Fearlessly Exploring
~ Photos can be accessed for viewing here ~
What a day to escape to the mountains! Our crew ventured to the Calvin Crest outdoors center to learn more about ecology, challenge themselves through team initiatives, and enjoy the outdoors.
STEM requires creative problem-solving, team work, and bravery. Once we made it to the mountains, the girls participated in team initiatives involving some imagination like organizing each other by birthday on a single log without stepping off…
Escaping between planets using six carpets on a basketball court…
Navigating an ‘electric’ (again, using imagination) spider web…
Crossing an entire group across three platforms without touching the ground…
Creating a pathway for a marble using small PVC pipes…
And moving everyone to the ‘sugar cookie’ (a wooden platform) across the ‘radioactive peanut butter / jello’ (the ground) via the ‘black licorice’ (a rope swing).
After burning lots of energy, we enjoyed lunch outside on the foundation.
Surrounded by beautiful, 1000-foot-tall sequoias, we set off on a quick hike through the forest. The weather was warm, so the fresh, cold water from the waterfalls and creeks felt so good on our skin!
The camp staff taught our girls many things on the hike today. Some staff members shared advice for college applications, IB/AP classes, and fee waivers. The girls also received a hands-on ecology lesson as they learned about the difference between white firs, ponderosas, cedar trees, and sequoias. Some girls even got some vitamin C as they tasted the tips of white fir. Others braved a climb up a tall stump of a giant sequoia tree.
We also gave students free time to be adventurous! They did everything from rock climbing to zip lining, and from paddle boating to archery.
The girls loved the trip to the woods–even if there were a few bug bites.
After we finished a delicious dinner, we squeezed in time for our action-packed dice relay and capture the flag games!