camp for an amount that is a bargain at twice the price.

I took a picture of Jack Kirby and told him that his mother bribed me to send her photos of her son. He asked if this was "really true" and wanted to know if his mom had called. I told him no, that I was just kidding him. He asked me if I had a phone and I said that I do - he wants his mother to know that he is having a good time.

Further adventures are ahead. Dinner is bound to be a GAS. High altitude does that to some people.

Kim (SCVi's Mad Blogger)