BRATTLEBORO — With winter finally here, and the bare ground now covered with snow, the winter fun begins.
With snow, the woods and fields take on a totally different feel. Tracks appear day by day which reveal a secret winter world. Being outside in the wintertime is a special joy and there is nothing better for getting through the winter months than having tons of fun outside in the snow and February sun.
At Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center in West Brattleboro, they celebrate the winter each year with their Winter Adventures Vacation Camp, Monday, Feb. 21 to Thursday, Feb. 24.
Offered for second-, third-, or fourth-graders, each day the camp explores a different theme and takes participants on another adventure.
On Monday, the theme is “Shelter from the Cold.” During this day, participants will take a look at the homes of different animals and try to build a snow shelter like the animals do when they burrow, yard, warren, or den, as well as work to build our own survival shelters to stay warm.
Tuesday is “Winter Survival” day. In the wintertime, it is important to know how to build a fire and other winter survival strategies in case of an emergency. Particpants will learn these skills, and also look at what the animals do to survive in the cold temperatures. Through stories, games, and activities, migration, hibernation, brumation, and other winter survival strategies and adaptations will be explored.
“Tracks and Trails” is the theme for Wednesday. With snow, little tracks of birds and mammals appear, as if by magic. A whole secret world reveals itself to us in the wintertime snow. Participants will follow BEEC's many trails through the winter woods and venture off path to discover where local wildlife roam and learn to identify the tracks of deer, fox, and hares, while reading the amazing stories their tracks left behind.
On Thursday, the last day of camp, Bonnyvale takes participants on a magical mystery ride as the theme of the day is “Magic of the Woods.” Imaginations will run wild as mysteries and wonders of the woods in winter are explored. Fairy homes and magical trinkets will be fashioned out of forest treasures, and participants will learn to identify trees without their leaves and discover how native plants survive the cold.
Join BEEC's Winter Adventure Vacation Camp for one day or all four. Registration materials will be sent out to most schools in the Brattleboro area. Call BEEC at 802-257-5785, to register or visit our website at www.BEEC.org.