Budding Experts is our student-led interview series highlighting young people and the fun things they learn about during our programs. At Camp Fire, students learn about outdoor activities, art, STEM, and the environment from trained specialists and instructors.
This month, we’ll learn from Nico, who’s part of our Nature Preschool program! StormHawk Nature Preschool is a partnership with Eastern Carver County Schools Community Education. As part of their curriculum, Nature Preschoolers visit our Excelsior property one day a week to learn about the environment through hands-on, experiential learning! To learn more, see our Nature Preschool page.
Hi! So, I’m at my camp, which is kind of like my StormHawks preschool, but it’s a different place, but it’s still StormHawks preschool.
I’m trying to fill up a print of an animal I just made. This was the print I made:
I packed a part of playdoh–uh, a part of kinetic sand right in.
I like the whole, like, nature thing, ‘cause I really like nature. I learned on my tablet, Molly of Denali, that eagles don’t caw, like, CACAW! They chirp. Eagles actually chirp. Some people blame them for cawing–like, doing a caw, like CACAW!
On a January trip to the Big Woods Wetland at Camp Fire Minnesota, the StormHawks students saw an eagle eating beside his nest. In nature preschool, students learned how to spot clues that an animals might be nearby. Luckily enough, those clues led them to this eagle!
When we asked him what his favorite animal is, Nico said:
Predators, like snakes, tigers, and stuff. You know what I mean.
Indeed, we do. Thanks, Nico! Shoutout to naturalists Sylina and Nix, who teach our Nature Preschool classes each week, helping spark young people’s curiosity and love for the outdoors from the very start of their learning journey!
Did you know that our environmental education curriculum is based on the Minnesota Department of Education STEM standards and social emotional learning (SEL) competencies? That means that at Camp Fire, youth strengthen their knowledge of the objectives they learn at school, becoming budding experts.
Check out our education page to explore all the learning opportunities Camp Fire offers year-round.