For the first time ever, two Explorers Clubs shared an outing together last Sunday at Sehome Arboretum. The Firestalkers and Vespula Veterans met for a Showdown at High Noon. Throughout the day, Explorers and Shielders played together and challenged each other during games and activities. In the end, new connections were formed and friendships blossomed.
Six adult mentors joined the motley crew of twenty boys and young men. We began with some name games to get to know each other. Then moved on to a round of “speed-dating” as another icebreaker for the day, during which we learned more names and everyone’s favorite flavor of ice cream. Introductions aside, everyone was itching to get into the woods so away we went!
We hiked down to base camp and got comfortable while Drew introduced a game entitled Life and Death in the Forest. In this activity, boys and mentors were all given roles of animals in the natural world: herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. Each role required different food items. As a result behaviors and actions led to a wild round! Though only 15 minutes long, running away from predators and ducking into the forest over mixed terrain certainly seemed like an eternity!
In the end, we began to sympathize with animals because they don’t get to take a water and food break in between rounds. Their lives revolve around obtaining food and water while staying safe from predation and other threats. They have to avoid humans sometimes too.
This morphed into a special activity because of the multilayer mentoring that resulted. Firestalkers shared their stalking knowledge with Vespula Veterans during the activity. Vespula Veterans shared their hiding places with adult mentors. And Explorers of all ages teamed up to protect their kind or to hunt prey. See if your Explorer has a memory about this game… what role did he like being, and why?
L&D promoted organic and applicable extensions of Explorers Club mottos:Collaborate and Compromise, We’re All Teachers, and Grasp the Nettle. Everyone was open to learning from one another. We all took the advice and opinions of others and teamed up when possible. And some of us came out of the forest at the end of the day with welts and other minor allergic reactions to the nettle that we brushed during the game!
The next activity gave both groups a chance to bond in their own clubs. Vespula Veterans transformed into Crows while Firestalkers became Ravens. Pitted against each other, the goal was to defend their nests and their eggs against raiders from the other team. At the same time, they had to steal eggs from the other side. Ask your Explorer or Shielder about his experience during this activity. What made this more than “capture the flag” was that there were real eggs in those nests!
We didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy a longer game of Crows vs. Ravens but it could have definitely gone on well into the evening. I’m sure that parents would have understood, but we decided to bring closure to the day instead. We created the largest Circle of Thanks ever and ate snack together while each person shared his favorite memory of the day, something he learned, and the name of new boys he met. This was a great community builder as we practiced the motto, Attitude of Gratitude together.
We left base camp and walked back up to the parking lot just as dusk fell and the park was going to close. Parents were diligently waiting for us to get back. A big thank you to parents for supporting this wonderful day. And thank you to all Explorers and Shielders for your hard work and dedication to community and the natural world. Another big thanks to the volunteer adult mentors, Eli and Jon-Erik, for your influence in and support of this program.
Please check out the pictures from this outing in the photo gallery. And be prepared for the next outing too: Vespula Veterans or Firestalkers
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