Working with our sixth-grade students from Bonham Academy is always something our Outdoor School team looks forward to.
Working with our sixth-grade students from Bonham Academy is always something our Outdoor School team looks forward to. At that age, students verbalize their “aha” moments, share their fears, and ask a million questions.
After dinner, the students gathered for our night hike and games. We covered the basics: flashlights, safety, and the assurance that it’s normal to feel a little uneasy in the dark.
Then we stepped away from the camp lights. After walking along the road a ways, the students turned off their flashlights, and we asked them to look up.
A sky full of stars shone in its full glory.
There were gasps and exclamations. Several students asked whether the stars were real. And then the talking stopped. The students got quiet. Kids who were buzzing with energy just moments earlier suddenly wanted to stand still and take it in.
That moment, when the noise drops and the curiosity kicks in, is why the night sky is one of my favorite parts of Outdoor School. In that stillness, their curiosity brushes up against something bigger than themselves. In that stillness, their curiosity brushes up against something bigger than themselves. It’s the kind of quiet awe that reminds me why creation has a way of pulling us back to God without saying a word.
