Sunshine Parenting: Ep. 148: Connecting with Nature & Each Other During COVID with Ariella Rogge

Ep. 148: Connecting with Nature & Each Other During COVID with Ariella Rogge

Jul 17, 2020

This week I'm bringing you my chat with long-time camp director Ariella Rogge of Sanborn Western Camps. Ariella has a TON of amazing ideas for activities we can do to encourage our kids to explore nature. She also shares connection tips families can use to stay close during COVID-19.

About Ariella

Ariella began her career at Sanborn when she was twelve. After five years as a camper and five years as a staff member she continued her work with young people as a high school teacher. She and her family returned to camp in 2001 and she became Program Director at High Trails. In 2013, she became Director. Ariella received a B.A. in English from Colorado College and is a certified secondary English educator and WEMT. She has been active in developing Outcomes-Based Research for the ACA and often presents at national and regional conferences.

Watch our Chat

Links to Instructions & Downloads for Activities we Discussed

NATURE NUGGETS #2: Nature Bingo

NATURE NUGGETS #4: 100 Inch Hike

NATURE NUGGETS #5: Nature Scavenger Hunt

Question Strategy:
"I THINK, I NOTICE, IT REMINDS ME OF, I WONDER..."

"... makes them feel different about the world around them." quote

Maintaining & Building Connections

Virtual dinner get -togethers

"real" letters

Keeping a record of this historical time - journals, recordings

Find Your Summer Self - Fun, laughter, being outside, engaging with other people, eating good food, having really long, full days packed with all sorts of adventure.

"How do we capitalize on the spaces we do have?"

"It's recalibrating how we are connecting with people in interesting ways."

Audrey: This is a time I think that we can all use to sort of reconnect with what's important and regroup, kind of like a refresh of our lives because we have to, we don't really have any other options.

Ariella: I think that's a huge part of this experience is everybody has to have a sense of humor.

"Everybody has to have a sense of humor."

CAMP VALUE

18:43-19:05 (CAMPS as a resource)

19:39-20:00 - OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH

"It's only in challenge that we grow. And this is definitely a challenging time for all of us, and yet I think it provides us with a lot of opportunities, too."