Adventure is out there with Elements Learning Collaborative

On Saturday, May 16, kids and families took to Round the Bend Farm to take part in Elements Learning Collaborative’s fifth annual Adventure Walk.

Founded in 2018, Elements Learning Collaborative provides holistic, nature-based education to kids up to 13-years-old.

The Adventure Walk is Elements Learning Collaborative’s largest fundraising event, raising funds for scholarships and programs.

“We want to make sure everyone has access to green space, to nature, and can have experiences that keep them connected with the environment and the ecosystem,” said co-founder Rachel Medeiros.

Featuring 10 courses spread out across Round the Bend Farm, kids could learn how to make a fire, practice their surfing skills with Gnome Surf, compete in a potato sack race, meet baby goats and do some painting.

“Some of our challenges are physical, others are mental, and others provide education on things like foraging and biology,” Medeiros said of the courses.

She said that Elements Learning Collaborative wanted to make sure there were activities for everyone, with some stations more simple than others, such as the potato sack race and goat petting station.

Others were more educational, including a foraging station and a water sampling station.

“We want to be able to provide that education to our participants so that they feel empowered to have some information to take home with them,” Medeiros said.

With the event open to the public and not just students, co-founder Cristy O’Brien said it allows them to bring in people from other schools or ones that aged-out of the program.

Nearly two hours into the Adventure Walk, around 90 people had registered either online or at Round the Bend Farm.

“We do serve a good range of people in ages, but this event broadens that,” O’Brien said.