On May 2-4 our sixth grade class went on an Outdoor Education Experience. The camp we stayed in was called “Snake River Adventure Center” located in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I think Outdoor Ed was one of my favorite projects we did in science. It was a field-trip for three days and two nights with many activities like archery. We also had to do a journal on all of our major activities.
Day 1, Monday, May 2, 2011
I woke up and went to school with irregular items in my backpack and in my hands. In my backpack was a journal, a folder with my Outdoor Ed schedule, a camera, and some pencils. In my hands, instead of a laptop, were a duffel bag with clothes, shoes, toiletries, a towel, and a sleeping bag with a pillow. We watched a movie called “Finding Nemo” and when it was about 9:00 we went on the busses and headed to Snake River Adventure Center.
After putting our stuff down on our beds we went down the “big hill” and down to the grass near the lake. We then learned about all the rules we should follow throughout the three days. One of the rules was to walk down the big hill but we could still run up the big hill. Another rule was to not pass the rock road to the lake because we could fall of the little cliff into the water.
The Lodge with our Cabin
We saw our cabins for the first time and dropped our luggage on our bunks. Our cabin had Joe, Arch, William, Kory, Matthew, Jason, Arif, Louis, Allen, Michael N. and A.J. I got the bottom bed of the bunk that was in the corner but no one chose the top of the bunk so I got the bottom and top of the bunk.
When everyone was done in his or her cabins we went to the Big Field. We then played a few games and my favorite game was a game that was like line soccer but we could use our hands. We also played a game of tag but when you get tagged you join the person who tagged you to tag other people. We played many other games. After playing all those games we went back to the Eating Room to eat Lunch.
Our lunch group had Joe, Arch, William, Youngin, and I. When we finished eating we went to the parking lot to get into our activity groups. My activity group included Arif, Louis, James, Alan, Paul, Emily, Anna, Lauren, Yeji, Michelle, George and I. Our first activity we did together was to get through a rope spider-web without touching the ropes. Our group did two other activities but the spider-web activity was my favorite.
When our group finished our third activity we then sat at the big field and did journal writing about our activities. We had a few minutes to wash-up for dinner. When we went to dinner we lined up to go inside and follow the same rules as Lunch. Our table finished eating early so we cleaned up all out plates and cups and sat down talking.
After eating Dinner we went back to our cabin to talk, finish our journals, or play games. We played card games for a while till the teachers in the room next to our told us to go to a big gym for a bunch of fun relay races. There were a total of five relay races but our activity group got in fourth place. Again, after the relays people could chose to go back to their cabins or to go on a night-hike in the woods.
My friends and I chose to go to our cabins because it was cold and to talk and play more card games. We also went back to our cabins to take showers and brush our teeth. We had about an hour and a half to talk and play games because at ten o’clock pm we had to turn off the lights and sleep.
Day 2, Tuesday, May 3, 2011
We woke up to get our day-packs with any extra items we might need. Everyone in our cabin woke up by an alarm from Arif and a few people took a shower. We went outside at seven-thirty to have some fresh air and play a game called Carpet-ball. At eight o’clock am we lined up for some breakfast and drinks.
When our table was clean our table leader, Mr. Ogden, dismissed us and we went to the parking lot to gather in our activity groups. I liked our morning better than our afternoon because after breakfast we had Basic Survival, New Games, and Archery. My favorite of the three morning activities was Archery because we learned about the bow and arrow and plus we got to shoot some arrows at targets and balloons. In Survival we learned about the parts of a fire and we also made a shelter. In New Games we played games that required teamwork.
After journaling about our morning we ate lunch and gathered again at the parking lot. For our afternoon activities we had Nature, Entomology (Bugs and Insects) and Orienteering. When we did Nature we used three of our five senses. We followed a trail for six clues, blindfolded by a partner to go to a tree and find it again and we tried to live like a squirrel with no thumbs. Entomology was just learning basic facts about bugs and insects. At the end of Entomology they gave us some candy and toothpicks to make a bug with six legs and other creative body parts. My favorite afternoon activity was Orienteering, which we learned on how to use a compass and we also followed a trail to letters nailed to trees.
When our group was finished with following trails we went to the Big Field to write down our experiences on our afternoon activities. After thirty minutes we went to the big gym and played some games directed by the Snake River Staff. My favorite game was a game where we had to step into a hula-hoop which was supposed to be a planet but if we couldn’t we had to go back to base. In a while some of the hula-hoops kept disappearing and then the big base disappeared. Eventually the thirty minutes of games ended and we went to the Eating Room for dinner.
In about forty-five minutes eating dinner we went outside to the Big Gym again for more games to play. It was just student-started games that some of the teachers joined like knock out or catch. We had a great time hanging out with friends and playing sports. The best time of the whole day was the campfire at the Shadow Hill campfire. We made smores, told a few ghost stories, and got warmed up by the campfire while talking to friends. After the best time of the day we went back to our cabins to clean everything up and pack all our stuff that was going into our luggage. When our cabin group was finished packing back up we played more cards games and talked more about the following day.
We then all fell asleep thinking of the following day with some of our group thinking that the day was going to be the best of the three days.
Day 3, Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Our whole cabin had a good night sleep and was getting ready with showers and more packing. All of us woke up at about six in the morning to get all our stuff we brought to Snake River Adventure Center. Before we go to breakfast all of the boys in the building “Engebretson Lodge”, where all of our cabins where, had to bring their luggage to a red truck. Our table for breakfast all ate faster than usual because of our anxiety to go on two courses called the “High Ropes” and the “Climbing Wall”.
The High Ropes was many obstacles thirty feet above ground. There was swinging bridges, beams to walk on, and harnesses and helmets. I actually did the swinging step bridge and the beam on the high ropes course. When I was done with the beam my activity group was called to climb up the Climbing Wall. There were three paths up the fifty-foot tower. Two of the ways were to rock climb up and the last way was about twenty feet of ropes and about thirty feet of a wooden ladder. When I was finished rock climbing I had to wait for a thrill. The thrill that I was waiting for was to zip-line down from the fifty-foot tower. The zip-line experience was the last activity I did before leaving Snake River Adventure Center.
When it was about time to leave the teachers spared time to eat a quick lunch so before we left the place, we ate. When everyone got out of the Eating Room we all started playing Carpet-ball until the teachers told us to help pack some luggage onto the busses and to get on the same bus we came in. A few hours later we arrived at our school, Marie Murphy, and everyone collected their luggage to put away. We then went outside and played a few games to relax but some people went home early to relax at their own houses.
That is the ending of our Outdoor Education Experience at Snake River Adventure Center. I had a great experience their and my three favorite activities I’ve done was Archery, zip lining, and Carpet-ball.
