Year 6 ~ Overview in pictures!
Highlights of what we’ve been up to!
Fall Camp Darlington Prov. Park
Run the Race ~ Team Jesus
(September 21 & 22, 2024)
Saturday 8 am Arrival – Tent/Bedding Set-Up
Breakfast: Egg on an English Muffin, Melon.
Activity 1: Story ~ Run with Faith: Caleb’s Faith in God: Joshua 14:6-15
Run for Jesus Worksheet
Blindfold Obstacle Course: While blindfolded have faith in your guide to assist you! 1) Crawl through small tunnel 2) place hoop over body 3) lay on your stomach on the stability ball holding out both your arms and legs 4) step on step stool and down 5) at mat roll over 6) then walk the tight rope, lastly hop through the hoops to home.
Activity 2: Story ~ Lift the Weight of Others: Servant Girl in 2 Kings 5:2
Servant Girl Worksheet
Hike to Park/Beach:
Park Playground
Park Beach
No end to the cool looking rocks you can find on the beach!
Looking for fossils inside black rocks. Building a sand castle with a mote of seaweed and feather flags.
Mixing sand and water then using hands to form look-alike sand-nests, add a cool dinosaur/bird egg (rock) for special effect.
Rock Art – using just rocks and a piece of driftwood to create Joseph 2nd in command of Egypt.
Snack: Marshmallow Ball
Lunch: Tortilla Wraps with choice of fillings: Ham, mayonnaise, Peanut Butter, Cheese Slices, Melon, Apple Sauce.
Activity 3: Story ~ Exercise Forgiveness: Joseph in Genesis 50: 15-21
Craft: Peace House
Activity 4: Story ~ Train More Athletes: Paul Training Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:12
Craft: Hand-print
Hike to store for Ice Cream:
Free Play:
Camp Fire: Dinner (Roast Hotdogs) and Veggies, Desert Camp Fire S’mores
Bed: Quiet Reading
7 am Wake Up: Morning Pack-up Camp Gear.
Breakfast: Choc Chip Pancakes, strawberries and vanilla yogurt.
Help take down some tents.
Playground time until parents pick-up at Camp Store.
Getting to Know Each Other Meeting
(September 30, 2024)
Activity Sheet: Two Stars and a Wish (fill in things/activities/ideas they’d like to do at Explorers.)
Craft: Create an Explorers Emblem. Below is one created by one of the girls, we’ve added what each part means to the photo.
Game #1: Get to Know You Gummy Game
“My Name is; I Like…; I Don’t Like….; My favourite colour is?; etc.”
We ask a few different questions, going around the circle each girl responds, while everyone else must try to remember what each girl said, then we go around the circle again this time saying what each girl had answered for that particular question, then we were told we could eat a particular coloured gummy, from the bag of gummies each girl had been given at start of game.
Game #2: Crazy Chairs Game
A circle of chairs equal to number of players. Leader says a statement examples: “If you have the colour red on ~ move two chairs to the left ; or “If you have blue eyes ~ move five chairs to the right” (you sit on whoever is already there). Hilarious pile-ups ensue!
Hampton Food Drive
(October 7, 2024)
We broke into three groups that evening and walked Hampton collecting food items which had been placed either on peoples porches or ends of driveways. We gathered the items into our wagons and Chris Lopak, in his truck, travelled between the three groups so we could transfer items from our filled wagons into his truck. We then gathered back at church where we unloaded the truck into the church to sort and re-box for delivery to the Salvation Army in Bowmanville. Thanks Chris for your help that evening and also for delivering the offerings to the Salvation Army in Bowmanville, here is their thank you letter 2024-10-09 Salvation Army Thank You LTR.
Below is a photo where some of the girls can be seen sorting.
Oct. 14 – No meeting (Thanksgiving).
Night Hike
(October 21, 2024)
It was a lovely evening for our annual hike from Kim’s down into the Enniskillen Conservation Area. We even had a clear sky and could clearly see the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, plus a couple of satellites. Here we are on the Turtle Trail at the pond.
Knox’s Pumpkin Farm
(October 28, 2024)
It was a great visit! Thanks to Knox’s Pumpkin Farm for the wonderful tour, best ever!
We first went to the pumpkin patch where the girls each selected a pumpkin. Then our tour guide took us on an adventure, which consisted of: the corn maze (our guide made some wonderful Halloween noises). Then off to visit the farm shed where our guide introduced us to the scarecrow family and pointed out all antique farm equipment hung about the shed including her trike from when she was a kid. Then our adventure continued as we followed the sound of music, which led us eventually to Storybook land where we saw Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, The Three Little Pigs and Mr. Wolf, and the house of Christopher Robin, with Winnie the Pooh and friends. We then headed over to the home of the witch, she wasn’t there as she’s been stuck in a telephone pole by the corn maze for years, we know we saw her! LOL
We visited the silo and then off to the barn to visit all the animals. The baby chicks were a big hit! Along with all the other animals.
At the end of the evening Kim handed out craft bags for the girls to take home and make Cinnamon Stick Reindeer Ornaments for the Craft Show on Saturday.
Explorers Ornament Fundraiser
at Church Craft Show
(November 2, 2024)
The Hampton Christmas Craft Show and Bake Sale where the Explorers had a table and lots of handmade Christmas Ornaments made by the girls over the years were available for a donation to the Explorers program.
Thanks to everyone who supported us! We raised $408.00!
Nov. 4, 2024 – No meeting.
Women of the Bible Part 1
(November 11, 2024)
As the girls arrived they took turns tracing each others outline onto a large roll of paper. These we will be doing more with next week.
Then the girls broke into three groups and each group was given a women from the bible:
— Helpful Eve
— Nonconformist Mary [Martha’s sister]
— Thankful Sara
Each group read their character’s story and then filled out a worksheet answering these three questions:
— What was their person’s name?
— What were they famous for?
— What characteristics did they have?
Then they had a small skit where they had to determine who would do what part and then practiced it.
Each group presented their woman, first by listing the above facts about her and then performing the related skit.
Next each group learned a song about their woman, to a simple tune, which they then sang for the other girls.
Activity sheet was provided related to their woman and they worked on it as they had free time.
Lastly the girls helped to quickly clean-up as they requested we end the evening with the Crazy Chairs Game.
Nov. 4, 2024 – No meeting.
Women of the Bible Part 2
(November 18, 2024)
Like last week we broke into three groups and each group learned about another woman of the bible and then shared with the rest of the group via a short skit and a song.
Woman we covered were:
— Humble Mary (Mother of Jesus)
— Sharing Woman of Zarepath (Elijah)
— Trusting Elizabeth
Then we gathered around their paper outlines and we discussed the characteristics that make a good friend, as well as pleasing to God, and they wrote those qualities around their outline, then got creative in coloring in their figure of themselves.
Psalm 23 Scripture Mystery Boxes
(November 25, 2024)
Tonight we learned about King David and looked up Psalm 23 in our bibles, then took turns reading the verses. Followed by a short discussion about sheep, shepherds, and Jesus.
Then the girls participated in a “hands-in” reading and 
exploration of Psalm 23 using special “Mystery Boxes.” Using only their hand and sense of touch to identify the verses inside each sensory box and filling in their Mystery Box Worksheet to indicate which box went with which verse. Our mystery boxes pictured below.
They then sequenced the boxes in the correct order and discussed what each verse means to us today.
Boxes were finally opened revealing what was actually inside each box. (Lesson is from Rotation.org Writing Team’s Psalm 23 Lesson Set, as well as 1st and 3rd photos, 2nd photo is showing our mystery boxes.)
Dec. 2, 2024 – No meeting.
Glow Night ~ Black Lights
(December 9, 2024)
As girls arrived they each received a glow-in-the-dark bracelet and a white scrunchy (scrunchies were made by a mom of one of the Explorers) and showed up nicely under the UV lights.
Books of the Bible Flashlight Scavenger Hunt.
At the bottom of the stairwell to the sanctuary was a fish bowl with a set of bible book cards in it and beside it flashlights. Girls were to take a flashlight, pull out a card, and head up the lighted staircase into the totally dark sanctuary. Using their flashlight they went up and down the pews looking for the matching card. Once found they headed back downstairs.
Once downstairs they headed to the large magnetic board which also contained a set of the books of the bible cards, but these were in order of the New Testament and the Old Testament. They were to place one of their matching cards in the basket, attached to the board, and the other matching card they had to place over the correct bible book, using provided magnets. Then it was off to get another bible book card, until all the bible books had been found and placed on the board in the correct order.
Puppets Lip Sync to the song “The B.I.B.L.E” by the VeggieTales
Our hand puppets: 1) Girl’s place a neon colored glove on one hand 2) on their middle finger they put hair, an elastic hair band knotted with wool and ribbon 3) and lastly, again on their middle finger, they added the eyes (a glow-in-the-dark peeper puppet.)
Lyrics were handed out and we all sang along with the VeggieTales.
Then we broke into groups of two to lip sync, using their hand puppet, for the rest of the group.
Craft 1) Nativity Glow Jars
Created with a glass jar, a cricket printed nativity silhouette sticker, silver foil star stickers, and glow-in-the-dark paint done in dots, for stars.
Craft 2) A.C.T.S. Glow-in-the-Dark Prayer Beads
Created using glow-in-the-dark Perle beads and a cross, piece of wool and small split-rings.
Christmas Party
(December 16, 2024)
Started the evening making adorable birch/clay pot nativities.
As the girls finished they moved to stamping Birch circles with Christmas designs. These will be available at next year’s Christmas craft show, at the Explorers table.
Next we worked on a Christmas Hidden Picture Activity sheet as we waited for everyone to finish the above activities.
Then we played the 12 Gifts of Christmas Game. Blessings the girls already had, but were maybe unaware of: a home, family, pets, warm clothes, etc. When done everyone closed their eyes and picked a gift from a box provided, which turned out to be the supplies to make a Peeper Puppet of their own.
We finished the evening with a snack: cookies (thanks to one of the moms) and a drink.
T.H.E.E. Farmer’s Parade of Lights
(December 17, 2024)
Kim, Luanne and four of the Explorers rode in the parade on Eldad United Church Tractor float. Thanks to Ron & Deb Vice of Birchwind Holsteins Farm for allowing us to ride their float.
Fruit of the Spirit
(January 6, 2025)
As the girls arrived we had some fun coming up with dance steps to the the song “Good Fruit” from an old VBS program called “Sun Country Farm” by Gospel Light.
Then we sat in our circle and the girls read the book “9 Fruits Alive~Discover the Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) and outlined or coloured the matching fruit, as it came up in the book, on their Fruit of the Spirit colouring page. We then discussed which Fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, in their lives, did they do well and which fruit they needed to work on, the consensus was patience and self-control were what they needed to improve. A special thanks to Luanne’s friend, Frances Suter, who filled in for Kim tonight!
We followed this with our Fruit of the Spirit craft stick project. Girls had to write the Fruit of the Spirit on jumbo craft sticks and decorate them, then turn them over, in correct order, using rulers to keep them inline, we glued standard sized craft sticks down the back to hold them together, and then glued a wooden ice cream spoon across the top over two of the craft sticks to create a hanger. Idea adapted from teainthewild.com’s A Week of Fruit of the Spirit Crafts and Activities.
Girls asked if they could perform their dances for us.
Snack for the evening was a “Fruit of the Spirit” Kabob. A different fruit was provided for each Fruit of the Spirit (orange, cantaloupe, kiwi, pineapple, blueberry, strawberry, watermelon, melon and banana) and the girls using wooden skewers built their own kabobs. We ran out of time to play Fruit of the Spirit Bingo and so we will save that for a future game’s night.
Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin
(January 13, 2025)
We took turns reading about the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin in the Explorers special Biblical Times Newspaper.
Game #1: “Search for the Lost Sheep and Coins Flashlight Game”
Sheep and coins in advance had been spread around the now dark sanctuary, the goal: grab a flashlight and head upstairs to find 1 sheep and 2 coins (chocolate foil coins) and return them downstairs to the awaiting shepherd and the young girl (place coins in her basket), then head back upstairs to find more, until all the lost, 16 sheep and 40 coins, had been found.
Game #2: “Lost Coin Sweeping Home Game”
Each player takes a broom, then selects one of the colored ping pong balls (coin) sits it on floor outside of door to Centennial Room. Using their broom they must sweep the ball down the two steps, through the Centennial Room under the rainbow obstacle, into the S.S. Hallway, through the two obstacles (tunnel & doorway activity center), then up the ramp where they then place their ball (coin) into the basket. Then they can select another ball (coin) and do it all again until all the “coins” had been swept to “home” then the game was over.
Game #3: “Shepherding Sheep to Safety Balloon Game”
Shepherd the balloon sheep, keeping it on the ground and only using their shepherds staff, guide it through the “dangerous” obstacle course (pylons with either a lion, chef [known to love lamb chops], crow or wolf puppet), safely to the sheep pen (sheep pens made by connecting foam floor tiles sideways).
Shepherd and Sheep Snack Creations.
Jesus is the “Light”
(January 20, 2025)
Let Your Light Shine Activity Sheet
Making lanterns from large coffee cans. First you fill them with water and freeze them (takes a week at least to fully freeze). Using a nail and a hammer with the can on it’s side create a pattern of holes, the more the better. Sit on large folded towels. Make sure open end of can is facing away from you as sometime ice will fly out of it. Put two holes at top for handles, which we added a handle to latter.
Lights OFF, flashlights ON to do Rotation.org’s Writing Teams Advent: Isaiah Promised, Jesus Fulfilled ~ Bible Skills & Games Workshop link.
Tobogganing & Making Ice Cream
(January 27, 2025)
We headed over the the hill behind the Community Center for some nighttime tobogganing carrying a baggie with a container of ice cream making ingredients. Once at the hill we filled our bags with snow, surrounding our ice cream container, with the hope it might freeze by the time we got back to the church, as it was sooo cold outside. Unfortunately, the ice cream had not yet set on our return, so containers were sent home with the girls to go into their freezers so they could eat their homemade ice cream later.
Polar Blast Winter Camp
(February 1, 2025)
Arrival Activity: Look-and-find-Jar filled with rice and 34 items to find.
Breakfast 9 a.m.: Pancakes, sausages, fruit and apple juice/milk.
Activity: Snow in the Bible Fill in the Blank Activity
Craft Rotations:
1) Snowman Hat Craft
2) Air Dry Clay & Baking Clay Christmas Ornaments
3) Sewing Felt Christmas Ornaments
Lunch: English Muffin Mini Pizza, Veggies and Dip, Juice/Milk.
Storytelling: Mary Anoints Jesus Ice Cream Sundays
Tobogganing
Game Rotations:
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- Obstacle Course: walk the balance beam, then crawl through the tunnel, next step along the turtle stepping stones, then sit or lay on a scooter and scoot your way back to the starting point, all the while carrying a snowball on a spoon. Drop the snowball at anytime and it’s back to the start to begin over again!
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- Computers: “Jesus in Space Mission #2: Ice Moon Alpha” Here Lt. Stu helps the Sno-ballians retell the Emmaus Story.
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- Snowball Bucket Toss: 6 buckets set up in a triangle formation on each side. If the player is able to get the ball in the cup that cup is taken away and remaining buckets are moved closer together. Remove all the buckets to win!
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- Snowball Pyramid-Cups-Knock-Down
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- Olaf Snow Ball Bowling
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- Hungry Hungry (Hippo) Snow Girl: Team member laid or sat on the scooter and were pushed (usually by the feet) into the snow ball pile. They were to collect only 2 snow balls and take them back to place in their team’s buckets. Once All snow balls were gone, each team counted the snowballs they’d collected and the team with the most snow balls was the winner.
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- Dodge Ball (Snow Ball Dodge)
Snack: Rice Krispie Balls
Craft Rotation Cont’d
1) Smittens: We cut-out mitten liner patterns from old blankets, sew together, and then cut-out mitten patterns from old wool sweaters for the outside, sew together, making beautiful mittens. Example pictured from a previous year.
Game Rotations Cont’d:
1) Pencil Nose Game
2) Globe Trotters Game (spin on Twister)
Tobogganing (short trip while dinner prepared)
Supper: Spaghetti, Caesar Salad, Milk/Juice, Brownies.
Science Object Lesson (Jesus takes our sins upon himself)
& a Camp Fire Sing-along
Tidy-Up
Outdoor Walk into Park to see Stars. Venus was very bright to the right of the moon!
Pick-up 7:15 pm
Valentine Meeting
(February 10, 2025)
We made Valentine Cards to be given out on Sunday at church and we also made Valentine Cards for someone special to us. They also decorated cupcakes and cookies to take home to share with their family members. We finished up playing the “Fruitz of the Spirit” Card Game.
Feb. 17, 2025 – No Meeting (Family Day)
Games Night
(February 25, 2025)
Tonight we had fun playing several games with small prizes, one being for their hat that had a small fruit charm attached to it:
1) Fruit of the Spirit Bingo
2) Mancala ~ an Egyptian game that would have been played with stones in bible times.
3) Scramble ~ a classic shape matching race game to place the shapes in the proper spaces before the timer runs out and your shapes go flying. This game was neat because two people could play against each other.
4) Outburst Junior ~ got their minds ticking as they race to shout out as many possible “Things you can tell a Dog to Do” trying to get all 10 things listed on that card. Some others they had fun figuring out were: “Things on the Playground” and “Thing you find in or by a Pond”.
Parachute Games
(March 3, 2025)
Tonight we played several parachute games:
1) Floating Baby Moses Down the Nile River
2) Crossing the Red Sea
3) Tent Living 40 Years in the Wilderness
4) Flying Quail
5) Collecting Manna
6) Call of the Disciples
7) Jonah Parachute Story
8) Fruit of the Spirit
March 10, 2025 – No Meeting (March Break)
Packing Love Boxes & VeggieTale Dance Pad
(March 17, 2025)
Great fun duel or duet dancing with the “VeggieTales Dance Dance Dance Pads”. Dance pad video games involve stepping up, left, right, and down when the arrows on the screen match the boxes on the screen. We had two games running in different rooms to allow two teams of two to play. There are a ton of songs to choose from and different difficulty levels from easy to really hard. It’s a blast to play.
Tonight everyone also brought supplies to fill “Love Boxes” for The Super Sophia Project. The love boxes go to kids in hospital with cancer, in our case we chose to pack for teen girls as they receive less boxes for this age group. The girls sorted the supplies, then packed the two boxes we had. We had enough left over for several more boxes which will be sent in with our filled boxes for them to use as fillers.
March 24, 2025 – Meeting Cancelled.
Jesus Feeds the 5000
(March 31, 2025)
Tonight we started off with the girls making their hat craft for Jesus Feeding of the 5000. We then moved to the Movie Theater were they took turns reading the storybook “The Big Picnic”. At the end of the evening they finished their hat craft by adding string and received a picture to colour that included the story along with a snack of Fish & Bread (crackers).
We did a mad-lib version to the song “Baby Shark”, but inserting words relating to today’s story (words like: caring, kindness, sharing, love, faith, etc.)
Then we split up and some girl’s headed to our makeshift shower outside the movie theater and performed the song using our new lyrics, while the others watched the action live on the TV in the movie theater. We then switched places so the others could perform as well.
After everyone had a turn we all gathered back in the movie theater and played back all the performances, so the girls could see themselves in action.
This lesson is by Rotation.org’s Writing Team: Jesus Feeds the 5000 “Singing in the Shower” Workshop Music ~ Drama ~ A-V Workshop link.
Easter ~ Palm Sunday to Jesus in the Temple
(April 7, 2025)
Craft: Tonight we finger painted a cross picture. Here you tape (blue used) a cross shape onto a blank canvas, then dip fingers in various acrylic paint colors and press them on canvas around cross. When done painting the tape is removed. (Idea was from here link.)
Games: At each station we heard the story of Palm Sunday or Jesus in the Temple, then played a related game. Some of the games from “Tina Houser’s Easter-rific! teaching kids… It’s More than Just One Day!”
1) Clip Clop*
2) A Cloak Path*
3) The Stones Will Cry Out (fun with Buzz Magnets)
4) Sneaky Temple Merchants*
5) Rotten Eggs.*
Followed by a Palm Sunday Donkey Quiz* ~ who had been listening 
.
Easter ~ Last Supper to Resurrection
(April 14, 2025)
Craft: Terracotta Empty Tomb Garden
Snack: Empty Tomb (Donut with a Timbit)
Games: At each station we heard the story of the Last Supper through to the Resurrection, then played a related game. Some games* from the book “Tina Houser’s Easter-rific! teaching kids… It’s More than Just One Day!”
1) It All Happened At Dinner*
2) Who Betrayed Jesus?*
3) No, Not Me!*
4) First Easter Board Game (Easter Story Match-up)
5) Spreading the “Good News”
April 20, 2025 – No meeting (Easter Monday).
April 28, 2025 – No meeting (Federal Election).
May 5, 2025 – Camp Preparedness
& Faith Through the Roof
We started out the evening testing out a new game for rotation.org’ Writing Team for the story of Jesus and the Paralyzed Man.
Then we tested out our memories by looking at a table full of Emergency Camp Supplies, then gathering to write all they could remember out of the 26 items.
Then we played our all time favourite “Emergency Preparedness Game.”
And finally we practiced putting up a tent from start to finish, then taking it down and packing it up.
May 12, 2025 – Park Play and Ice Cream
Last meeting until fall where if weather is nice, and until the bugs drive us out, we head to the park for some free play and then to the store for Ice Cream which we take back to the church to enjoy.
June 6-8 – Camping Ferris Provincial Park
Theme: Joseph’s Colourful Coat
Friday
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- 6pm: Drop Off, Set-up Tents and Beds.
- Campfire: Popcorn over Fire.
- 6pm: Drop Off, Set-up Tents and Beds.
Saturday
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- 7am: Up and Dressed
- Breakfast: pancakes, sausages, fruit (strawberries, melon & cantaloupe), mile & apple juice.
- Camp Hat Joseph Keepsake, Mini Joseph Book and Stained Glass Crosses.
- Tye Dye T-Shirts.
- Joseph Wind Socks.
- HIKE (from start to finish we travelled over 12,000 steps!!) with lots of interesting things to see along the way. As we travelled we also kept an eye out for a list of scavenger hunt items and when they found something they got Luanne to take a photo of it, many can be seen in the below slideshow.
- Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge.
- Trent Severn Waterway Lock 13, crossing the bridge we walked up to the to watch the boats transverse the lock. The large boat pictured, was captained by a gentleman who chatted with the girls from his boat and when he learned they were the Explorers from Hampton United Church camping at the park, he told us that he also attends church, the United Church in Paris, Ontario!
- Lunch: we sat on the grass under a tree by Lock and enjoyed our lunch – meat & cheese wraps (girls had made for the journey) and brownies.
- Hike continued, back across the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge and continuing onward to just outside the park to the Campbellford Splash Pad and Playground. Here the girls had great fun getting very very wet!!
- As we retraced our way back into the park we came upon a trail of painted rocks that started with this sign
“I’m Just a ROCK SNAKE… Here to make you SMILE. Paint a rock to ADD to my BODY … And HELP me grow a MILE..”
Next time we do this same hike we will be sure to decorate and add our stones to the pathway!
- Quiet Games: Yahtzee, Mancala, or Uno.
- Snack: Ice Cream Bars from the park store.
- Crafts: Glimp Friendship Bracelets and colouring a stained glass effect picture (Luanne’s shown later in her LR window, a lovely memory from camp!).
- Dinner: hotdogs the girls cooked over fire with a side of Caesar Salad.
- Campfire: Marsh mellow Cone S’mores wrapped in tinfoil, placed at edge of fire to melt the choc and marshmallows inside the cones.
Sunday
- 7 am: Up and dressed.
- Breakfast: Egg, bacon & cheese McMuffins or toast, and fruit.
- Pack-up, take down tents (everyone pitches in).
- Park play.
- 10 am pick-up.
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