Learning Unbound

Due to a difficult family medical/health situation, Learning Unbound will not be able to provide summer camps for 2023. We are hopeful that 2024 will allow us the opportunity to provide hands-on learning experiences for students again.

June 22 (Career Week - Day 3)

Today’s career adventures were based in Dayton, Va. We started off at The Blacksmith Shop. We spent our morning with the farrier and blacksmith, David Brown. David taught us everything there is to know about being a farrier and what a typical day looks like for him. He showed us all types of horse shoes, pads, and other products that he uses when caring for horses’ hooves. He showed us the many tools he uses when working in his shop and told us some memorable stories from his career. David even made a horse shoe while we were there! He began with a simple metal rod, and went through ever step of the process until he had the finished product. After he made the horse shoe, he showed us the anatomy of a horse’s foot with a preserved example. The girls had an absolute blast at the blacksmith shop, and David was very helpful in answering all of these horse-girls’ questions!

We then headed to meet Chrissy Hulvey to talk about her business, Hill View Succulent Arrangements. Chrissy took us down to her magical greenhouse, where she creates beautiful succulent arrangements. She told us about what led her to start her business, and how she operates it today. The girls were in heaven looking at all of the precious little succulents, and could not decide which one was the cutest. This quickly turned into a shopping trip, as they couldn’t resist all of Chrissy’s adorable arrangements. Thank you Chrissy for sharing your journey with the girls, and showing them how fun it is to make a passion into a job!

To eat lunch - we enjoyed the scenery at the silver lake mill. We strolled around the lake and got to see fish, a family of ducks, and a baby turtle. After our walk, we did some painting and enjoyed the nice weather in the shade.

To finish off our day, we went to the Dayton Animal Clinic, LLC. The girls were shown many cool things while here! They got to see a model of a dog’s mouth depending on the condition of its teeth, different preserved specimens of parasites, x-rays that had been taken that day, a urine sample under a microscope, the results of a blood test, the surgery room, a cat with a “lion hair cut”, and also a few groggy doggies waking up from their procedures. With all that we got to see, we were taught so much about animal care and all that goes on in a vet’s office. This was an incredible stop that helped reaffirm some of the girls’ interest in pursuing a career helping animals. Thank you to Dr. Carter and the wonderful ladies at the Dayton Animal Clinic who hosted us and showed how awesome it can be to care for the community’s beloved pets!

June 21 (Career Week - Day 2)

Today we began our discussion of careers with a little science experiment. We talked about how you can take an interest and turn it into a career that you love! I shared with them about how my own love for science and children led me to be a teacher. We talked about the many different science and education jobs I tried before I found my passion as a science teacher. We then practiced thinking like a scientist through a skittles lab. We made a hypothesis and discussed how diffusion works in this experiment.

After our discussion about various science related jobs, we went to F&M Mortgage Harrisonburg. There we met with Veronica Amato who is a mortgage advisor. Veronica spoke with us about her journey of becoming an advisor, and also what her job entails. She also shared about what kinds of things are important to have in place when wanting to buy a home, and the different steps to get started. She spoke with the girls about how they look at an individual’s income, how long they have held the job, and their credit scores when recommending mortgages. The girls learned a lot with Veronica, and they were very excited about the F&M goodies that she shared with us! Thank you Veronica for sharing your passion with us, and for getting the girls excited for the day that they may begin the process of buying a home.

Since our students this week are huge animal enthusiasts, we decided to visit Petco next. While at Petco, we discussed the different jobs that all play into having a successful pet store. We considered not only the positions you see in the store, but also we talked about the people involved with creating and getting the products on the shelves.

After Petco, we went to tractor supply. The girls are very interested in pursuing careers such as being a livestock veterinarian, a professional horse trainer, a horse boarder, a farmer, etc. We went into tractor supply with the goal of “shopping” for the different supplies that would be needed to start their profession of choice. They had a blast pretending to pick out supplies and looking at the prices for what it would take to get started.

To wrap up our day, we went back to the park and played sardines for the last few minutes of camp.

June 20 (Career Week - Day 1)

To begin career week, we visited Pat Mathers at Four Paws Grooming, LLC. Pat spoke to us about how she became a professional groomer and all the fun she has at work every day. She taught us about all of the different grooming tools she uses and what breeds they work best on. She told us stories about some of her most fun canine clients, and how different it is to groom a feline. She showed us some of the dogs that were getting groomed this morning and talked about some of the other tasks she would do later in the day. She also let the girls pick out an accessory for them to bring home to their dogs, as well as a lollipop and an adorable “report card” that they use to give to their clients after a visit. Pat’s passion for her career was immediately evident in the way that she enthusiastically described her work. It was clear how much she loves what she does, and her excitement was contagious! After we left the groomers, the girls were eager to come back when they are old enough to work as apprentices under Pat! Thank you so much Pat for showing the students the importance of pursuing a career that you love! Thanks Four Paws Grooming for the amazing experience and hosting us!

We then continued our journey at the Shenandoah Heritage Market. While exploring the shops, students asked many of the workers questions about their jobs. They made connections with a lot of very fun people and also learned about different opportunities for jobs that they had never thought about before. Of course the girls also did a bit of shopping while walking around, but shopping with a strict budget helped them to also consider the role that finances have when pursuing a job or career.

After the market, we returned to the park where we continued discussing interests that the girls have, and what type of career opportunities would be related to these things that they already enjoy.

To wrap up our day, Shay Smiley, an art teacher and chaperone for the week, taught the students how to make art using leaves for prints. We had a lot of fun gathering our materials and then using them to create a picture.

Today was a great start to our career week!

June 16 (Agriculture Week - Day 3)
We finished off our agriculture week with a trip to Polyface Farm! We explored the farm and got to see a variety of critters. We saw chickens, a feisty rooster, rabbits, sheep, pigs, and a farm dog. We discussed the unique farming techniques used at polyface and just how expensive farming can be depending on the different things farmers do. After we toured the farm, we got to shop in the store. As you can imagine, chocolate milk was a popular purchase from the shop on such a hot day. After eating lunch, we returned to Harrisonburg where we got to make butter to wrap up our fun week.

June 15 (Agriculture Week - Day 2)
Today we visited Woodstone Meadows Stables! We spent our time learning about the different animals at the stables, and the care they require. We were able to participate in farm chores like cleaning out pens, scrubbing buckets and troughs, brushing livestock, and more. Of course, these farm chores were very enjoyable with the cute and furry company we had with us! We were able to see and play with goats, sheep, horses, mules, donkeys, alpacas, cows, peacocks, chickens, pigs, ferrets, bunnies, and a cat (every barn needs a barn cat)! Big thanks to Char Hensley for letting us come explore and help out at the stables!
After a hot day of working in the sun, we ate lunch and got ice cream at Klines before returning to the park to play Sardines until today’s adventures came to an end.

June 13 ( Agriculture Week - Day 1)
Today we began with a little science experiment. We made “lava lamps” using oil, water, food coloring, and alkasetzers. The purpose of this experiment was to focus on making observations and allowing curiosity to drive our questions. This helped students as they each thought of several questions that they would like to ask on our field trip today. We then visited Bryce at GlenDor Farms. Bryce spoke to us about the process that goes into getting beef from farm to table. Students were able to learn about the life of a farmer and all of the hard work that goes into ensuring our community is fed quality beef. We loved getting to see the steers, play with chickens and goats, tour the red barn meat shop, and feel the 2 degree freezer (which was extremely refreshing on such a hot day!) After we left the farm, we went to the park and had time to play some games.

It was an awesome day, and we are all excited for the rest of our week visiting farms!

This year’s camps are now open! Details are as follows:

• Days of learning: Monday--Wednesday.
• Hours: 9am--1pm. Pick up and drop off will be at Purcell Park in Harrisonburg.
• Dates and Focus of the field trips each week:
• June 13-15 AGRICULTURE
• June 20-22 CAREER EXPLORATION
• June 27-29 WATER & FOREST
• Participants ages 9-13 years old

Enrichment activities each day will include a variety of science lessons/experiments, art, and health and exercise.

Most, but not all, field trips will be outdoor trips. We plan to be outdoors each day, unless the weather is too poor for us to be outside. Field trips from the following list are being planned: Lake Shenandoah, Todd Lake, JMU Arboretum, Island Ford, Glendor Farms, Windcrest Holsteins Farm, Polyface or Woodstone Meadows Stables, The Blacksmith Shop, and so much more! Concrete plans will be made on a week to week basis dependent on weather and other factors.

Please email me directly at [email protected] with any questions you may have or to request the application form. You may also message through Facebook messenger with questions.

Learning Unbound 2022!
June 6-8 --Health and Fitness June 13-15--Agriculture
June 20-22--Careers
June 27- 29--Water & Forest

Learning Unbound registration is now open! Don't miss out on educational, Hands-On learning experiences for your middle school-aged children! Message for more information!