Being a Counselor at Red Gate Farm

We are delighted to share an interview with Elizabeth Rennert, one of our amazing counselors from summer 2022!

1. What made you want to be a counselor at Red Gate Farm? 

I’ve always loved working with children and being outside, and this seemed like a perfect way to combine them. I had some farm experience prior to this summer, but I was excited to learn more!

2. What's a favorite memory you have from this summer?

One of my favorite memories came during the “Cone Hunt” portion of Farm Olympics. Each team was tasked with finding as many small soccer cones as possible, hidden all across the farm. When the hunt was first announced, my team huddled up, consulted our very detailed map, and made an elaborate plan to cover the whole farm. We split up into pairs and sent one pair into the woods, another into the garden, and the third up to the sheep and chicken pastures. As soon as the hunt began, the teams ran off in search of the coveted cones. I headed to the garden with two campers and we searched high and low, peering behind plants and poking into the garden shed. We went up and down each row, shouting “I got a five!” and “I found a 15!” as we discovered the cones. We were sure we had gotten all of them in the garden, and were ready to move onto the cabin circle, when Jake walked by and laughed, saying “There’s at least one more!” After about another five minutes of meticulous searching, turning over individual leaves, we finally took a step back and found the last cone, balanced perfectly on top of the scarecrow’s head! 

Another favorite memory came during the very first day of day camp. My campers and I were exploring the stream, and playing around in the mud. One camper stepped into a shallow-looking puddle that unbeknownst to us was actually quick-mud (a combination of quicksand and mud)! He quickly stepped out, however, both his shoes stayed stuck! I quickly started digging around, but it seemed as though the shoes had found another dimension. The rest of my campers grabbed sticks and started trying to scoop out mud, while I continued to feel around, hoping to brush against rubber, rather than just rocks. After about ten minutes of searching the shoes were recovered, and my camper went home with the same shoes he came to the farm with!

3. What is it like doing farmwork with kids? 

It takes a bit longer, but also is much more rewarding and often more exciting. I was helping two five-year-old campers complete an “Epic Wheelbarrow Journey” by moving five wheelbarrows full of hay from the Big Red Barn to the garden. These campers were determined to complete the journey and were not daunted by the difficulty of the task. As we began our journey, the first trip there and back went by relatively easily, with one camper steering and the other guiding. However, when you’re pushing loads of hay that weigh as much as you do, your body can tire out pretty quickly, and we hit that hurdle at the beginning of round two. To combat this, I created a mental map of sorts that plotted out our course. But rather than just calling our obstacles by their traditional names, we came up with fun names, like “The Compost Pile of Stinkiness” and “The Picnic Tables of Doom”! My campers even dubbed the duck pen, “The Ducks of *Panting Noises*” and acted out Elvis and Daughter each time we passed by. This added some much-needed energy to our journeys, however by the third round, my campers were beginning to tire again. That’s when we added a speed stretching break, where between trips we would each take turns leading a 10-second “stretch”. Stretch is a loose term since they ranged from touching your toes, to spinning in a circle, to lying flat on the ground and making a funny face. These stretches, and the names of our obstacles, added quite a bit of energy to what could have been a monotonous, or even frustrating, task. Working with kids allowed me to experience farm work through new eyes and appreciate the innate joy of everyday tasks. 

4. What did you learn or discover this summer? 

This discovery might have occurred in the fall, but it was definitely due to my summer at Red Gate. Prior to this summer, I was confident in my plan for the future; I would be a high school math teacher. This has been my dream for years, and I’m even studying education in college. During the summer, I had the opportunity to spend all day outside, doing work, eating meals, exploring the forest, and even relaxing under a shady tree. I’ve always enjoyed spending time in nature but going back to school in the fall, and sitting in lecture halls for hours each day, I realized how much I truly love being outside. While education is still a huge passion of mine, I’m now exploring outdoor education since this summer helped me realize how important being outdoors is to me. 

5. What are you looking forward to most next summer?

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again and meeting all the new campers!