Free music program included with Earthcare Day Camp

PEACE Lutheran Church participates each summer in Earthcare Day Camp during the third week in July in downtown Grass Valley.

PEACE Lutheran Church participates each summer in Earthcare Day Camp during the third week in July in downtown Grass Valley.

Bees, butterflies, bats and barn owls visit this summer to teach children to care for sacred creation. They arrive during Earthcare Day Camp, July 17-20 in downtown Grass Valley.

Through storytelling, science, crafts and even recreation, children will learn that the very air we breathe forms a part of the web of life. It sustains us all on this planet – and we humans have a special role in protecting that web!

Science teacher Amy Pugel, of PEACE Lutheran Church, assists with fun experiments that demonstrate scientific principals — underscoring science as God’s blueprint for creation.

 “We are Stewards of Sacred Creation” is the theme of Earthcare Day Camp. It’s our updated version of Vacation Bible School, organized by five western Nevada County churches and operated at Grass Valley United Methodist Church, 236 S. Church St. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Thursday during the third week in July.

Cost: $20 per child, and $5 for each additional child in a family. Ask about a scholarship – no child will be turned away! Cost includes a healthy snack.

A free program teaching hand chimes runs from 12 to 12:30 p.m. daily. It’s a great way to learn to play a musical instrument on the very first day – even without any prior musical experience!

A family program highlighting the children’s projects, crafts and music concludes the camp at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the church.

Young stewards of the Earth

Children may learn how to play chimes in a free, half-hour session after each day of Earthcare Day Camp starting at 12 p.m. daily.

Children may learn how to play chimes in a free, half-hour session after each day of Earthcare Day Camp starting at 12 p.m. daily, July 17-20.

Children will plant milkweed seeds to grow at home, offering food for butterflies. Local bee keepers and representatives from Nevada County Master Gardeners will explain the importance of butterflies and bees in the ecosystem and in growing food. Animal ambassadors from Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release will bring alive the important role of raptors.

Children also will learn how plants keep our air clean. Even indoors, plants such as Boston ferns, spider plants and chrysanthemums help filter out airborne poisons from common items such as paper towels, rubber and laundry detergent.

Earthcare Day Camp’s goal is to help children “understand God’s creation and our responsibility to take care of it,” co-director Barbara Dean said. Bible stories and verses lay a foundation for the curriculum.

Learn more

About Earthcare Day Camp: Call (530) 272-1946 or email to gvumc at gv-umc.org.

About programs for children and families at PEACE Lutheran Church.

About getting involved at PEACE Lutheran Church.