CAMP ELKANAH — Sadie Christensen scoops the tiny net through the stream, then wades to her plastic bucket and gives it a gentle shake.

She peers close, then reels back.

“Ewwww!” she says.

Her classmates crowd around to see the specimen, then quickly return to Meadow Creek where moving stones reveals all sorts of small creatures to collect and inspect.

This insect station, staffed by Katie Hauser of the OSU Extension Service, was one of 10 stations organized for Outdoor School at Camp Elkanah for sixth graders from the Baker School District.

Excitement — and a bit of trepidation — filled the air on Monday, May 22, as the students arrived for several days of outdoor education. They stayed two nights before returning to school about midday on Wednesday, May 24.

“A huge part of the Outdoor School experience every year is giving kids an opportunity to challenge themselves and push themselves outside their comfort zone with the support of their peers and people they know,” said Luke Burton, who coordinates Outdoor School.

Students came from South Baker Intermediate, Haines and Keating schools. Soon after arriving, the sixth graders made their temporary home inside cabins, some of which are old railroad cars that still sit on the original rails.

Camp Elkanah, 27 miles southeast of La Grande, dates to 1956 when the Mount Emily Lumber Company shut down, and the property was purchased by 10 area churches.

“It’s been a summer camp ever since,” said Joe Wing, executive director.

May is busy with Outdoor School experiences, he said, as they welcome schools from across Eastern Oregon — from Irrigon to Baker City. Most choose the overnight option, although some close schools come only for the day.

After settling in and having lunch, students divided into groups and started stations.

One, led by staff from the Department of Environmental Quality, covered the intricacies of groundwater and surface water. Another, led by Sophia Adams from the National Weather Service in Boise, encouraged kids to study the sky and try to forecast the weather — just like the NWS staff do all the time.

“Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year we’re there. Christmas, New Year’s, my birthday,” she said with a smile.

Then, after handing out a cloud chart, she asked the kids to try her job.

“I want you to give the probability of precipitation,” she said.

Most, after noticing the fluffy cumulus clouds, gave a low chance — but not zero, which made Adams laugh.

And before she sent the students off to their next station, she gave them a few rhymes to remember, courtesy of the NWS, for what to do in a thunderstorm or flood: “When thunder roars, go indoors” and “Turn around, don’t drown.”

More advice came at the forestry station with wildland firefighters Casey Baker and Ben Holtby, who are stationed at Ukiah. Before demonstrating the tools of their trade, the firefighters gave a quick lesson in how to use a compass and read a map.

“If you have a map and a compass and you get lost in the woods, you can find your way out,” Baker said.

Then came “oohs” and “ahhs” as they explained uses for a drip torch, flare gun and chainsaw — all tools for fighting wildfires that often require many miles of hiking while carrying a heavy pack.

Then came the grins when Baker turned on the water and each sixth grader had a chance to aim the high-powered stream at the campfire until it was a muddy puddle of ash.

Other stations, located around the hill from the main camp, challenged kids in a different way as they rode the zip line, tried to scale a rock climbing wall, played a homemade didgeridoo and worked as a team to solve puzzles.

For the 10th station, the students took to the trail leading from camp to hike up the hill for a panoramic view of the valley.

As evening neared on May 23, their last night at camp, the tired grins and dusty clothes told the tale of education outside the walls of a classroom.

“Outdoor School brings out a different set of strengths,” Burton said.