|
A SPEC update - End of Summer 2006:
This summer, both Junior (7-9 year olds) and Basic (10-13 year olds) groups had a chance to get in on the action. Camp lasted 6 weeks, with the time being split between the two programs. More than 30 kids were involved in both camps!
The Junior Camp is proud to report that after cleaning the local beach in Sandy Point we found out that there was considerably less trash than in 2005! This year some Junior Campers learned to swim, while others were putting on snorkel gear for the first time. We had an amazing encounter with Bahama Parrots while on our birding field trip. Some of the kids spotted a parrot feeding on a pine cone from a Caribbean Pine Tree. Junior Campers had a great time snorkeling through the mangroves where they saw Queen Conch, anemones, and juvenile fish.
The Basic Camp can boast that it is the first group of SPEC campers to see whales! Not only did we see a group of bottlenose dolphins while on our excursion with BMMS, but we saw 3 Sperm Whales as well. Basic Campers were also lucky to see more than 15 Bahama Parrots while on their birding expedition. The newest addition to our Basic Camp curriculum is the National Park Brainstorming Session, where kids get to create their own (figurative) park and manage it. This year the campers chose to protect turtles, and chose a land and sea park for their protected area. Everyone on the group was assigned a job, from Marine Biologist, to Warden and Maintenance Crew. It was definitely an eye opener for the group to see how much work actually goes into the up-keep of a National Park.
Sandy Point Environmental Camp had a very exciting summer! Special thanks go out to Friends of the Environment and Disney Cruise Lines for their generous contributions.
|
