BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Camp is in session at Mass Audubon's Boston Nature Center.
The nature-based organization runs 17 camps across the Commonwealth and just over the border into New Hampshire. Mass Audubon Director of Camps Meghan Haslam said there’s a lot of prep work that needs to be done to make sure every one of them is ready for the kids.
“It’s ten months of prep for two months of camp,” Haslam said. “We’re doing everything from talking about behavioral management to how you’re going to design a lesson plan, to practicing games because some counselors might not have run a game before.”
Haslam mentioned how they try to craft their curriculums around the specific natural environment of the camp and the age of the campers themselves, while keeping it equally fun for everyone.
“We really work on basing the curriculum on the nature that’s at that particular camp,” she said. “We’re always looking to adjust things. So for example, if we’re just identifying the lifecycle of a frog with those younger campers, we’re not only going to identify it with those older campers, but we might do a data collection activity where they’re actually collecting data on a pond and then providing that to Mass Audubon researchers.”
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One of the camps is located at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan, and Haslam feels it’s a great way to show that even in the state's biggest city, nature is always close by.
“[We're] offering a nature experience right here in Boston,” Haslam said. “We have this beautiful sanctuary with lots of trails, boardwalks, wetlands, forests, all sorts of things, and campers being able to experience that and recognize that it is in their own backyard and that we have to work hard to protect it I think is super valuable and something super special about BNC.”
She also mentioned how BNC’s accessibility for those from the city is another major highlight.
“I also think that being in this place where we’re really accessible by public transportation, making opportunities available for people who may not be able to be dropped off by car to come here, is a huge plus," Haslam said.
More information about Mass Audubon and their camps can be found here.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.