fbpx
Most of you campers knows this furry..not so much guy. Yep it is Apollo the bearded dragon. Some might think he was named after the space program. However, I think it was a Greek God. Currently lives with us but if you would like to adopt him till next summer give us an email and we can work it out. Want to learn more about Apollo...click below
Apollo is depicted as a beardless young man (ephebe). His attributes are the tripod, omphalos, lyre, bow and arrows, laurel, hawk, raven or crow, swan, fawn, roe, snake, mouse, grasshopper, and griffin.
Although often associated with the sun, Apollo was not originally a sun god. In Homer, Apollo is god of prophecy and plagues. He is also a warrior in the 
Trojan War. [Gods in the Iliad shows which side the gods favored.] Elsewhere Apollo is also a god of healing and the arts -- especially music (Apollo taught Orpheus to play the lyre) -- archery, agriculture . His arrows could send plague, as happens in the Iliad Book I.
Summer school, all-year academic school, summer sports programs, and electronic media have become the elements of children’s summer activity in recent years. Children are kept occupied with indoor play activities. The playground has come indoors and narrowed in focus. The flickering light of computer monitors and handheld game screens has replaced sunlight and fresh air.
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>

Modern times have come to call for change in the way we prepare our children to live life in the world they will inherit. Our kids simply must find a way to reconnect with our natural environment as they grow up. The global effort to restore ecological balance will need aware participants at every level. Environmental awareness always begins with a personal sense of connection to nature.

Parents can bring back awareness of nature to a child’s experience. Summer camp has been around since the 1920’s and is still an effective way to bring back balance to a child’s life. Trained staff members of modern summer camps can guide kids back into an alliance with nature through the pure fun of camp activities. The challenges of summer camp activities are fun rather than stressful, making them even more effective for learning how we are a part of nature.

Most directors of quality modern summer camps have developed policies that encourage camper experience that reconnects the camper to nature without sacrificing the great fun and memorable friendships that are the classic benefits of summer camp. One such policy is simple and sweeping: beginning by not permitting cellular phones, BlackBerries, pagers, radios, iPods, cassette or CD players, laser pens, TVs, Game Boys or digital cameras. Children forget that life is possible without these ubiquitous accessories. Not including them in the camp experience brings children a revelation: they find out that they can actually have fun and enjoy themselves living without those things.

A camp that combines traditional camp activities such as hiking, canoe trips and horseback riding with modern ways for campers to learn about nature will succeed in instilling environmental awareness in campers. Learning is potentially much more effective because it is associated with fun and friendships.

Summer camps have added modern awareness of health and nutrition to the established means of meeting physical needs such as good hygiene, exercise, and teamwork. Modern summer camps can offer a healthy menu that still includes foods that kids enjoy. A salad bar at lunch and dinner that includes a choice of fresh vegetables and salads is an example of this. Vegetarian meals should be made available to campers who have that preference. Fresh fruit can be made available all day for snacks. Nutrition is a part of a modern summer camp’s “green” approach to total wellness that includes providing means to develop of a camper’s positive self esteem, build friendships, and promote having FUN.

When they are discussing a possible choice of a camp with a camp’s directors, parents should ask about the sustainability of that camp’s own day-to-day ecological practices. How do they conserve energy and water and recycle? What is the camp doing to take responsibility for its own environmental footprint?  Learning is a combination of information and participation. If a summer camp’s practices don’t reflect their talk, campers aren't going to absorb important messages about their own relationship with nature. Summer camps are becoming aware of the effects they are having on their immediate environment. Camp directors should be looking at the big picture and showing care for the earth as well as their campers.
During our winter stay at camp a local camp neighbor, Delon came by with his snowmobiles and offered to take Forrest and I on a nature tour. It was exciting we had a sunny day with balmy high 20 temps. As we zoomed past Picnic Island ( see video) our first stop was to look for the eagles. They were both their and sitting near the nest. It is about this time that eagles start to lay their eggs. So a good sign that we will see eaglets this summer. From their we went off across the lake and to a snowmobile trail system that covers most of the state of Wisconsin. As we traveled we saw many deer trails cutting through the woods. Often they would cross the snowmobile trail, they seem to like snow that is packed down and easier to walk on. As we looked deep into the woods, we saw deer looking at us being careful not to move so as not to be seen. In all we saw... click to read and see more photos
, over 10 deer in our 20 some mile travels. We even came across a deer rubbing post, a place where deer rub their new velvet antlers. As we watched for tracks we saw many, many, many tracks of wolves. The packs near camp are growing judging by what we saw. The most interesting thing we happened across was a small dead deer. It was fresh and we could not determine how or why it died, must have been illness or starvation. Being that nothing gets wasted in the natural environment, the next day we returned and nearly 1/2 of the deer had been eaten. From what Delon says, he went back 3 days later and nothing was left but a few hunks of hide carried off into the woods. Nature is all around camp yet in winter many animals have left or are hibernating, yet the tracks of the snow make for an excellent way of story telling.
 
Read why todays families are getting a Nature Prescription, No pills required. Just get out and walk, explore and enjoy the outdoors. Summer camps are one place where Nature is an every day part of life, free of cell phones, ipods and the web. The only thing streaming has water in it. Learn more about the Nature Prescription.......
Here's what Matias Rojas Perez first saw on a trail walk in the Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge: a wild rabbit dashing past, a 3-inch-long endangered fish, soaring birds and creeping snakes.

  • By Kristen BourqueFamilies hike in Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge during a Jan. 29 trip organized by the Children's Heart Center. 
Here's what his doctors saw: a chance for 200-pound, 5-foot-3, 10-year-old Matias to grow healthier.
Instead of an order for pills, pediatricians at the Children's Heart Center in 
Las Vegas have given Matias, his mother, who is diabetic, and his 9-year-old, 136-pound little brother, a "nature prescription."
More than 100 of the 553 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuges such as Moapa are part of a national consortium of federal parks and the National Environmental Education Foundation now using this prescription tactic. It's funded by a $75,000 grant to improve family health through a two-year pilot project linking the federal agencies with health care providers. The aim is to turn doctors, nurses, teachers and therapists into "nature champions" who steer children and their parents into the outdoors.
It's a whole lot more than just saying, "take a hike."
The prescription, an "Rx for healthy living," prompts families to eat more fruits and vegetables, step away from the TV or video screen and go outside to breathe fresh air, awaken their senses, and shed some weight.
Using the prescription format gives the psychological oomph of doctor's orders to simple suggestions for diet and workouts disguised as nature walks. Each prescription comes with easy-to-follow maps to nearby refuges and parks where outdoor experiences are led by rangers and volunteers.

'Phenomenal difference'

Matias, once unwilling to play outside, has already lost 10 pounds since joining the fledgling program this winter, says his mother, Ma De Lourdez Perez Mata, 44. He now looks forward to the walks — and so does she.
Perez Mata says, "It's so beautiful, and you learn about nature. It's been so long that I breathed fresh air and so long since I've hiked and been surrounded by nature. The rangers tell you about life in these places, their history. It's very interesting."
Since December, the Children's Heart Center in Las Vegas, has already organized three field trips to nearby desert refuges with about 100 participants such as Matias and his family, says Angelina Yost, visitor services manager for the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes Moapa.
They hiked up a little hill "that definitely gets your heart racing" and visited a viewing chamber carved into the desert floor that let them get face-to-fin with an endangered fish, the Moapa Dace, Yost says.
The initiative began last September with a national training program where nearly three dozen health professionals from 11 states met at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia, to be schooled in the value of nature prescriptions.
Dubbed "nature champions," they were charged to each train 30 more advocates. One was pediatrician Noah Kohn, medical director for Clinics in Schools, the free medical clinics funded by private donors and the 
United Wayof Southern Nevada. He sees this as a smart new tool to combat complex problems:
"We have a very significant obesity problem. Ninety percent of my patients have no health insurance. These are low income families with few resources. It's hard enough to convince them to eat a vegetable. And they don't live in neighborhoods where there is a safe place to go out and play.
"A prescription makes a phenomenal difference. It says, 'Rx for healthy and active outdoor living.' Once you get kids outdoors, away from the inner city, they are just completely bamboozled by the science and the natural world and they never think they are exercising," says Kohn, who will start sending out prescriptions as soon at the Spanish translations are available.

Multiple benefits

Susan Morse, a spokeswoman for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says each region is taking its own approach to the prescription program.
In Santa Clara, Calif, 
Kaiser Permanente clinic pediatrician Charles Owyang has already written 67 prescriptions to the Don Edwards Preserve, an urban nature enclave in the San Francisco Bay Area. Owyang also teaches other doctors about studies that show outdoor activities have intellectual and emotional benefits, too — brightening kids' moods, sharpening their concentration and cutting down on stress.
In New Jersey, a nature champion connected health care provider AtlantiCare with a network of home schooling parents to begin forming "Family Nature Clubs" that meet every second Saturday for a walk in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge that weaves exercise and education.
"The days when Mom could send you out the front door to play have changed," says Sandy Perchetti, volunteer coordinator, at Forsythe, 15 minutes from Atlantic City.
"Once the children come with their 'prescriptions' we stamp them and give them an incentive like a nature journal or a pedometer to track their walking," says Perchetti.
The national project includes tracking whether families visit the refuges and parks, their physical progress and whether they came back again.
The answer is in for Matias and his family. They've already been back to Moapa.
Contributing: Marisol Bello

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

Summer school, all-year academic school, summer sports programs, and electronic media have become the elements of children’s summer activity in recent years. Children are kept occupied with indoor play activities. The playground has come indoors and .....
narrowed in focus. The flickering light of computer monitors and handheld game screens has replaced sunlight and fresh air.

Modern times have come to call for change in the way we prepare our children to live life in the world they will inherit. Our kids simply must find a way to reconnect with our natural environment as they grow up. The global effort to restore ecological balance will need aware participants at every level. Environmental awareness always begins with a personal sense of connection to nature.

Parents can bring back awareness of nature to a child’s experience. Summer camp has been around since for over 150 years and is still an effective way to bring back balance to a child’s life. Trained staff members of modern summer camps can guide kids back into an alliance with nature through the pure fun of camp activities. The challenges of summer camp activities are fun rather than stressful, making them even more effective for learning how we are a part of nature.

Most directors of quality modern summer camps have developed policies that encourage camper experience that reconnects the camper to nature without sacrificing the great fun and memorable friendships that are the classic benefits of summer camp. One such policy is simple and sweeping: beginning by not permitting cellular phones, BlackBerries, pagers, radios, iPods, cassette or CD players, laser pens, TVs, Game Boys or digital cameras. Children forget that life is possible without these ubiquitous accessories. Not including them in the camp experience brings children a revelation: they find out that they can actually have fun and enjoy themselves living without those things.

A camp that combines traditional camp activities such as hiking, canoe trips and horseback riding with modern ways for campers to learn about nature will succeed in instilling environmental awareness in campers. Learning is potentially much more effective because it is associated with fun and friendships.

Summer camps have added modern awareness of health and nutrition to the established means of meeting physical needs such as good hygiene, exercise, and teamwork. Modern summer camps can offer a healthy menu that still includes foods that kids enjoy. A salad bar at lunch and dinner that includes a choice of fresh vegetables and salads is an example of this. Vegetarian meals should be made available to campers who have that preference. Fresh fruit can be made available all day for snacks. Nutrition is a part of a modern summer camp’s “green” approach to total wellness that includes providing means to develop of a camper’s positive self esteem, build friendships, and promote having FUN.

When they are discussing a possible choice of a camp with a camp’s directors, parents should ask about the sustainability of that camp’s own day-to-day ecological practices. How do they conserve energy and water and recycle? What is the camp doing to take responsibility for its own environmental footprint?  Learning is a combination of information and participation. If a summer camp’s practices don’t reflect their talk, campers aren't going to absorb important messages about their own relationship with nature. Summer camps are becoming aware of the effects they are having on their immediate environment. Camp directors should be looking at the big picture and showing care for the earth as well as their campers.
On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and .........
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect our global environment.

Despite this awareness of Nature and the Environment there is a staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation-he calls it nature-deficit-to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder has spurred a national dialogue among educators, health professionals, parents, developers and conservationists. This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children. The bottom Line we and our youth need to spend time outdoors.

Schools have realized this for some time. Teacher Judith Millar, Lucy Holman School, Jackson, NJ, more than five years ago, began an environmental project in the school's courtyard. It has become quite an undertaking--even gaining state recognition. It contains several habitat areas, including a Bird Sanctuary, a Hummingbird/ Butterfly Garden, A Woodland Area with a pond, and a Meadow. My classes have always overseen the care of this "Outdoor Classroom", but now it's practically a full time job!! My students currently maintain the Bird Sanctuary--filling seed and suet feeders, filling the birdbaths, building birdhouses, even supplying nesting materials! In addition, this spring they will be a major force in the clean up and replanting process. They always have energy and enthusiasm for anything to do with "their garden".

Despite schools doing their best to get kids to play outside, we as a nation have lost the ability to just send our kids out to play. Yet, it seems we are learning that Summer Camps help children grow into mature adults. A new British study finds that most modern parents overprotect their kids. Half of all kids have stopped climbing trees, and 17 percent have been told that they can't play tag or chase. Even hide-and-seek has been deemed dangerous. And that dreaded stick..."will put out someone's eye".

It is easy to blame technology for the decline in outdoor play, but it may well be mom and dad. Adrian Voce of Play England says 'Children are not being allowed many of the freedoms that were taken for granted when we were children,' 'They are not enjoying the opportunities to play outside that most people would have thought of as normal when they were growing up.'

According to the Guardian, "Voce argued that it was becoming a 'social norm' for younger children to be allowed out only when accompanied by an adult. 'Logistically that is very difficult for parents to manage because of the time pressures on normal family life,' he said. 'If you don't want your children to play out alone and you have not got the time to take them out then they will spend more time on the computer.'

The Play England study quotes a number of play providers who highlight the benefits to children of taking risks. 'Risk-taking increases the resilience of children,' said one. 'It helps them make judgments,' said another. We as parents want to play it safe and we need to rethink safety vs adventure.

The research also lists examples of risky play that should be encouraged including fire-building, den-making, watersports, paintballing, boxing and climbing trees. Summer camp provides an excellent opportunity for children to get outside take risks and play, all while still while being supervised by concerned young adults...knowen as counselors.

Swift Nature Camp is a Noncompetitive, Traditional Summer Nature Campin Wisconsin. Our Boys and Girls Ages 6-15. enjoy Nature, Animals & Science along with Traditional camping activities. We places a very strong emphasis on being an ENVIRONMENTAL CAMP where we develop a desire to know more about nature but also on acquiring a deep respect for it. Our educational philosophy is to engage children in meaningful, fun-filled learning through active participation. We focus on their natural curiosity and self-discovery. This is NOT School.

No matter what skill level or interests your children have, Swift Nature Camp has activities that allows them to excel and enjoy. All activities are promoted in a nurturing, noncompetitive atmosphere, giving each camper the opportunity to participate and have fun, rather than worry about results.

Campers also can participate in out-of-camp trips, such as biking, canoeing, backpacking and horse trips. This is the ultimate test of a camper's skill and knowledge. It's a reward to discover new worlds and be comfortable in them. This is what makes S.N.C. so much more than just aSCIENCE SUMMER CAMP.

Earth day has provided so much..but their is more we can learn from nature. This summer help your child regain their appreciation for nature by sending them to Swift Nature Camp. This is an opportunity that will be treasured the rest of your child's life.

It is spring in the Northwoods, black bears are emerging from their dens and looking for food. Since at this time of year most of their natural food sources are limited, they look for food from any source they can get it, including bird feeders, garbage cans, grills, etc.  It is best to keep these things put away until other food sources are available to them. 
Large groups of wild turkey have begun to break up and males are gobbling.  The fourth five-day spring wild turkey hunting period is Wed., May 4, through Sun., May 8.
An increasing number of migratory birds are continuing to show up in the area and more waterfowl are being seen on area lakes. Canada geese gostlings should start hatching around mid-May. Ruffed grouse should be drumming and woodcock and snipe should have started peenting.
In the evening you can hear the loud calling of wood frogs and spring peepers. Eagles are actively tending nests now and can also be seen migrating through the area this time of year. Ducks began their nest building in mid-April.
The current fire danger level for Price County is moderate; however, dry areas still exist and caution is needed until the grass greens up.

It all started back in the days when American Bison ruled the Great Plains. At that time a rather nondescript grayish or black bird followed the herds around, feeding on seeds in the abundant supply of buffalo excrement. Settlers on the plains came to calling these animals buffalo birds.
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
But since the birds depended on wandering herds for food, they needed to wander as well if they wanted to survive.
The problem, of course, is that wandering birds can’t tend their nests. So the buffalo birds decided to leave their young in the care of other birds, an arrangement that seemed to work, at least from the buffalo birds’ perspective.
Then, during the 1800s, the prairies and buffalo disappeared, replaced by pasture and cattle. But the birds remained and started keeping company with cows instead of buffalo, eating insects in the grass, ticks on the livestock, and seeds and grain. The buffalo bird eventually became known as the cowbird.
Today there are two native cowbird species in North America, the 
Bronzed Cowbird of the Southwest and the Brown-headed Cowbird common in most of the United States and Canada. Both species still lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, which is to say that both maintain the parasitic tradition of their ancestors, much to the dismay of bird lovers and conservationists.
The main reason people find the cowbirds’ behavior objectionable is that it threatens biodiversity.
Cowbirds as a whole lay their eggs in the nests of more than 200 other species of birds. And in most cases, because these birds tend to be smaller species, the young cowbirds come to dominate the nests, pushing out the other young or hoarding the food. The result is that the two cowbird species thrive at the expense of hundreds of others.
The U.S. Department of Education has released more details about its new Green Ribbon Schools recognition program. The deadline for nominee submissions is scheduled to be announced in early 2012. The program anticipates recognizing as many as 50 schools by the end of the 2011-12 school year.
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
The program, which marks the first time the federal government has launched a comprehensive green schools initiative, will recognize public and private elementary, middle and high schools that save energy, reduce costs, protect health, feature environmentally sustainable learning spaces and offer environmental educational programs to boost academic achievement and community involvement.  

Unlike other environment-related programs impacting schools, the Green Ribbon award will acknowledge high levels of achievement under three areas, rather than one: 1) environmental impact and energy efficiency; 2) healthy environment; and 3) environmental literacy.  

Congressman Sarbanes, sponsor of the No Child Left Inside Act, praised the new program. "Robust environmental education will prepare students to be 21st Century innovators – developing technologies that are crucial to the future health of the environment and the American economy," Sarbanes added. “I am thrilled that the Department of Education has brought this new focus to environmental education.” To read the Congressman’s full press release, click here

Don Baugh, Executive Director of the No Child Left Inside Coalition also lauded the program as a step in the right direction. “Recognizing schools for their environmental education achievements is an important part of the effort to advance the environmental literacy of our youth,” said Baugh. “Equally important is ensuring that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides support for schools to provide the high quality environmental education needed to prepare our students for college and the jobs of the future. We commend Secretary Duncan and Congressman Sarbanes for their leadership on this critical issue.”

With 2011 almost over did you know that it was the year of the Turtle?
If you did...What have you done about it.
If not there is still time to save nearly 40% of the turtles that are threatened .
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>

Why Turtles, and Why Now?

Turtles are disappearing from the planet faster than any other group of animal. Today, nearly 50% of turtle species are identified as threatened with extinction. However, it's not too late for our turtle heritage to be salvaged. The United States has more endemic turtle species than anywhere on Earth; a turtle biodiversity hotspot. Our careful stewardship can preserve the rare species and keep 'common species common.'
Throughout the year, we will be raising awareness of the issues surrounding turtles through press releases, newsletters, photo contests, and related events. We believe that citizens, natural resource managers, scientists, and the pet and food and related industries can work together to address issues and to help ensure long-term survival of turtle species and populations.

Threats to US Turtles

The bad news is humans cause the largest harm to turtle populations, but the good news is we have the power to make positive changes toward turtle survival. The largest threats to turtle populations include (with the top 3 caused primarily by humans):
  • habitat loss and degradation
  • overharvest of wild turtles for food, traditional medicines, and pets
  • mortality from roads, agricultural machinery, fishing bycatch, and predators
  • invasive exotic species and diseases
  • loss of unique genetic makeup due to hybridization
  • climate change
Bookmark www.yearoftheturtle.orgfor more information on how you can get involved!

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for our monthly newsletters, containing: 

  • A downloadable turtle photo calendar for each month, including a photo contest – your photo could be in the calendar!
  • Information about turtle conservation efforts and groups, and how you can help
  • Interviews with turtle experts, and answers to selected questions that YOU send us!
  • Information on how you can help spread the word about turtles
  • Educational materials
  • Turtle art, poetry, and cultural information
  • ... and much, MUCH, more!
  • At Swift Nature Camp you can learn more with hands on studies with turtles.
Page 53 of 83

Winter

25 Baybrook Ln.

Oak Brook, IL 60523

Phone: 630-654-8036

swiftcamp@aol.com

Camp

W7471 Ernie Swift Rd.

Minong, WI 54859

Phone: 715-466-5666

swiftcamp@aol.com