A second summer at Sci-Fi

This summer, I had the opportunity to help out at a local summer camp at the university of Saskatchewan. As a volunteer, I got to help out with the camp of Mackenzie Discovery which is for kids age 5-6 and really focuses on making ecology fun and having the kids explore the ecosystem and environment around them.

The camp ran from Monday to Friday, and I got to spend the week

helping a group of about 25 Grade 1 and 2 students. Even though it was only five days, it felt like we did so much in a short amount of time, and it was so much fun! 

One of my favourite parts of the week was getting to know all of the kids. They were all so cute and just had so much energy. It was always so fun talking to them and hearing their most random stories. After spending most of last year working with older kids, it was really refreshing to work with younger kids. Even though they needed a little more care, their energy was worth it. 

During the week, we had a busy schedule every day filled with lots of different activities. We spent a lot of time doing fun arts and crafts that taught the kids about sustainability and taking care of their environment, which the kids absolutely loved. We spent a lot of time doing fun crafts, but each activity also had a lesson behind it. One of their favourite crafts was getting to paint their own little flower pots to plant the radish seeds we grew earlier that week. It gave the kids a chance to learn about how plants grow and why growing your own food is important. It was really fun to watch them get so excited over their pots and show all their friends in the class.

We also spent a lot of time outside enjoying the nice Saskatchewan summer weather. For one of the days, we explored the university campus on a nature scavenger hunt where the kids searched for different plants, insects, birds, and other things they could find in the environment around them. I think it was a really great way to get them paying closer attention to the nature around them and learning more about the wildlife and ecosystems right here in Saskatchewan.

The kids were so determined to find everything they ended up making alliances with

one another to race against the other teams the kids made. We also played parachute games outside where we all worked together to keep the balls bouncing on the parachute and practiced our teamwork while enjoying the outdoors! It’s safe to say that it was definitely one of their favourite activities outside to do.

One of the best parts of the week was definitely the water fight on Friday. Everyone was running around all over the place trying not to get wet (I don’t think anyone actually managed to stay dry, even the instructors!). The kids were running around with buckets, large pales and their own water guns that they brought from home, and they teamed up against all of the instructors. By the end, we were all completely soaked but we had such a good time that it didn’t even matter.

As much as I loved all of the activities, my favourite part of the week was the people. I met so many fun people there who made my days there so much more fun and enjoyable. We worked together, spent all of our lunches and breaks together and I can for sure say my camera roll is way more full than it was at the start of the week. During that week, I made so many great memories with both campers and instructors that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.