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PITTSBURG —
A child’s first camping experience is often memorable, and each summer Greenbush aims to do just that.
The education center offers overnight Adventure Camps for kindergartners through adults, and on Thursday and Friday nine third graders, some from as far away as Derby, got the chance to sleep under the stars, cook over an open fire and paddle a canoe.
“A lot of them have said they haven’t canoed before or slept in a tent,” said ropes course facilitator Cassie Howard. “It’s a new experience for them.”
The camps are a chance for kids and adults to camp, learn team-building and leadership skills and have fun. They learn archery, how to canoe, do arts and crafts and play outdoor adventure games. They also get to use the high and low ropes courses.
On Friday afternoon the kids donned life jackets, learned the essentials of paddling and set out across Greenbush’s fishing pond before playing a game of water balloon tag.
“I liked the canoeing and all of the fun stuff we did,” eight-year-old Sydnee Welch, who was visiting from Chanute and was one of the few kids who had been canoeing before. “It’s cool how the boats float and you get to paddle them.”
Jack Harness, 8, of Mound Valley, said the zip line was a lot of fun even though the climb up was a little scary.
“I like to go really fast,” Harness said.
Kearstyn Bogle, 8.5, of Two Lakes, said she liked the balloon tag, in which each contestant gets two water balloons and must stop moving when they both break.
“I like throwing water balloons at people and not getting wet,” Bogle said.
An adventurous youngster, Bogle also enjoyed the chance to see and capture wildlife such as frogs.
“I saw one in the water near the shore and I thought it was going to be dead, but I just said ‘Here, froggy,’ and I caught him,” Bogle said, displaying the tiny, striped amphibian.
For eight-year-old Parsons resident Thea Hetlinger, the camping aspect took the cake.
“It’s awesome, and the tents are huge!” Hetlinger said, before bounding off in search of frogs.
Greenbush has been hosting the camps since about 1996, said Nick Weber, ropes course and camp director. They’ve changed over the years, with the most obvious being the ropes course that was erected several years ago, and the new camping ground, complete with air-conditioned cabins and meeting facility, that will soon be functional.
“Next year we get to use the cabins,” Weber said. “I’m looking forward to that day.”
Camp organizers also have added new technology and programs to the camps, such as the use of the observatory, which they used Thursday night to peer into space.
“We still try to be outdoors as much as possible,” Weber said.
A child’s first camping experience is often memorable, and each summer Greenbush aims to do just that.
The education center offers overnight Adventure Camps for kindergartners through adults, and on Thursday and Friday nine third graders, some from as far away as Derby, got the chance to sleep under the stars, cook over an open fire and paddle a canoe.
“A lot of them have said they haven’t canoed before or slept in a tent,” said ropes course facilitator Cassie Howard. “It’s a new experience for them.”
The camps are a chance for kids and adults to camp, learn team-building and leadership skills and have fun. They learn archery, how to canoe, do arts and crafts and play outdoor adventure games. They also get to use the high and low ropes courses.
On Friday afternoon the kids donned life jackets, learned the essentials of paddling and set out across Greenbush’s fishing pond before playing a game of water balloon tag.
“I liked the canoeing and all of the fun stuff we did,” eight-year-old Sydnee Welch, who was visiting from Chanute and was one of the few kids who had been canoeing before. “It’s cool how the boats float and you get to paddle them.”
Jack Harness, 8, of Mound Valley, said the zip line was a lot of fun even though the climb up was a little scary.
“I like to go really fast,” Harness said.
Kearstyn Bogle, 8.5, of Two Lakes, said she liked the balloon tag, in which each contestant gets two water balloons and must stop moving when they both break.
“I like throwing water balloons at people and not getting wet,” Bogle said.
An adventurous youngster, Bogle also enjoyed the chance to see and capture wildlife such as frogs.
“I saw one in the water near the shore and I thought it was going to be dead, but I just said ‘Here, froggy,’ and I caught him,” Bogle said, displaying the tiny, striped amphibian.
For eight-year-old Parsons resident Thea Hetlinger, the camping aspect took the cake.
“It’s awesome, and the tents are huge!” Hetlinger said, before bounding off in search of frogs.
Greenbush has been hosting the camps since about 1996, said Nick Weber, ropes course and camp director. They’ve changed over the years, with the most obvious being the ropes course that was erected several years ago, and the new camping ground, complete with air-conditioned cabins and meeting facility, that will soon be functional.
“Next year we get to use the cabins,” Weber said. “I’m looking forward to that day.”
Camp organizers also have added new technology and programs to the camps, such as the use of the observatory, which they used Thursday night to peer into space.
“We still try to be outdoors as much as possible,” Weber said.
