Skills Work - At Camp!

College Boreal, Timmins

So after my week at Cambrian, I headed further north to Timmins and College Boreal.  Timmins is so pretty!

This week was a lot of fun.  There were a lot of us at this camp, so we were split into two groups for many of the activities and workshops.  Sometimes it was just us girls, and that was kinda fun!

 

On our first day, we did a lot of electrical stuff.  We had a workshop with Serge, where we played around a lot with circuits.  It was so easy to do things this time, because I already knew what I was doing.  I’m turning into such a pro!  We wired connections between batteries and lightbulbs and tried out different configurations to see what would happen.  Our camp leaders, Emily, Kaela and Mo, also showed us how to make electric cars, and they were actually pretty cool.  It moves by battery-powered propeller, and mine’s pretty fast.  Plus I got to decorate the car however I wanted.  I’m so ready to have a driver’s license already!

This week had a carpentry workshop too, and I found that I liked carpentry a lot better this time too, because I had totally done it before!  Serge was back again, and he helped us make toolboxes.  We stained them afterward so they look ultra sleek.  What’s the point of having a toolbox with no finesse to it?

Hairstyling was really awesome.  I love to play around with my own hair.  Sometimes I put in colour streaks (they wash out, which is the only reason my mom lets me do that!), and add in braids and clips and headbands.  But this was even more fun because we were in a real training salon!  We got to use the rollers, the curling and straightening irons and the manicure tables and stuff.  Even the boys were way into it, which I was totally not expecting.  Hilarious and super fun!

The week was so busy, but we even went on a couple of tours!  One was to the Goldcorp Mill and Plant.  I had no idea how many skilled tradespeople are involved with mining – millwrights, machinists, electricians and welders, just to name a few.  Plus, mines are pretty sophisticated.  About 80% of this one is run by computers!  Mining is a really big deal in Ontario, so it’s good to know there are so many options!

The other tour was of the Sandy Falls Generating Station.  That really made me think about where our electricity comes from and just how much effort goes into generating it.  I think recycling and conserving energy is really important, but I will pay way more attention now.  My parents leave lights on and the computer on and stuff all the time, so I’m totally going to be watching them.

Second week of camp is another win!  This summer is turning out to be pretty amazing so far!