Students in Karen Laurence’s class at Clara Brownell Middle School recently took their learning outside the classroom with a visit to the Umatilla Marina RV Park.
The trip connected to a recent class lesson about “micro adventures,” which focused on the idea that adventures do not have to be big, expensive, or far from home to be meaningful and enjoyable. As part of the lesson, the class brainstormed different kinds of micro adventures they would like to experience. One popular idea among students was roasting marshmallows over a campfire.
Wanting to take advantage of the longer class periods during the school’s MAP testing block schedule, Mrs. Laurence organized the trip to bring the lesson to life. The class traveled to the campground, where they spent time outdoors building a campfire and roasting marshmallows together. The City of Umatilla supported the experience by donating two campsites for the class to use.
To make the experience feel as authentic as possible, students gathered firewood, collected pinecones, and searched for sticks to roast their marshmallows over the fire.
“I want them to not be afraid to have adventures,” said Mrs. Laurence. “They can be simple and easy. We talked about how there’s several things they can do in Umatilla.”
Kimberly Ulloa, a 7th grade student in the class, said she enjoyed being outside and exploring while gathering twigs for the fire. She was also surprised by how much easier building the fire was than she expected.