Hannah Tennent
This summer, Mountaineers members are finding safe and creative ways to get out into the natural world to learn, explore, and generally have a good time. For some, that means small group activities with the requisite 11th essential, a mask, and for others, it means the pursuit of a new badge by completing the Youth Summer Quest Challenge! The Mountaineers Youth Education team has loved the creative and thoughtful submissions we’ve received so far and we are excited to share them with you.
With challenges like neighborhood plant identification, outdoor art projects, and community stewardship, the Quest is a self-driven adventure.
Art by Izy, age 10 (and a half!).
Izy, age 10 1/2, created this incredible natural masterpiece after gathering materials at a local park. We love the variety of petals inside the seed casings, as well as the overall symmetry of the piece! Thank you for sharing this with us Izy.
A cabinet, with flowers as handles. Art by Miles, age 10.
No nature piece is the same. From different materials to a variety of artistic visions, each artwork has been uniquely amazing. “I found the materials in our vegetable garden. I used them because they looked like animals. The pea shoot leaves looked like butterflies. I tried to use different colored flowers that got smaller and smaller. I also thought it would be cool to use the kale stems to make it look like a cabinet. The flowers are the handles to the drawers in the cabinet,” said Miles, age 10. Thanks so much for sharing your vision, Miles! It adds depth to this beautiful art piece.
Tea by Henry, age 10.
The Edible Plants Challenge in the Summer Quest provides recipes for nettle tea, nettle pesto, and wild things tea, a brew that can be made with several edible goodies found in the forest. Henry, age 10, made this pine needle tea on a recent backpacking trip. “I thought it tasted weird but my mom liked it,” said Henry when he submitted the photo. We'd love to try this natural and local tea blend!
Josephine, age 11, took to one of her favorite outdoor places to fulfill the Community Stewardship challenge. She picked up trash in Hamlin Park. “I learned that there is not that much trash IN the park, it is mostly outside the park, on the streets,” said Josephine. Great minds think alike and another Mountaineers member, John, did a 6-mile beach walk and picked up two bags of trash. Thank you Josephine and John for leaving each place better than you found it!
Thank you to all of our Summer Quest participants!
Join the quest
If you're interested, we still have more space for you to join the Summer Quest! We are so excited for the creations to continue rolling in, from your reviews of campfire-cooked food to maps of your neighborhood. If you’d like to join the Summer Quest, there is plenty of time. Complete all of the activities before August 31 to get the badge!
