After an early morning rain shower, we began the day with the weekly update of our recipe binders and a rousing series of stretches.

The Sylvia Center group got straight to work on a big, delicious lunch: consisting of simple tomato sauce, fresh lasagna, homemade ricotta cheese, broccoli and salad from the garden. Campers learned the science behind cheese making, using lemon juice to curdle milk and then hanging it up to strain in a cheese cloth. They also learned how to roll pasta dough into noodles. Everyone harvested basil from the garden and worked together to make a tomato sauce. Then, we assembled the lasagna, layering noodles with sauce, cheese, and basil.

Meanwhile, other campers took turns working in the garden and completing the Egg Carton Scavenger Hunt. In the garden, we cultivated a vegetable bed and amended it using sifted compost. We worked together to build 3 new trellises and planted a few varieties of winter squash. During the scavenger hunt, students roamed through the garden collecting objects that matched corresponding adjectives such as “soft” and “sturdy” or “fragrant” and “odorless.” When their egg cartons were full, they brought them back to the whole group where everyone had a chance to guess each other’s adjectives. We learned about biodiversity and how we have such a diversity of life right here in Swindler Cove.

 After an incredible lunch, we were lucky to welcome a guest speaker to camp, Melba, an emergency room doctor who lives in Inwood. She discussed how food can be used as medicine and how important it is to eat healthy food in order to keep our bodies strong. We learned about how blood flows through our bodies and brings us oxygen and how this process can be disrupted when we eat food that’s bad for us. Finally, we discussed health problems that can arise from eating unhealthy food and learned what we can do in case someone close to us has a heart attack. Each of us had a chance to practice our CPR skills, so we can save a life someday!

Today we began camp with some intense yoga. The campers learned the eagle pose and did an awesome flow of the sun salutation which left the campers all very relaxed. After stretching the group separate into three different stations. Station one was the cooking station. Today's menu consisted of corn grits with tomatoes and garlic, sauteed kale and collard greens with raisins, and whole wheat baguettes with chive butter. " I'm slicin' and dicin'!", one camper said while chopping garlic.

Station 2 taught the campers all about what kinds of foods give you the energy to 'go', 'grow', and 'glow'. Carbohydrates give bodies the energy to 'go', foods that contain proteins help the body to 'grow', and foods that give your body vitamins and nutrients give you a healthy 'glow'. For this activity campers looked through magazines and cut out foods that fit all three categories to make collages in their journals.

Over at station 3, the campers observed the difference between animal and plant cells under a microscope. They also studied what foods can be used for to prevent health problems. "Vitamin C can be found in...ORANGE JUICE!"

After all three stations were finished, the group sat down to enjoy the lovely lunch that was very nicely prepared and tasty. Once lunch was over and the tables were cleared, the campers participated in some relaxing gardening work. Some campers composted, some watered, and others rotated soil. The full day came to an end with some fun games. Off the campers went home, nice and tired and eager to come back tomorrow. Until next time at the cove!

It was another beautiful day in Swindler Cove,and the campers came streaming in with bustles of energy and enthusiasm for what was ahead.

Following the routine schedule, we began the day with stretching and warming up our bodies. After we were all warm and ready, the campers learned about how much drinking water we consume, and how little fresh water the world has. This was discussed so the kids would have an idea of how precious water is, and to let them build awareness for the last activity of the day.

After we discussed the global issue, we broke off into two groups. Group one cooked with the Sylvia Center. The campers learned all about exotic spices and bravely sampled and smelled each one.
Regarding Sumac, one camper exclaimed, "It actually smells like JELLY BEANS!

While the other group was cooking, group two learned about what nutrients come from certain foods. They now understand that each vegetable can help your body in many ways and under any health conditions.

Lunch time came and went, and everyone enjoyed the wonderfully cooked meal the campers graciously prepared for the camp. Today we had rice with coconut milk and minty fruit salad. It was delicious!

After lunch, we had a guest from Van Luien Ice Cream. He talked to the kids about how to make artisan ice cream.



To finish the day, we had a water relay race that tied in with the lesson we had in the morning. The kids were wet and tired, but overall we had an awesome day in the cove! Can't wait until tomorrow!

14 aspiring health nuts met up in the El Cataño Community Garden for the second installment of the Healthy Eating and Wellness Series. This workshop’s focus was on summer--a season full of high energy and plenty of outdoor activities. While it is a time of fun and family, it is very easy to feel bogged down and sluggish from the hu...midity and heat.
Educator Noah Goldstein focused his discussion on cooling tips and foods to eat that help eliminate heat from the body. Most of us are familiar with the summer foods which have high water content - watermelon, cucumber, celery- all act as diuretics to help flush excess heat from the body while simultaneously cooling it from the inside. We also discussed some fun facts about the foods which are in season and can be purchased fresh from our grocery stores or farmers markets. Cilantro is an incredibly important addition to any city dweller’s diet- it helps rid the body of heavy metals! Dark leafy greens have a higher calcium content than any dairy product and also aid digestion. There are certain foods which should be avoided in excess in the summer if possible including dairy, meat, and simple carbohydrates- all trap mucus and heat and reduce energy.

After the discussion the participants broke into two groups to make two delicious and cooling summer dishes. The first: a watermelon, cucumber, tomato and mint salad with mint picked fresh from the herb containers in the garden! The second: a ginger sesame buckwheat noodle salad- both ginger and buckwheat aid digestion which helps increase energy. We washed down the salads with some home-brewed iced mint and lotus root tea. Everyone took home a coupon for one free organic valley product and a great reusable glass Tupperware container- perfect for taking home prepared summer foods out on the go.

The day began with thunder and lightening, campers had opening circle and breakfast in the Peter Jay boathouse. During opening circle, the group decorated visors with their names and figured out the answers to 2 brain busters. After the storms passed, the group split into three teams. One group went to work in the garden to harvest potatoes and another group discovered the carbon footprint left by different foods and what the effect is when one buys fruit grown locally or across the world. The third group headed to the kitchen to prepare today's wonderful, colorful Texan meal.

The students regrouped together for lunch. After a moment of silence -- taken to appreciate the time and effort that went into the meal, they dug in. At the table, the campers spoke about where they wanted to travel and their favorite day from this past school year. The staff let the campers play while they did a speedy cleanup.

After playing an intense game of “Seaweed,” a camp favorite, the campers broke into their three teams – the Kungfoo Gardeners, the Red Angels and the Heartbreakers – to participate in camp Olympics. The campers raced one another for points. They passed a hoop around a circle without breaking hold of one another’s hands. Overall, a gloomy day turned quite sunny!

A flock of children and their parents joined farmer, Bee Ayer, for a Fun with Chickens workshop at the largest chicken coop in Brooklyn! The workshop began with chicken bingo - everyone traipsed about the garden searching for chickens dusting themselves, black chickens, molting chickens, chickens eating compost, etc. W...e then brainstormed what these chicks need in order to live happy lives - food, shelter, love, and friends (chickens are very social animals)!

The next activity was learning the difference between factory farmed animals and free range animals. Two brave volunteers took on the arduous task of acting out the day and the life of each type of chicken. Needless to say, it became very obvious that spending all day in a box that is your one and only place to play, eat (corn only), sleep, and poop is very unappealing. Then we went out on an egg hunt, collecting over a dozen eggs in all different colors.

The workshop finished up with chicken catching- every child had a chance to hold a chicken or try to catch one on their own. There were 4 successful captures! Click here to see more photos!

This morning the campers got to decorate their recipe books with markers and crayons. Inspired, apparently, by the camp programming, one camper wrote on their binder, “Peace, Love, and Cooking”. Looks like they’re starting to get it! The campers then broke up into two groups – one that cooked with the Sylvia Center until lunchtime and one that rotated through two stations, both focusing on this week’s theme of Food and the Community.

One of the stations had the campers working to sift compost in order to put fill up one of the empty beds in the Children’s Garden. Lifting heavy shovels and emptying them onto the grate, they encouraged each other to use their muscles to lift more shovels worth of compost and push the heavy wheelbarrows up the hill towards the garden. Exhausted on the way up, the kids somehow had the energy to race back towards the compost pile, eager and ready for the next load.

The second station worked at the garden beds adding in the loads of compost coming from the other campers while also adding in peet moss in order to balance out the nutrients. Using shovels and rakes, all of the campers got to get their hands dirty, use their strong muscles, and learn all about how the community compost contributes to the health of the plants in the garden.



The other half of the campers worked with Holly from the Sylvia Center making lunch for the whole camp. The meal was also oriented around the Food and the Community theme as the campers cooked dishes inspired by typical Italian, Colombian, and Vietnamese food. Cutting vegetables and fruits as well as learning other food preparation techniques, the campers proudly carried over the platters of food to the impeccably set tables. One camper gloated, as he was carrying over the food, “They’re going to love it!” At each table during lunch, campers and counselors went through different prepared discussion cards, happily discussing what super power they would have, what their favorite movies and colors are, and what three people in the world they would invite to dinner. We’re all getting to know each other better and better each day!

Testing out their knowledge from the week, all of the campers then played a game of Thursday Jeopardy, with questions about all parts of camp, from the lesson plans earlier in the week to lessons from today that they learned from the Sylvia Center. The campers left full, happy, exhausted, and soaking wet from the slip-n-slide we played at the end of the day. A perfect way to end the week!

On Tuesday, July 6th, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) welcomed 30 New York City youth to the first day of our third annual Summer Camp program. Taking place in NYRP’s Swindler Cove Park, this year’s camp will connect participating students – ages 8 to 12 – to the process of how food travels from garden plot to family table.

Despite the sizzling summer heat, an array of smiling faces excitedly began six weeks of exploring and interacting with New York City’s great outdoors. Focused on teaching kids how to make informed, healthy food choices, this year’s Summer Camp is engaging each students’ inner green thumb by first teaching them how to care for and grow the food they eat every day.
By the end of this years camp, students will have gained the necessary skills and awareness to make nutritious decisions and meals for themselves and their families that contribute to an overall improved lifestyle.

Throughout the summer, campers will work together to harvest a variety of vegetables from NYRP’s very own Riley-Levin Children’s Garden, which they will then use to cook healthy, organic meals for lunch each day. Eggplant, squash, green beans, lettuce and cucumbers are just a few of the tasty treats that these budding gardeners are going to learn how to grow, cook and enjoy – many of which these students are experiencing for the first time.

Along the way, the campers will take field trips; conduct experiments; go camping; eat delicious food; welcome guest chefs, nutritionists, and farmers; and have a whole lot of fun!

Follow NYRP on Facebook  and Twitter to get daily updates on all of our Summer Camp adventures!

This summer, NYRP is piloting a Community Garden Docent Program – an initiative to promote expanded public access to our community gardens and increase neighborhood participation in all of our green spaces. Launching in four gardens this summer, this program will take root in our Bedford-Stuyvesant, The Home Depot and 103rd Street community gardens and Creston Jungle Playground before branching out to other NYRP gardens in 2011.

Serving as NYRP ambassadors at all four sites, our docents will assist our Community Development team in fulfilling several garden responsibilities, including opening garden gates, answering community members questions, and coordinating volunteer events. Each week, docents will provide orientation information to prospective garden members and supply membership agreements and garden guidelines. Additionally, these garden representatives will act as the eyes and ears of the organization’s community outreach efforts by interacting with community members during public open hours, at monthly garden meetings and at events located throughout each neighborhood.

Every week, they will be responsible for nominating a local resident or business for NYRP’s Random Acts of Greenness Award. For those gardeners interested in learning about tree care, docents will also be on site to both care for existing trees and provide residents with information on how to adopt trees on their own.

Follow the daily experiences of our docents by joining us on Facebook and Twitter today!

On June 12th, more than 125 New York City families came together to experience NYC’s great outdoors at NYRP’s 4th Annual Family Day celebration. Held in Swindler Cove Park, this daylong event focused on the value of families and the incredible opportunity nature provides for fun time together.

Families spent the day enjoying music and freshly made vegetable salsas, while they hiked through the park and participated in a series of hands-on activities geared toward learning how to be green together. Additionally, NYRP’s staff led attendies in a variety of educational games and programs, including a live raptor show from Talons! Bird of Prey, gardening demonstrations and free family nature portraits.

The event culminated with an environmentally themed spelling competition in which one lucky nature-maniac proved she was the queen green bee and won two round trip tickets from JetBlue Airlines.