As we pull up to Snake River camp, I getting really excited. We finally get there. It took almost 2 hours to get there. I needed to go to the back of the bus to help unload the luggage. While we are pulling our luggage out, I can see my dorm. I’m in Triplet # 1. I can’t wait until I get to my dorm. I really want to see how my room looks. I finally grab my bags and go with my friends to the dorm. Here is a story of my outdoor education trip.
ARRIVAL
When we got off the bus and grabbed our luggage, we go right next to the deck by the lake. Then an instructor tells us about Snake River, the rules, and etc. I go to my dorm, triplet # 1 and I get the bottom bunk and Liz is on the top bunk. Alyssa, Liz, Payton, Yeji, Lauren, Chelsea, and Emily are I the same dorm. We talked and hung out until the bell rang for lunch.
MONDAY
Lunch: we had grilled cheese with soup.
Dinner: Spaghetti
TUESDAY
Breakfast: We had eggs, bacon, and sausage.
Lunch: PIZZA, also you pick your own topping
Dinner: chicken strips and mashed potatoes
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: waffle sticks, eggs and bacon.
Lunch: TACOS, with your own choice of toppings.
TEAM BUILDING
In the team building activity we did lots of games that involved cooperation. Our team was group #5. We did a lot of activities, including the following: “ How you ever ” question game, star wars and magic carpet. Then we had to do a puzzle all together without speaking, the rocking boat, the three island, and spider. My three favorite ones are magic carpet, the rocking boat, and star wars. Star wars was a challenging but fun game. We split into two groups and blind folded one person. That person had to go across the field and try finding a sword. Then that person had to find his/her opponent and hit them with the sword in order to win. The rocking boat was a little hard. There is a big board that we all could fit on, and we have to make it balance. The cool thing is that we don’t have to figure out each other’s weight. We had to work together and try making it balance. When the board was balanced, we all had to sing row, row, row your boat in order to get the “whales” to come. What I learned there is that when we kept moving, it wouldn’t keep balance. So then we all stopped moving one time and we made the “whales” come. Finally, magic carpet. What we had to do is that we had to all stand and fit on it. Then we had to try making it flip the blanket to the other side without any of us falling off. It was challenging until somebody found out a way to do it. I learned that we always have to listen to other people’s ideas.
NATURE AWARENESS
At nature we learned about our five senses. They are smell, touch, sight, taste, and hearing. We played games based on those senses. For touch we had to get a partner and they had to blindfold you or you had to blind fold them. Then you or your partner had to walk you to a tree. You had to hug it. Then they would bring you back to the spot you started. So you had to go around hugging trees in order to find you tree. That was also for hearing because when our partner is bringing us to the tree, we have hear for to be careful when are walking or where to go. For smell and sight, the teachers that are in our group hid some candy in the forest with a peppermint smell. That’s for sight too, because we had to find some notes lying around that gave us clue. We played this game for taste, which is that she threw candy in the air and we had to catch the candy without our thumbs. Then for taste we ate it and it was enjoyable!
ENTOMOLOGY
Entomology means bugs. We learned a lot of thing based on bugs. We played a little game that one of the workers put pictures of bugs on our backs so we won’t see them. Then we had to go around asking people for clues about that particular bug. Then when we all guessed, we sat down and discussed about all the different bugs. We also discussed how bugs are important to us. They clean a lot after you and kind of keep the world clean. One cool thing I learned about one bug is that a dragon fly can be from 5 inches to one foot long. I thought that was cool and disgusting until I found out that they only live in Africa and Europe. After that we look around because the person who worked there had a lot example of them. One thing that was cool is that she had an actual wasp nets. It was pretty interesting but a little scary because I am scared of wasps. After that we got candy we had to make own “bug” out of it. We shared them, and then ate them.
ORIENTEERING
We mostly say orienteering means compass. We learned a lot of things about the compass. One thing that I learned that is interesting is that why is north, north. Also how can you figure out where north is? If you find a tree, and look for what side the moss is on, that tells you where the north side is. The moss is on the north side because the sun is on the opposite side, the south. The moss likes the side where there are no light or heat. We did two exercises. The first one was we had to get a penny and put it down where we are (the starting point). The he would tell us to put it at a certain degree and then he would tell us to go a certain amount of steps (for example: 210 degrees and 27 steps, or 137 degrees and 10 steps). Then where end is where we are supposed to be standing on our penny, if we did a good job. Then the second exercise is that we had to get in to partners (2 or 3 people). We had starting point in the woods and Mr. Ogden gave us a sheet that told us how many degrees and how many steps to take. We got five things to do. At the end of every thing, we would have to be at letter that we would write down. When we were finished, we showed Mr. Ogden and he checked it for us. We got it all right except one letter. That’s how we learned how to use a compass in orienteering.
SURVIVAL
In survival we learned how survive in a forest if we were in one. She built a fire and taught us how to build a fire, and it was good because it was cold and it warmed us up. After that, we did a little exercise and we had to get in to groups of three. She told us to think of three things you would bring for your whole group that if you were going in to the mid-east. My group and I thought to bring a reusable water battle, a gun to kill animals, and food storages (they have to be cold so it wont get not good because bugs can get on there and possibly animals and when you cook then on fire they would be fresh). After that we started talking how you would survive in all climates if you go exploring and etc. after that she put in groups and our group met somewhere in the woods. We started building forts. The sticks and logs were hard to carry but it was a great experience to see how to build a fort.
NEW GAMES
This part of outdoor was the most enjoyable part. In New games we played games we would mostly play in gym. We first played capture the flag. There are two teams. There was a red, and a yellow. I was on the red team. Your team has your own flag. There is a line a cross the middle. If you go on the other side the other team can tag you and you have to go to jail. If you can go to the other side and get the flag and come back without tagging you, your team wins. My team won once. Then I switched teams. Then I almost made it to the other side, but then I missed. So the other team won. After that we played kickball. My team won by 2 points. It was 10 to 8. I didn’t really earn any new games, but they were new to snake river.
ARCHERY
Archery was also very fun too. I learned how use a bow and arrow. I have arched before, but I got a lot better this time. We practiced hitting “animals”. A lot people missed. But I got it right in the stomach. What I learned at archery is that it’s better to go slower than just picking it up and shooting it. You have to pay attention where you want to shoot and do it very slowly. Then we did it a couple of times. After that the ranger that worked there put fun into it by putting up balloons and you had pop them. I got up there and tried popping it but I didn’t (I almost popped it). The bow and arrow was less then a centimeter away. The rest of the arrows were close too. Archery was very fun. I had a great time at archery.
HIGH ROPES AND CLIMBING TOWER
Today was the last day at outdoor Ed. We did high ropes. It was really fun. There was a climbing tower that was 15,000 millimeters (or 50 ft.). Then when you climb up that tower (rock climbing) in order to get down you have to go down a zip line. It’s really fun. There were two sides to the climbing tower. I was the first person with someone else. But I was the first person to go down the zip line, in my group. There also, high ropes. You had to connect your harness to the rope and climb up hedge to get to the top. When you get to the top you can climb a rope and etc. the first time I went, I was scared because it was scarier then I thought. Then a few hours later another activity opened up. It was another cooperating game. We had get own partner. You had 4 min and 20 seconds. You had to help each other out to get up then big ladder. If you made it to the top, that means you make a good team. I didn’t make it to the top with my partner, but we still did pretty well. That day we went back to school at two o’clock our parents picked us up.
CLOSING
We went back home, and were sad because we didn’t want to leave that pleasurable time. I went to the back of the bus and helped unload the stuff. I found my luggage and went to my mom. I was sad I wasn’t at Snake River, but still I missed every one. I was glad I was home. I learned a lot of things there in fun ways. The food there was good too. I learned that if you communicate with your friends and family, your life will be better and theirs will be better too. I’m glad I had a great three-day experience at outdoor Ed, and learned a lot of new things. Thank you all the teachers that came with us and gave us a superior time. We had a lot of fun.
