Written by Amanda O’Dowd, Shingobee River Lead Guide
As our mission states, Great River School is an urban Montessori learning environment that prepares students for their unique roles as responsible and engaged citizens of the world. One way that we achieve this is through our Key Experiences.
The extended Key Experiences are one of the foundational places we create the environment that can authentically: build community, connect to nature, challenge ourselves, make memories, and learn in a different way than the classroom provides. They change at each level to allow for traditions to be created and meet the needs of each plane of children’s development.
The Upper Elementary recently completed our 5-day Key Experiences! Half of us went to Wolf Ridge, and the other half went to Camp Widjiwagan. Both of the trips provided the students with the opportunity to experience new things and explore the world outside of the classroom. While the Key Experiences challenge students to step out of their comfort zone, these trips provide scaffolding for students to build new skills and independence that help to prepare them for the Key Experiences they will go on as adolescents while also preparing them for other life experiences.
The trip to Widji was a huge success! Although the weather had been forecasted to be cold and rainy the whole week, we only had light rain during our closing campfire! Children spent the days in their trail groups exploring the Northwoods, paddling around Burntside Lake, cooking lunch over an open fire, and creating lasting memories. The evenings were filled with options to take fantastic classes with the Widji staff, play outdoor games, have a dance party on the beach under the stars, or chill indoors playing quiet games or doing handwork. There were even sightings of foxes and shooting stars!
I am happy to report that the food was as amazing as I remember it being! The homemade meals were served family style, providing each table the opportunity to practice grace and courtesy at the table while sharing stories of their adventures throughout the day. It was definitely one of the many highlights of the trip.
I am always amazed at how these Key Experiences strengthen our community. It is a privilege to witness children overcome their fears, challenge themselves to try things they have never done, step up and care for one another, and be in awe of nature. This is a different type of learning that can’t be taught in the classroom but is experienced by being out in the world, working together, and learning from the land.
Each child left the Key Experience with new independence and sense of accomplishment, and a plethora of memories that will be talked about for years to come.