LifeMoves | Family Crossroads campers had been waiting in anticipation all week for their Friday field trip: a visit to AT&T park! The field trip, however, was no ordinary tour of the baseball field. This adventure took our campers to the AT&T edible garden, where the outdoors become a classroom for curious and hungry minds. Walking into the garden, the campers and counselors admired the beautiful interior that was bursting with green. Then, they looked up.
Located right behind the centerfield wall and below the Giant’s scoreboard, the view outside the garden was just as spectacular. Beyond the fences lay the enormous baseball field and bleachers, a stunning contrast from the lush garden surrounding the campers. “Why is there a net above us?” a young boy asked. “Great question!” responded the garden’s chef, gathering the children into a circle, “When there are games, we want to protect our garden and our visitors from the flying baseballs. Now, who’s ready for a scavenger hunt?”
The kids familiarized themselves with the garden with a bingo-style hunt for the edible plants. Campers walked along the plant beds, searching for signs of vegetables about to sprout and squealing in delight when they found a fruit to mark off on their bingo sheet. Once the scavenger hunt ended, the campers cheered when they learned they would be making their lunch from all the fresh food around them! At one station, the campers sliced and skewered fruit for kabobs while learning about what each delicious plant does for the body. Next, each child tried their hand at making flatbread by helping the chef make homemade tomato sauce and loading up on toppings of fresh vegetables.
While their organic lunch was in the oven, the campers saw first hand where their leftover food would be composted. The chef brought out a big box and campers crowded around it. Upon lifting up the top, murmurs grew to exclamations as they realized it was a worm bin! A lucky camper was picked to feed the worms the compostable scraps, and the rest of the children took it all in as the chef described what was going on within the dirt. The campers intense focus on the worm bin was only broken when it was announced that food was ready!
Hot out of the oven, the flatbread was quickly devoured. Content and tired, the campers finished off their meal with the fruit kabobs and sat taking in the vibrant greenery the garden had to offer. At the end of the day, the kids left with both full stomachs and an appreciation for healthy and fresh food. LifeMoves | Family Crossroads was delighted to spend the day in the Giants garden, an oasis hidden within the bustle of AT&T park.
LifeMoves ACES Summer Adventure Camp 