Kids’ Nature Kamp (KNK) in San Saba’s awesome parks was a huge success again this year, the 9th annual event! Fifty kampers from age 6 to 11 enjoyed three days of fun beginning in San Saba Nature Park on May 29. Throughout the park and west Risien Park, kids learned about harvesting honey from beehives and the importance of the busy pollinators and the healthy benefits of the products we get from them from Kelly Murray, presenter, and her assistant, Macye McDowell.
Celia Bell taught a session on the Rhythms in Nature having the kampers make bird calls from paper towel tubes, try out a firefly light in “the dark”, and teaching them a peppy chant. Assisting her was Callie Nelms.
Dr. Jim Conyers shared his knot tying skills with kampers and led them in tying some awesome strands of wearable bracelets. He was assisted by Cindy Sloan, Ruby McBee, and Emily Mays.
Sarah Saldivar and Marci Butler led their five different groups in Recycling and Putting Waste in its Place by demonstrating the use of reusable paper and cardboard in making craft flowers and decorations. Each Kamper made a few.
Debbie Shahan and Mona McMahan completed the fifth lesson offering of the day with presenting journals for the Kampers to decorate and use for the week while serving a delicious snack of Bird Nests treats complete with robin eggs and bananas.
The second day of KNK was held in beautiful Mill Pond Park with our game warden, Mason Murr, bringing the Wildlife Trailer for kids to view and sharing pertinent information on rules and regulations of hunting and trapping in our area. He was assisted by Jackson Thornton.
Kids trekked to the gazebo to make Nature Craft thank you cards using recycled textiles and decorations. Barbara Bell prepared the crafting materials and was assisted by Rebecca Britton, Ruby McBee, and Emily Mays. Some sweet sentimental thoughts were shared in the kampers notes to leaders.
Stephanie Falkner and Donna McKinney were all set at the Joe Ragsdale Pavilion waiting for kampers to assemble Enchanted Gardens using twigs, pebbles, snails, and plants atop the soil they placed in cute containers furnished by Fancy Flowers at 11th St. Market. Assisting were Marci Butler, Riley and Gage Falkner.
Kiddos learned from Buddy Whitley and Sarah Saldivar about our rich water resources found right at the bottom of Mill Creek bubbling up near Church Street side. The water keeps flowing right over the dam where Kampers got to float rubber duckies to see whose duck would win the race downstream below the San Saba Garden Club clubhouse. Assisting at this session were Callie Nelms, Macy McDowell, and Wiley Murray retrieving the duckies along with City Parks Department personnel.
Great snacks to go along with a Pollinators Lesson were provided by Mona Mc-Mahan and Debbie Shahan at the clubhouse. Chenille stick “pollinator antennae” were wrapped around a finger and placed into dusty Cheese Puffs in their flower bowl to illustrate the action of insects looking for nectar in the pistil of the flower. Each Kamper found the nectar (Starburst candy) in the bottom of the flower! Sandra Vaughn added fruit pieces to the snack time.
Last day of 2024 Kids’ Nature Kamp found the enthusiastic group back in Mill Pond Park following an inch of rain just hours earlier but fired up and ready to experience some nature fun. They found out about growing plants found in the beautifully planted beds by the San Saba Parks Department. Buddy Whitley assisted with a presentation on Worms that live in our rich soil-Wormology 101, by Sarah Saldivar. Each Kamper got to take home his/ her personal earthworm to release later.
Shae Luther, from the State of Texas Water Board, drove from Austin to be a presenter on watersheds and how we use them to save our rich resource of rainfall. Assisting Shae were Scott Edmonson and Cindy Sloan.
Exploring the Mill Creek is a favorite presentation done each year at KNK, and Elizabeth McBee continued the tradition leading kids to view creek creatures underwater with seethrough buckets, seines, and nets. Bare feet and wet bottoms are okay, and assisting were Callie Nelms, Johana Huff, and Ruby McBee.
The game warden came back with his fishing gear for all the kids! Mason Murr and the SS City Parks Department along with Jackson Thornton helped Kampers fish in Mill Pond bringing many smiles to the fishermen!
Rounding out the events of the last day were Debbie Shahan and Mona McMahan in the clubhouse dishing out dirt cups laden with worms for a tasty snack and taking surveys to see how the kids were going to appreciate nature for the rest of their summer break from school! A lively game of nature names was enjoyed by each group.
This Kamp would not be possible without all the workers who volunteer! Leading our kids in groups were Lucia Martinez, Ami Whitley, Jazmin Guitterrez, Kathleen Hawkins, Raylee Wood, Karen Gill, Noelle Wood, Carol Gibson, Evelyn Davila, Cissy Williams, and Valeria Macias. Wayne Yarborough and Gale Ivy provided water and snacks for the adult and teen volunteers each day and ran errands in the ATV. Marcie Butler served as kamp nurse, tending to scratches and itches. Paula Wood gave instructions and encouragement to all each day. San Saba News & Star took a group photo for us our first day at the nature park. We are indebted to the City of San Saba for allowing us to use the parks and facilities these days, the San Saba Garden Club for the use of their clubhouse, and supporting us monetarily, and to the Keep San Saba Beautiful Commission for the office work they handle for the Kamp registration and t-shirt orders. Thanks, San Saba City Manager Scott Edmonson for checking on us and keeping us safe, and thanks to Gale Ivy, Sarah Lott, Marjean Alexander, and other Garden Club members for making special treats for our special volunteers. Kampers received t-shirts with the Mill Pond Park waterwheel displayed on them, backpacks from Atmos Energy leftovers Paula McGregor gave us, and journals, plus many informational handouts on Conservation, Recycling, and Taking Care of Texas! Paula Wood, Cindy Sloan, Sarah Saldivar, and Debbie Shahan are the members of the steering committee for the annual Kids’ Nature Kamp.
A Great Time was had by all!!
See additional photos on Page 11.