Camp Read to be Ready provides students with a total reading experience where books take life in relation to our community. Students are given the opportunity to read, think, talk, and write about various texts in relation to our focus of learning. The first session of Camp Read to be Readyallows students to experience Camp Reading Rangers. Twenty four students have spent their second week of camp as backyard naturalists. Students are learning about and discussing animals, insects, and plants in their native habitat. We have dug deep into the following books: Who Pooped in the Park? Great Smoky Mountains written by Steve Kemp, Flashlight written by Lizi Boyd, andBig Tracks, Little Tracks written by Millicent E. Selsam.
The ultimate goal for Camp Read to be Readyis to make books come to life for our students. Co-directors Melisha Simmons and MaryBeth Young as well as Troop Leaders Lori Christensen, Kathy Gannon, Emily Hughes, and Joy Pope are working toward this goal by creating movements, songs, and art that relate to our books. Campers have created their own sun catchers and examined the life cycles of insects. Troop leaders have allowed campers to evaluate animal tracks in order to determine the animal to which the tracks belong. Campers became scatologists in order to study and compare animal scat of herbivores, omnivores, insectivores, and carnivores. Campers also experimented with mold to see the rate at which mold grows and the animals that eat mold and other fungi.
To culminate the Camp Reading Ranger experience, campers traveled to Edgar Evins State Park in Silver Point, TN. Campers began their park experience with a half mile hike on the Evins Ridge Nature Trail. This hike was led by Tennessee’s State Naturalist, Randy Hedgepath. While Ranger Hedgepath is stationed in Montgomery Bell State Park, he traveled to Edgar Evins to ensure Cannon County studentsbecame backyard naturalists.
Campers also experienced a longhunter demonstration led by Park Ranger Brad Halfacre. During this experience, Ranger Halfacre taught campers about the differences between life in Tennessee today and during the early settlement of our state. We looked at weapons longhunters used in their daily life and how they traded to meet the needs of their families.
Ranger Hedgepath and Ranger Halfacre took campers on a pontoon boat ride to emphasis the importance of water safety. Both rangers explained how Center Hill Lake was formed and the history of the area. Campers were also able to learn about the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes in our area. Many campers were brave enough to pet a King Snake who lives at Edgar Evins. Thanks to Edgar Evans State Park and Tennessee Park Rangers, the books we have been reading came to life for all of the campers at Camp Read to be Ready.
There are some things you can do at home to help your child during the summer months. The single most important thing you can do to help your child succeed is to read with them for twenty minutes each day! Remember, the conversations you have with children about what they have read or heard are essential to their comprehension. There are some important things we can learn in our own backyards. Take time with your child to explore the outdoors near your home!
