Summer Camp Recap: Phipps to Table

By Carolyn Carlins, Facilitator, Phipps Science Education and Research

Summer Camp Recap is our weekly seasonal segment featuring our summer camp programs. This is the place for camp parents to find pictures of their campers in action and see the fun things we did all week. It’s also a great place for educators to pick up craft, story and lesson ideas for their own early childhood programs.

This week, our Budding Botanists and Mighty Mentors discovered how food gets from the farm to our homes in Phipps to Table. To start, we visited Phipps’ Rooftop Edible Garden and met with an urban farmer to discuss growing crops from seed to harvest using examples like tomatoes, greens, rice, and pumpkins. 

While there, we viewed bees and butterflies hard at work and learned about a pollinator’s role in the garden. Our second day included a tour of the Phipps Café and a discussion of heathy food choices with one of our chefs. 

Next, we explored the benefits of eating locally and shopping at farmers markets. Campers made shopping bags out of old t-shirts and created their own farm stand. 

Throughout the week campers used upcycled nature journals to document their food’s journey. Campers investigated the ingredients in pizza, tracing them back to the farm and tasting locally made pizza from the Phipps Café. To close, our campers took us through a tour of their favorite spots in Phipps and told us what they learned!

Bring the Farm to Your Table:
Want to bring all the education value — and the flavor — of farm-fresh goods to your home? Visit Farmers at Phipps every Wednesday or use the Citiparks Farmers' Market Open Schedule to find a market near you!

Select photos © Paul g. Wiegman