2023 Banneker Kids’ Camp

On a warm week in July of 2023, two Artists for Climate Awareness members led participants of Banneker Kid’s Camp in Bloomington, IN in outdoor craft activities related to the environment.

• On July 11, Sara Steffey McQueen led the group in making baskets and ropes from cattails and willows.
• On July 14, Chandra Craig Rettinger led the kids in an activity entitled, “The Frog, the Bee & the Tree in a Happy Habitat of Three.”

Read the descriptions below!

On July 11, Sara Steffey McQueen explained the importance of cattail plants in the ecosystem and recommended when possible to make things from available natural resources instead of buying them. It was a warm day in the shade and the kids preferred physical activity to a sedentary craft, so the group used a handcrafted willow rope  to do the Limbo dance! The top four winners received the four available cattail heads.

On July 14, Chandra Craig Rettinger opened with a brief talk on the meanings of ecological and biological terms and why these are important for a healthy planet. As the children crafted frogs, toads, bees, and trees from recyclable materials, they talked about biomes, habitats, and ecosystems and learned about symbiosis. After the creations were made, the group placed their creations into their respective habitats in the garden.