I had so much fun at Camp Bells Bend & Beaman Parks!
The farms and fields were beautiful! We explored a lot of them on our nature hikes, and they seemed to go on forever. They were filled with tall grass and wildflowers all the colors of the rainbow. The best part is we didn’t just look at plants and flowers at Camp, we practiced our gardening skills! Now I know about the parts of plants, how to plant a seed, and how to take care of whatever I plant. I even got to take home some seeds. I can’t wait to start my own garden with my Dad next week!
We learned a lot at the Nature Centers in both Bells Bend and Beaman Parks. I’m so glad the Friends Groups let us explore these awesome places. I got to see what kinds of plants and animals call Nashville their home. Did you know we have crayfish, dozens of kind of salamanders, water snakes, minnows, box turtles, cardinals, deer, beavers, and racoons? Now I realize how important it is to take care of our parks when my family and I go there to play. I want to make choices that show respect to the environment like recycling, and not using too much water or electricity when I’m at home.
I loved splashing in the creek! It was a great way to cool off on a hot summer day. I even got to go fishing. At first I thought it was gross to put a worm on a hook, but then my counselor showed me how. I wanted to catch a fish right away, but I had to be patient. I was so excited when I finally got a bite. Whenever someone in my group caught a fish, everyone cheered!
I did some really cool art projects to take home to my family. I made leaf prints, kept a Nature Journal, and even made my own Dreamcatcher! My big brother is going to help me keep my nature journal up-to-date whenever we go outside together.
My counselor played a lot of fun games (and sang lot of very silly songs) with our group. It gave me the chance to use my imagination and be creative every day! Some of my favorite games were Frogger, Double, Down by the Riverside, and Catch-Don’t Catch. I love singing the Pirate song, and I taught my sister the words to Boom Chicka Boom and Bazooka Bubble Gum.
Archery is something I had never tried until I came to Camp. It seemed a little scary to me at first. I had never used a bow and arrow before: I had only seen people do it in the movies. I wasn’t sure I could do it. But my counselor gave me good instructions and was right there to make sure I knew what to do to aim for the target and to practice safely. My friends in my group all clapped the first time I shot an arrow and told me they knew I could do it. I couldn’t believe it when I hit the target. It was so much fun, I think I want a bow and arrow for my next birthday!
I love dinosaurs, so I couldn’t wait to do archaeology at Camp! I can tell you all about ancient artifacts, and even show you the ancient atlatl hunting technique. Have you ever been on a treasure hunt? We got to go on one at Camp using geo-caching skills. After learning how to use a GPS, my group and I found caches using GPS coordinates. There were a few times when my friends and I wanted to give up, but one of the things we learned is that we should be persistent and work together. So we kept going until we found all our caches. When all our hard work was done, we learned how to safely build a fire (which means we got to eat s’mores: yum!) I know all my new outdoor skills will really help my family on our next camping trip.
It’s hard to pick a favorite activity from Camp. I smiled and laughed every day. But I think the best part was meeting my counselor and all my new friends. I even met someone who goes to my school. Camp Bells Bend & Beaman helped me find my confidence and my sense of adventure. I can’t wait to come back next summer!
