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 hear from several of our Afterschool Explorers who participated in our Spring Break Camp! Throughout the year, afterschool program attendees can sign up for a selection of school break camps at no cost. Camp Fire Minnesota provides transportation to and from our partner school sites, and students spend the day doing fun activities like archery, arts and crafts, and rock climbing.
Last month, we welcomed 36 Afterschool Explorers from six partner schools to our Spring Break Camp. Some of them braved their fears and tried the rock wall for the first time! Let’s see what they have to say.
Andy: (pointing to the rock wall) Look, that’s where I went!
Daleyza: How did you feel going to the top?
Andy: Miedo. Scared.
Maleah: You touched the bell?
Andy: Yeah, I touched the bell.
Lesly: Yeah, he touched the bell!
Maleah: (shivering) Ooooo!
Even though he was scared, Andy was the first student this year to reach the top of the climbing wall and ring the bell. His whole way up, his peers cheered him on, encouraging him to keep going until he reached his goal.
Delayza: Santiago! How was it?
Santiago: Good.
Delayza: Did you have a good time?
Santiago: Yeah. I was doing it, but then my hand started, like, wiggling.
Delayza: How was it up there? Was it scary?
Santiago: It was a little bit scary.
During rock climbing, campers learn that it’s okay to name when you would like to come down. Each camper is encouraged to set a goal for how high they’d like to climb, but they can always change their mind if they don’t feel comfortable. At Camp Fire Minnesota, we like to celebrate each small win, from putting your harness on to gripping your first climbing hold.
Delayza: How did you feel when you went up?
Saúl: Okay.
Delayza: Did you get scared or nervous?
Saúl: Nervous, but I kept going until there wasn’t anything for me to go up.
Harleen: How you feel like it?
Delayza: It was, like, scary, nervous, cuz, like, when I got to, like, the middle top, like, there was nothing for me to hold to. It was kind of, like, hard. And I really wanna go again!
When you’re climbing, it might take a bit of trial and error to find a strategy that works for you. Several of our climbers persevered until they couldn’t find another way to go. Sometimes, all it takes is coming back to the climbing wall with a fresh mindset to get a little farther than you did last time!
In addition to being cheered on by their peers, our Budding Experts were supported by Camp Fire Minnesota counselors and partner staff, like Will from Minneapolis Community Education.
Harleen: You’re actually on the news.
(They were not on the news.)
Harleen: How you feel like people had this?
Will: I think people are doing such a great job, and they’re so brave for trying something, especially if they haven’t done this before.
One of the best parts of climbing with our Budding Experts was seeing them take the time to keep trying new approaches. Sometimes you try something on the climbing wall that doesn’t work out, but our climbers showed us that you can always move at your own pace and try something else. Even if you don’t always reach the top, you will always learn something new on the climbing wall.
Harleen: How you like Gavin up there?
Isabella: Gavin is looking pretty amazing. He is trying to figure out problems, and I think that’s really cool.
Thank you to our Budding Experts for showing us how cool it is to try something new—even when you’re scared— and figuring it out as you go!
Shoutout to our programs staff for running a successful Spring Break Camp, and to our community partners for joining in on the fun!
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.