Spring Trip 2020
Type something here at some point.
Schedule for the Week
Trip summary and rational.
TUESDAY
DROP OFF AT SK AT 8:30 AT THE LASTEST
Pack up the buses and drive north!
Pack lunch, spiritual presentation, and tour at Zbiiwing Center
Drive to PJ Hoffmaster State Park
Set up tents, cook dinner, enjoy games and a campfire
Star-gazing with a local astronomy society
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast at camp
Games and tour of Grand Haven and Canal
Lunch at Morningstar Cafe in Grand Haven
Kayak on Crockery Creek through a Blue Heron rookery and a protected wetlands*
Downtime, games, sports, showers, food preparation, and cooking back at the camp
Enjoy dinner, campfire, and bedtime stories
*We are adding 2 guides for this event, so we will have a total of 6 adults with our students, or 5 if some kids opt out. Lifejackets will be required and inspected beforehand, and (even though the goal is remaining in the boats) we will be asking parents about swimming levels and comfort in the water. There will be an opt-out option for students or families who are not comfortable with a water activity.
THURSDAY
Breakfast at camp
Morning hike
Lunch at Meijer Gardens
Visual Arts Creative Activity at Meijer Gardens
Surviving the Tropics Interactive Tour of Meijer Gardens
Downtime, games, sports, showers, food preparation, and cooking back at the camp
Enjoy dinner, campfire, and bedtime stories
FRIDAY
Breakfast at camp
Breakdown tents, pack, and free time
Possible optional morning hike for the fast packers
Bus back to SK
Pizza Lunch at SK
Watch Apollo 13
PICK UP TIME 3:30 AS USUAL
TUESDAY
DROP OFF AT SK AT 8:30 AT THE LASTEST
Pack up the buses and drive north!
Pack lunch, spiritual presentation, and tour at Zbiiwing Center
Drive to PJ Hoffmaster State Park
Set up tents, cook dinner, enjoy games and a campfire
Star-gazing with a local astronomy society
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast at camp
Games and tour of Grand Haven and Canal
Lunch at Morningstar Cafe in Grand Haven
Kayak on Crockery Creek through a Blue Heron rookery and a protected wetlands*
Downtime, games, sports, showers, food preparation, and cooking back at the camp
Enjoy dinner, campfire, and bedtime stories
*We are adding 2 guides for this event, so we will have a total of 6 adults with our students, or 5 if some kids opt out. Lifejackets will be required and inspected beforehand, and (even though the goal is remaining in the boats) we will be asking parents about swimming levels and comfort in the water. There will be an opt-out option for students or families who are not comfortable with a water activity.
THURSDAY
Breakfast at camp
Morning hike
Lunch at Meijer Gardens
Visual Arts Creative Activity at Meijer Gardens
Surviving the Tropics Interactive Tour of Meijer Gardens
Downtime, games, sports, showers, food preparation, and cooking back at the camp
Enjoy dinner, campfire, and bedtime stories
FRIDAY
Breakfast at camp
Breakdown tents, pack, and free time
Possible optional morning hike for the fast packers
Bus back to SK
Pizza Lunch at SK
Watch Apollo 13
PICK UP TIME 3:30 AS USUAL
Expectations for People and Things (And a Packing List)
Students are expected to behave respectfully and listen to adults at all times. Of course, this is true at school, too, but it's extra important out in public and in the wild. Students will respect nature and the extra restrictions that come with being out in nature and students will be good ambassadors of Summers-Knoll wherever we go, whether a public park or restaurant or guests at institutions like Meijer Gardens and the Zbiiwing Center. Specific behavior guidelines while camping include:
Check out our super complete packing list here. It lists everything you need and a few that you don't! Respect your group by sticking to the packing list (too much stuff means we can't fit on the bus!) Respect your community by bringing NO electronics or cash. Respect yourself by taking care of your things.
Link to Packing List
- Stay with the group at all times.
- Ask an adult EVERY TIME you must leave the group AND bring a buddy (for example for bathroom trips).
- Organize and take care of your equipment and the group equipment.
- Do your share (plus a little extra) of chores, such as cooking, washing dishes and cleaning up camp.
- Use respectful posture, behavior, and conversation to show respect to all of our guides.
Check out our super complete packing list here. It lists everything you need and a few that you don't! Respect your group by sticking to the packing list (too much stuff means we can't fit on the bus!) Respect your community by bringing NO electronics or cash. Respect yourself by taking care of your things.
Link to Packing List
Food!
What are we eating? Well, that depends on the kids. Kids will be divided into cooking and clean up groups. Each group has different responsibility on different days, such as meal prep, fire building and water fetching, and dish cleanup. Some popular menu items from last year were:
All food will be free of nuts. Gluten- and dairy-free and vegetarian options will always be available. Photos of ingredients will be available when needed.
Responsible clean-up is an important part of camping. Not only to keep our site neat and clean, but to keep the dishes safe and germ-free, and keep the environment unpolluted. We pratice the three-bin method of cleaning dishes (hot soapy water, rinse, water with bleach), which is the gold standard for group camping.
- taco rice bowls with beans, veggies, rice, cheese, and salsa
- spaghetti and garlic bread
- breakfast burritos
- chocolate fondu with fruit for dipping
- oatmeal with lots of toppings
All food will be free of nuts. Gluten- and dairy-free and vegetarian options will always be available. Photos of ingredients will be available when needed.
Responsible clean-up is an important part of camping. Not only to keep our site neat and clean, but to keep the dishes safe and germ-free, and keep the environment unpolluted. We pratice the three-bin method of cleaning dishes (hot soapy water, rinse, water with bleach), which is the gold standard for group camping.
Sleeping, Peeing, Showering: The Basics When Camping
Wait, we are sleeping on this trip too? Well, hopefully.
With the exception of our star-gazing night, students will have an earlyish bedtime. We usually start with a group campfire and read aloud and then give time for teeth-brushing and getting ready. Then there will be quiet(ish) time in tents where students can chat, read, or play games. After that, there will be actual quiet time, where we ask students not to talk so everyone can fall asleep. We always have nervous kids. Last year, we found that chatting around the campfire and sharing techniques for lowering anxiety and self-soothing was helpful. Also, many tent groups designated someone to read aloud to the other students, which was wonderful, so those kids who were used to bedtime stories or audiobooks still got that experience.
Students will find out their tent groups in mid-May. Everyone will be with people they feel comfortable with. We have a large set of great, brand new 4-person tents and will generally sleep 3 students in each one, so everyone has a little wiggle room. Sometimes it's necessary to have 2, sometimes 4. Adults will sleep separately in their own tents, but we are all close enough together to hear each other. (Remember that kids!)
During the night, if students need to use the bathroom, there is an outhouse in our campsite. Students are required to take a buddy AND to wake a nearby adult up to let them know they are going AND (this is key) telling that adult when they are back. (If you miss that last part, the sleepy adult has to get up and go find you, probably back in your tent already, so pleaseplease please don't miss that part.)
Showers will be available in the late afternoon / early evening time.
With the exception of our star-gazing night, students will have an earlyish bedtime. We usually start with a group campfire and read aloud and then give time for teeth-brushing and getting ready. Then there will be quiet(ish) time in tents where students can chat, read, or play games. After that, there will be actual quiet time, where we ask students not to talk so everyone can fall asleep. We always have nervous kids. Last year, we found that chatting around the campfire and sharing techniques for lowering anxiety and self-soothing was helpful. Also, many tent groups designated someone to read aloud to the other students, which was wonderful, so those kids who were used to bedtime stories or audiobooks still got that experience.
Students will find out their tent groups in mid-May. Everyone will be with people they feel comfortable with. We have a large set of great, brand new 4-person tents and will generally sleep 3 students in each one, so everyone has a little wiggle room. Sometimes it's necessary to have 2, sometimes 4. Adults will sleep separately in their own tents, but we are all close enough together to hear each other. (Remember that kids!)
During the night, if students need to use the bathroom, there is an outhouse in our campsite. Students are required to take a buddy AND to wake a nearby adult up to let them know they are going AND (this is key) telling that adult when they are back. (If you miss that last part, the sleepy adult has to get up and go find you, probably back in your tent already, so pleaseplease please don't miss that part.)
Showers will be available in the late afternoon / early evening time.
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