Rachel Carson once said, "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder…he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."  These words served as the inspiration for the first ever "Sense of Wonder" summer camp for children ages three and four and their parents at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. 

In this day and age of kids having limited time outdoors and nature-deficit disorder, this camp was designed to inspire and excite, creating positive outdoor experiences for children and their parents.  It was also designed to encourage parents to make outdoor exploration a priority in their child's life, and help them be their guide for wonder. 

The camp was held June 10th through the 13th from 9am-noon each day.  On the first day, campers explored ocean tidepools, picking up crabs, periwinkles, whelk, amphipods, and even getting a chance to touch a live skate.  One camper remarked "this is a really fun place."  On the second day campers explored sand dunes and cranberry bogs, finding deer and raccoon tracks, and watching dragonflies lay eggs.  They also demonstrated how dunes form by piling sand on their parents.  The third day of camp involved a forest study filled with scavenger hunts, leaf rubbings, acting out the life cycle of a tree, and making their own binoculars (with toilet paper tubes) to observe wildlife.  Our final day of camp included dip-netting for invertebrates in the marsh where we found baby dragonflies, damselflies, backswimmers and even a leech.  We also took time to explore the differences between fresh and salt marsh fish, with each child meeting a fish friend up close. 

At the end of the camp, parents and children shared what they enjoyed most, and answers ranged from the songs, to spending time with my child outdoors, to the instructors, and one four year old's enthusiastic answer of "EVERYTHING!"

The camp was a huge success and has hopefully sparked the sense of wonder and enjoyment in the out of doors for all the participants.  Although we can't offer the programs every day as one camper had hoped, we can't wait to offer it again next year!