They may not have won this particular challenge (burning a string drawn across the top of the fire barrel), but their team, #SwagNation, won the overall Survival medals! They were followed closely by The Wolf Pack, The Super Survivors, and the Banana Slugs. (I love their team names!)
One of the young ladies who also happened to be very petite said to her classmates; "Small things make a big difference, just like small sticks make a big fire." I am not making this up! Wow. They are amazing. I can't believe our week is over. They learned so much and really came together as a group.
Another student started listing all the beneficial uses of fire that she remembered from her 6th grade teacher's assignment after reading the book "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen. I love that book and highly recommend it and the sequels to anyone who loves the survival genre. I hope that teacher's ears were "burning" as she spoke about the difference she made in her young life.
We played another game of "Predator-Prey" and they got creative (see above). They also begged for another round of "Otter Steals Fish" And then got the "fish" (a squishy ball) stuck in a tree. I thought about giving them another "fish," but decided to let them problem solve. They threw sticks and water bottles up (I kept the area safe) and they cheered when the fish came back to earth! I am so glad I did not deprive them of this experience! We should give our kids more opportunities like this. I recalled all he frisbees I had to get down from the trees of my childhood.
We had a great map skills competition this week too. We are using maps of the State of Florida donated by AAA and laminated this year to make them last. One student said "MAP competition? Whew, I thought you said MATH competition!" (Little did he know there would actually be math involved. Heehee)
One of their quiz questions was "You are traveling from Tampa to Tallahassee to go to an FSU football game. What two Interstates will you take?" They scrambled to find the answers and I heard them frantically asking each other "What's an Interstate?" "Where's Tallahassee?" They figured it out with the help of the Index and the Legend. Map skills are sorely lacking in this digital age.
We went into the animal compound where we looked at skulls and checked out our large collection of live animals we have there such as panther, bear, deer, fox, and more. When I tossed a piece of carrot to the deer they said "So you are like the trainer?" after which I did my best Chris Pratt imitation from Jurassic World. They laughed and said that the guides at Busch Gardens are doing the same thing.
We saw lots of animals in camp too; a Southern Toad (whose eyes captivated my students)...
...and a beautiful dragonfly. Together, my students and I were able to capture the deagonfly up close. I zoomed in on it while one tapped the screen to get this iPhone to focus. They wanted to show you the cartoon-type face of this deagonfly. He looks like you might draw a dog's nose, mouth and eyes.
We finished off our week with a great cookout and they were reluctant to leave. I will miss them, but many have said they are coming back next year! They love getting dirty! (See knees below)
Lastly, when I quizzed them about the Coast Guard motto (Semper Paratus / Always Ready) they struggled, until one student said "Swim or like die or something!" That sent us all into waves of laughter. Great kids; terrific week!
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