Trying Something New 

Sixth grade brings plenty of chances to try something new. For 292 Andersen United students this September, some of those chances happened outside. 

Across three Project Success River Adventure Days at Snelling Lake in Fort Snelling State Park, sixth graders built shelters in the woods, learned to start fires with flint and steel, examined the tiny creatures living in the lake, navigated with compasses, and paddled across the water in big voyageur canoes with our longtime partners at Wilderness Inquiry. 

For Amethyst, the first new thing was at the fire-building station. They had tried before, but this time they actually got the fire started. “It was really exciting, but it was hard,” Amethyst said. The sparks, they explained, kept going everywhere except where they wanted them to go. 

Grayson tried team canoeing and described everyone working together and talking as they paddled. His advice for another sixth grader who might be nervous about trying something new was pretty simple: “Who knows if you like it or not, so you might as well just try.” 

But not every first had to do with a canoe, compass, or campfire. 

When Abdi, who is new to Andersen United, was asked what he had tried that day, his answer was, “I tried to have more friends since I’m new to the school.” Later in the day, he had an update: he had made new friends! “I’m proud of myself,” he said. 

That’s part of what River Adventure Days are about. Students are outside learning new skills, and they’re also spending a full day alongside classmates, working together, and finding out what can happen when they give something new a try. 

For Jenny Batten, Senior Program Manager of Expeditions, the goal is also to help students discover that the outdoors belongs to them. “There’s a lot of learning outdoors,” Jenny said, “and they’re all welcome outdoors.”