Tucker Lee and Grace Dillon studied marine ecosystems, sea creatures, and their impact on the environment September 22-24. Lee, Dillon and their teachers Marty Cloud, Steve Bates, Keith McHenry, Jennifer Engdahl, and Carol Gunning visited YMCA Camp Seymour on the Key Peninsula with their fifth grade class from Opstad Elementary as part of the camp’s Outdoor Environmental Education program.

“I like that we learned about phytoplankton and zooplankton. I learned that plankton produce 50 percent of our oxygen and that over 70 percent of the earth is covered in water. I like that we have the touch tanks and that you’re allowed to pick things up.” says Lee.

Dillon also handled live animals — “I liked picking up the animals and seeing how they felt,” she said while handling a snake. “I also learned that people think that reptiles are really slimy, but they actually have scales.”

The 98 students spent three days overnight at Camp Seymour learning about the outdoors and their impact on our environment through the camp’s education program, which enhances the Washington State Essential Learning Standards. Accompanied by high school volunteer chaperones, teachers and classmates, students participated in canoeing, the climbing wall, squid dissection and marine science.

Marty Cloud and Steve Bates have brought their students to Camp Seymour to emphasize group building and ecosystem science standards. Cloud and Bates have brought their fifth grade class to the program for 18 years.

“It’s early in the academic year to get them thinking,” says Cloud, “and it’s a great bonding experience for students. They make friends that they wouldn’t normally make and it really expands their knowledge base in the science department greatly.”

“They learn the quality of perserverence, sticking with something, like the climbing wall, getting through a tough assignment.” says Bates.

“Hands-on experiential education meets students’ needs on so many levels,” say Becca and Scott Gjertson, Outdoor Environmental Education Directors. “Kids need opportunities to be and learn outside. YMCA Camp Seymour offers a wide variety of classes from marine science with touch tanks and a live reptiles class to canoeing on Puget Sound. Students really enjoy the hands-on lessons.”

Seymour occupies 160 acres and a half-mile of shoreline on the Key Peninsula, 30 minutes from Tacoma. This education program introduces a variety of environmental topics like water quality and treatment, preserving the forest, understanding what lives in the Puget Sound, and responsibly enjoying the outdoors. YMCA staff naturalists come from across the country to share their knowledge and enthusiasm when teaching classes. The program serves over 9,000 participants from 106 different schools.

Tucker Lee handles a starfish as part of a Camp Seymour environmental exploration.