Week of August 2, 2026 – August 8, 2026
by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator
“What’s that?!” exclaimed several amazed preschool campers in my group a few weeks ago. Right on the oak tree where we meet for camp each morning, we found a cicada emerging from their nymph exoskeleton to become an adult! This was the second one that we had discovered that day, right next to another cicada. The first one sat on the tree trunk all morning, and by the time we returned for camp pickup the neon green laced wings were dry and extended.
Cicadas provide a special opportunity for us to watch big changes in a creature’s life cycle over a short period of time. However, the cicada’s life cycle starts slowly. The nymphs emerge from underground, and these two had probably been feeding on fluids from the oak tree’s roots using their straw-like mouthparts. Some cicadas spend over a decade waiting to emerge, like the famed 17-year cicadas, while other species emerge annually.
Along with cicadas, a huge variety of other living creatures are going through changes in their life cycles during summer. Fuzzy bird fledglings toddle around in lower tree branches as they learn to fly, caterpillars munch on leaves, and tadpoles grow legs as they change into froglets. I love that these changes are happening during summer camp, right as so many kids are exploring the preserve. By watching animals grow and change, campers develop their observation skills and learn to be gentle with fragile animals like emerging cicadas and tiny tadpoles. They slow down to watch baby birds being fed or a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis.
Campers might also ponder their own lives and how they are growing and gaining new experiences each day at camp. Some of these experiences may be fast-paced as a baby bird chasing their mom for food, like a game of capture the flag. Others may be slow like a growing cicada nymph (although hopefully not quite 17 years!), such as time spent describing the background story of a pinecone during “on the spot” show and tell.
We are not that different from the creatures around us. Similar to a cicada, some kids may take a little time to come out of their shell at camp. Each day, campers are learning new things in their own ways as they build friendships, discover new findings in nature, embrace creativity, and take small risks like crossing a log safely. Camp is a part of our life cycle, too, and I am grateful to share these fun learning experiences alongside so many kids.