MEHOOPANY, Pa. — It was out of the van and into the backyard for a group of children in Mehoopany. The field trip was organized by Northeast Sight Services and its partners.
"We bring children who are blind and visually impaired all over northeastern Pennsylvania together on a monthly basis to do different activities," said Sara Peperno, president and CEO of Northeast Sight Services.
This week and next, this group is coming together for Camp Sight.
"It's a great time to get the kids together for two weeks to do different activities that they might not otherwise have an opportunity to do, similar to what their sighted peers would do," Peperno said.
Children got a lesson on plants with distinct textures and smells from the folks at Creekside Gardens near Tunkhannock.
"That plants are different to each person, but they're good for all humans, no matter how you take it in," said Sherri Kukuchka from Creekside Gardens.
Then, it was time to take this sensory experience to the next level by potting a plant of their own.
Kukuchka says that while she is familiar with day camp activities, guiding these children through this experience was a new challenge for her.
"You think about textures, think about how things feel, how things smell. It was a very interesting process, and thinking about it for this project."
It was a success if you asked the children, who spent time using their senses, to pick and choose elements of their own plant to take home.
"I like how the plant felt and then the pods. I picked the color because of the design, and then the gems were shiny and looked like metal, so I liked that," said 12-year-old Bandar Alnasloukh.
while the children are having fun with these lessons
Organizers say it's equally important to introduce community members to the intricacies of the needs of these children.
"It gives them an opportunity to see that these kids are definitely very capable and what they would need to do to maybe adapt their programs to be accessible for our kids," Peperno said.
After planting, the children got a lesson in the smells and textures of barbecue and macaroni and cheese.