The Greenhouse, Part II

A few weeks ago we planted some of our first seeds in our newly renovated greenhouse.  A bit more than two weeks later, you can already see the new plants shooting up.  Despite being a chilly day, the greenhouse manages to stay quite hot.

Below, you can see water droplets that have held on to this young broccoli leaf-

Space

Are you interested in learning more about organic gardening?  Check back for more updates and green living tips in weeks to come.  Our greenhouse will soon have plenty more things growing.  You can also take a look at The Frost Valley Farm and Farm Camp, one of our amazing summer programs.

Rocket Launch

We’ve had some beautiful weather here this weekend, and a number of guests had the opportunity to build and launch a model rocket!  Rocket building is one of our more frequent weekend activities, and is always a guest favorite.  With perfect weather and early morning sun, it was a great day for everyone to watch their creation soar into the sky.

Even if you don’t end up building your own rocket, guests often end up stopping by just to watch others launch their own.  While it can be great to watch a rocket shoot up into the air, it is also quite entertaining to watch the people on the ground trying to follow the trail of smoke into the sky!

With the sun so bright, one can’t but help putting their hands up in front of them

Healthy Kids Day 2011

Yesterday afternoon, the Frost Valley YMCA participated in the Y’s  Healthy Kids Day, a national initiative that seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of families everywhere.  Despite the rainy weather, turnout was good, and families and kids had a good time all around, checking out booths with suggestions for improving diets, making good lifestyle choices, as well as yoga and Zumba classes.  Members of the Local Claryville Fire Department also came out with two of their trucks, giving guests a chance to see firefighting equipment up close.

To see more on this nationwide event, check out this link for the Y’s main page. We hope see you next year!

Celebrating Healthy Kids Day

The Y Climbing Tower

One of the most popular and most frequently requested activities at the Frost Valley YMCA is our gigantic Y shaped climbing tower.  Built in 2007, this tower is over 50 feet high and is one of a kind, built specifically for this facility.  With four different sides to climb, this tower offers a range of difficulties, from very easy all the way up to quite difficult, with our overhanging wall.

To make things even better, the tower is also the support structure for our 300 foot long Zip-line.  On certain weekends, as well as by special arrangement, participants can climb to the top of this tower by using the inside staircase.  Once you have gotten to the top of the tower, you can take a moment to enjoy the view of the valley around you.

Looking off of the tower at the zip line

The platform at the top of the tower

When it is time for your turn, an instructor will clip you in and make sure that your harness and safety equipment is on correctly.  You can then stand on a platform on the outside of the tower, where the instructor will attach you to one of the long steel cables that provides your ride.  Once everything is checked and safe, the instructor will count down, and you are able to jump right off the platform, zipping all the way to the large poles out in the distance.  Although it can be a bit scary at first, the ride is like nothing else, and many participants call it their favorite activity of the weekend.  A once-in-a lifetime chance to fly like a bird!