'Huck Finn' would be proud! River Explorers learn skills on local waters
From quahogging and crabbing to making their own forts and fishing poles, the kids who took part in the River Exploration Camp this week got an education in the great outdoors.
The morning camp is a partnership between the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the YMCA's Camp Massasoit. It takes place on YMCA property in Mattapoisett and Rochester.
Outdoor Educator Meghan Gahm headed the program with 14 kids, aged 9 to 14, in tow.
“We do it as a way to have kids who are interested in being outside have an opportunity to explore in different ways,” said Gahm.
The explorers spent the middle of the week at Snipatuit Pond where they built a fort in the woods, learned how to use compasses and made fishing poles out of sticks, hooks and lines.
Making and decorating the poles in different colors was Ryan Dzwilewski-McLean’s favorite part of the week.
“We got to express what we like and the colors we like,” he said.
Dzwilewski-McLean said he joined the camp because it’s “something different that I don’t do.”
The kids spent the first and last days of the camp in the water near the Mattapoisett YMCA. On Friday, the kids got an introduction to catching crabs in a salt marsh, using hot dogs to bait the snappy crustaceans.
After an encounter with one particularly feisty blue crab, one kid exclaimed, “That one was coming for me!”
Don’t worry, no fingers or crabs were injured in the process. Gahm said all fish, crabs and clams caught during the week were released back into the wild.
Rather than taking home dinner, the activities were a chance for the young explorers to learn "Huck Finn" skills they can use after the camp.
“A lot of the kids live here but they haven’t explored the outdoors in this way,” said Gahm. “We provide them with the tools and knowledge on how to explore the outdoors and then when they’re not with us, they can easily to do themselves.”
In camp counselor Nina Santos’ opinion, the kids got the full camp experience.
“You get to go to a place no one else in camp goes,” she said. “It’s really fun, building forts and going fishing. It’s great camp stuff.”
See one of the blue crabs the kids caught (and released) below!
