Riedana and Valentina jumped to action when I presented this project to them! They are two of the Outdoor Adventure Club class officers, and they want to make this year's trips "the best ever!"
I was amazed at the way in which they developed the project. All the officers of the Outdoor Adventure Club stayed late after one meeting and brainstormed all the trips they would love to take, but we simply can not afford. Once someone hit on the idea of going on a zip line, everyone was talking at once. I told the students about Ramblewild - an outdoor ropes and course with obstacles that meander from tree to tree at various heights through the forest. Two students took the lead. I gave them the questions from DonorsChoose, and they worked collaboratively over google Docs. to create the project.
Ramblewild will give students the three hours helping each other climb through the trees to strengthen their bond and their belief in their own abilities. It is an awesome way to teach teamwork – all while challenging their limits in the outdoors!
Students cannot maneuver from one obstacle course to the next by themselves. They must rely on each other to map out routes, plan each method of traversing the course, and stick together. This will require empathy for one another and group problem-solving as the courses can be quite difficult.
Students will learn about sustainability. The 10-acre adventure park is owned by Feronia Forests, a corporation which encourages landowners to develop sustainable income opportunities, rather than using their land to harvest lumber. Ramblewild is an Eco-friendly adventure park high in the trees of a hemlock forest. All of the elements of the park are attached to the trees using tension, rather than bolts or screws, so the trees remain unscathed.
In Their Own Words
Project Help Us Get To Ramblewild is about attracting teenagers who are not invested with nature and introducing them to it in an exciting and heart-pulsing way. Ramblewild is the trip that is the medium between being completely away from society and being a city kid.
By writing this grant, we are taking a step forward as leaders by partly funding the adventure and becoming more beneficial members to the club. With the help of our fellow officers, we will facilitate a means to getting the job done efficiently and elegantly. News of this trip has already peaked the interest of many teens.
The club does not sell itself to everyone. For most teens, any time away from modern luxuries is like a detention. We want to show teens the joy of nature and the connection we once had with it. We want to share the feeling of accomplishment from scaling mountains and many other things while doing it all together! The group’s main focus is to build a unified community inside the school of which we can all have at least one great
memory in nature together.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Bauer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
