Tuesday July 23rd: Norski Trail

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Today we discussed shelter building (you want the opening to face east, how to build different structures and what situations those structures would be best). We headed to the trail and talked about the different floods that have been happening and learning about the land becoming hydrophobic. At the trail we hiked to our lunch spot and then practiced building lean-tos and teepees. This was so much fun and it was amazing to watch all the teamwork and imagination involved in the building. It began to thunder so we decided to head back to the vans. All the kids packed up and hiked out quickly – we were very impressed! Back at the museum we had a closing circle and played games with our buddies which was a wonderful way to build friendships! It was great seeing how much more comfortable all the children were today after spending more time together, playing together, and working together!

Monday July 22: Beaver Ponds

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Today was wonderful! We had a circle to discuss how we all want to act at Mountain Kids (leave no trace, safety first, and having fun)! Each kid traced their hand print on our group contract to show their agreement. Then we headed off to the ponds. We hiked in and sifted through the ponds looking for aquatic macroinvertebrates. We played games like camouflage and looked at fossils. We saw a red tailed hawk! Then we learned about beavers reading stories, talking about their adaptations, and even dressing two of the kids in beaver costumes! It was a great day.

Thursday, July 18th: Rio En Medio

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After our morning games and general drop off hub bub, we made a circle to discuss our day. We spoke about poison ivy (leaves of three, let them be), and about being careful with unknown plants. Then we spoke about maps.

We split into teams of 4 (two otters and two bobcats). Each team was given a map of the childrens museum with different areas highlighted. They had to use the map to find each location and collect an item at each location. Once they collected all the items, they got to have snack and a small prize!

We loaded up and drove the beautiful drive to Rio en Medio. We hiked to the river, ate, and then split into two groups: the super hikers who wanted to go all the way to the waterfall, and the river play group that wanted to play more than hike. The hikers headed off and the players went on a short hike to look at butterflies, stick bugs, lizards, wildflowers, and play in the river. They had the option of doing watercolor painting or games, but mostly they wanted to build dams (that were destroyed at the end) and play in the water. The hikers made it to the waterfall. They had a little time to play and then hiked back. We all met back up at the end to hike the remainder of the trail together!

Wednesday July 17th: Base Camp/Shidoni

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We began the day with some team building games and a circle of thanks. We read a book about giving thanks to the earth and our resources and went around the circle sharing what we were thankful for. Then we had snack and loaded up the vans! The Bobcats went to Base Camp (Katie’s property). Base camp is fully equipped for all kinds of outdoor fun including shelter building, slack line, archery, hiking, and making art projects! The Otters went to Shidoni. The open fields of grass with beautiful big sculptures also created a great setting for a lot of games and art. They used pencils and watercolor to paint the statues, and played games like ‘night at the museum’ and ‘frog detective’ as well as tag and hide and seek. We also played in the river bed, which, sadly, is all dry. The kids didn’t mind and jumped right in to dig in the mud and build with mud and rocks. It was a wonderful, cool summer day!

Tuesday July 16: Tsankawi

The weather was perfect today! It was not too warm and perfect for our adventure on the top of a beautiful mesa. We began the day talking about flint and steel and how to put out a fire safely. We also spoke about why we cannot use fire in New Mexico because it is too dry and too dangerous. Both groups did a lot of hiking. The Bobcats did the whole loop, stopping for lunch on the trail and time to play in the caves. The Otters went up a few of the ladders and visiting the ancient pueblo ruins. Lastly (and for you to practice at home if you want), we learned an acronym about what to do if we are lost. It is SAFER:

S: stop and stay put

A tell an adult (where you are going)

F: go with a friend (never alone)

E: bring an equipment kit

R: make sure you rest

This first slideshow is of the OTTERS:

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The slideshow below is of the Bobcats. Enjoy!

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Monday, July 15th: Beaver Ponds and Children’s Museum

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We had a lovely day. Unexpectedly, we canceled our trip to the mountains due to rain (YAY for rain!!) and cold. The Bobcats (7-11) went to the Beaver Ponds. They went for a short hike until they saw that the lightning was getting closer and decided to head back to the museum for snack and games and stories. We learned about the water, the four directions, and how to stay safe with too much sun,  rain, or lighting. The Otters (5-7) stayed at the museum for the day. We did coloring activities, played games, read stories, and had a really nice, mellow day. It was great to have so much time for the group to get to know each other. The kids did activities with their buddies and had time to really socialize.  We built a great foundation for our big hike and adventure tomorrow. Apologies for the lack of Otter (and Bobcat!) pictures. We will make up for that tomorrow! 🙂

Thursday, July 11th @ Nambe Falls

The whole group, BIGS and LITTLES, stuck together today. In the morning we learned about ants and practiced teamwork. We hiked on the trail, stopped for lunch, hiked over rocks and through the river, and made it to the falls. Everyone was so excited to play in the water and build in the river using driftwood and rocks. We read more books about insects, and then we all gathered together to hike back. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful hike!

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