Eco Kids Summer Camp 2019 Day 6: Solid Waste Management & Sustainability
Eco Kids Camp Day 6: Solid Waste Management & Sustainability It’s been a successful week with so much to be grateful for. How amazing that … Read more
Eco Kids Camp Day 6: Solid Waste Management & Sustainability It’s been a successful week with so much to be grateful for. How amazing that … Read more
Day 3: Learning About The Ancient Maya Another day, another happy camper at the 2019 Belize Eco Kids Camp. Day three turned out to be … Read more
Eco Kids Camp Day 7: Belizean Wildlife & Final Farewell With the sun’s rays gently piercing through the screens of our jungle cabins, the dawn of … Read more
Eco Kids Camp Day 6: Solid Waste Management & Sustainability Going to a summer camp is something EVERY child should get the opportunity to do. Apart … Read more
How often can you brag about waking up to the sounds of howler monkey’s swinging above your heads? Well… we sure can! Bright and early, … Read more
Maya Traditional Healing at Chaa Creek’s 2018 Eco Kids Summer Camp You know what’s sad? Realizing you’re now officially halfway through camp. Yup, we’re half … Read more
Day 3: Learning About The Ancient Maya Wow, can you believe it’s already been 3 days? I’m not sure how time feels like back at … Read more
Day 2 – Biodiversity and Conservation A wet but joyful hello from the banks of the Macal river. Yes, for those of you who didn’t … Read more
The 2018 Belize Eco-Kids Summer Camp Is Off! Well hello there, if you’re reading this, then you’re probably a concerned parent who’s naturally worried about … Read more
The Eco-Kids were up to much fun, and even though camp is over we can still look back in fond nostalgia… it’s not too early … Read more
The 2017 Belize Eco-Kids Summer Camp Is Off! Chaa Creek’s 2017 Belize Eco-Kids Summer Camp started with a storm, which, anywhere else, would have probably … Read more
The sky was grey and swollen as the campers rose, and light droplets occasionally fell to blot the campers’ T-shirts. As we trudged up to … Read more
The campers awoke early, eager for a new day at Chaa Creek’s Belize Eco Kids Summer Camp. At six-thirty everyone was up and about, and by … Read more
We awoke early, when the morning was still cool and fresh and the sunlight had barely broken out from behind the trees. The campers crowded … Read more
Today the campers went for a guided tour of the Ixchel Medicine Trail here at Chaa Creek with some of our naturalist experts. Before the tour started, the naturalists gave a short presentation and show and tell on the importance of medicinal plants, how to use them, and how they help make medicine today.
For arts and crafts time today, the campers focused on the definition of the three R’s of conservation: reduce, reuse, and recycle. With used bed cloth and recycled plastic bottles, they learned that they were reducing the number of bottle huggers and bags that people buy, as they made their own packs to carry water bottles and other small trinkets they may want! More importantly though, they had fun designing their own articles of fashion with their team mates and counselors.
The eco-kids campers started the first full day of camp early Monday morning around the campfire singing traditional Belizean songs. Under the guidance of the resident expert eco-artist Miss Lilly Jones, each camper made their own “jungle journal” from recycled materials, which they will use to take personal notes on each day’s activities.
Upon arrival at the camp grounds the Eco-Kids were assigned to both their cabins and their teams for the week. The Tapirs, Toucans, Jaguars, and last but not least, the Howler Monkeys. Then they were all assembled in the dining area to design their team flags with paint and markers. Most of the campers were ecstatic when they learned that their hand and footprints were eligible to go on their team flags!
The annual eco-kids summer camp gives 24 young Belizeans between the ages of 8 and 13 a chance to learn about their natural world through a mix of adventure, social interaction, and fun filled applied education – all aimed at instilling a sense of wonderment in the unique cultures that constitute Belize and the environment that sustains us all.
24 young Belizeans between the ages of 8 and 13 have won a one week Chaa Creek Eco Kids Summer Camp Package which is scheduled from July 19th to the 26th, 2015. We want to congratulate all winners of our Eco Kids Essay Competition from more than 150 entries countrywide.
A weeklong summer camp that teaches Belizean children to be stewards of their environment and instills memorable values that will have an impact on the way children conduct their lives, their relationship with our fragile Earth, and the sustainable development of our future.
Mrs Salome’s presentation on medicinal plants highlighted several popular Belizean herbs, such as serosee, thyme, and aloe vera, and allowed campers got to practice their bush medicine skills. A couple lucky volunteers pretended to have earaches, and they were cured by using thyme. From the excellent bedside manner displayed by some campers, it would seem there are some future doctors in the group!
Once we arrived back at Chaa Creek, Mr. Awe gave a presentation on the history and culture of the Maya, from their origins as hunter-gatherers crossing the Bering Straits, to the decline of their civilization thousands of years ago. And just to make sure the campers were paying attention, he split boys and girls into two teams and gave a pop quiz at the end. It was a close call, but the girls scored higher by one point!
The first day at Chaa Creek Eco Kids summer camp began a little earlier
than expected for some campers. After all, it’s quite difficult to sleep
when a howler monkey troop comes roaring through at the crack of dawn!
“The winners were selected by Lucy Fleming (Chaa Creek co-founder) & Eco Kids organizer Roberto Harrison, categorized by districts and organized to meet at central points to be picked up by a Chaa Creek shuttle and transferred to the Macal River Camp,” said Mr. Harrison.
According to Chaa Creek founder and general manager Lucy Fleming, the innovative annual event gives Belizean youth an opportunity to learn about their natural world through a mix of adventure, social interaction, fun and hands-on education aimed at instilling a sense of wonder and responsibility for the environment.
I want to be an Eco Kid because I want to make a positive difference in my beautiful country Belize. I strongly believe that it is young people like myself that will play an instrumental role in the future of Belize and the lessons that will be taught in this camp will lay down the foundation to equip me with the proper knowledge to make the changes.
My name is Adreano Finnetty. I am currently a Standard 6 student attending Holy Redeemer Primary School in Belize City. Since I was born, I realized how fascinated I am with nature and the Earth itself. I have taken time and effort to learn as much as possible about nature: from the simplest of organisms, like flowers with the power of pollination; and, bugs which lay millions of eggs every single day; to animals of brute strength like lions and sharks.
I want to be an eco-kid for many reasons first of all I want to experience the outdoors and most of the activities you listed in your letter and secondly I am a kid and we kids like to run around and try new things, well some of us like it.
I read the advertisement over and over it sound very interesting I said this is awesome; I want to learn about biodiversity of plant and animals in the environment; conserving natural resources and more so to learn more about the ancient Maya history of which I am. I want to learn their culture including their traditional healing medicinal plant. I am also interesting in bird watching knowing all the species. If I cannot afford to go to a high school then I would at least be able to something in my life. It is very interesting to learn more things when you are young it will help others get more involve. Although I am a Maya I want to get first hand information about sites that our ancestor made.