This two-week summer day program, running from July 29 -- August 9, will introduce 16 children ages 11-13 to an intensive, but very fun, exploration of the ways water fits in our lives.

Using many of the facilities of the Bard College at Simon's Rock campus, the camp will be overseen by a group of Simon's Rock professors who will guide the participants through the different activities that are planned. Explorations of water will include: Water as Food -- The participants will plant lettuce and radishes on the first day of the program in the community garden on the campus. Each day, they will take time to water their plantings and assess their growth. Environmental Scientist Tom Coote will explain the different methods used in growing food and let the participants decide on the best practice for long-term food growth -- organic or fertilizer based? Water as Life -- Samples will be taken from the pond on campus, the Kilpatrick pool and the tap and then analyzed to see what is in there besides h2o. Led by biologist Erin McMullin, the samples will be introduced to petri dishes and then the growths observed under a microscope. There will also be a field trip to the Great Barrington Waste Water Treatment Plant to see how we clean our water once it is "dirtied."

Water as Recreation -- Swim lessons and pool time will finish each day. We will also hike to Lake Mansfield for a swim and paddle with canoes. We will also take whitewater rafts and float down the Housatonic River. This trip will include Anthropologist Katie Bosworth who will talk about the history of the river and how it has changed over the past century from an industrial dump to wildlife sanctuary. Water as Power -- The participants will explore how moving water can be used to make energy. Using small scale hydroelectric generators, the students will set up a mini hydroelectric system by the dam at the far end of the campus.

https://simons-rock.edu/