Girls rule, boys...drool?

in my job as an outdoor science school naturalist i have a different trail group every week. a "trail group" usually consists of anywhere between 12 and 22 fifth or sixth grade students, and normally it's one boys cabin and one girls cabin. however, there are weeks when it just works out to have an all girls or all boys trail group. some naturalists don't like this, they prefer having the balance that comes with both sexes in a group. i love that too, it's always fun to see the boys and girls interact. but for those of you that know me well, you know that there is nothing, absolutely NOTHING that makes me happier than hanging out with a bunch of middle school girls.

i have built up a reputation at my job of the one who would do anything to have an all girls trail group. im the first person they think of when they run into having to put 2 girls cabins together and im so grateful i have people working above me who know my passions and allow me to exercise them in my position.

here are some photos from a previous girls group

slug kiss pep talk
girly photo shoot
hands in


i have been blessed to have an all girls group 3 times since i started this job last year. they are always the most epic of weeks in my mind. the most recent was this past week. i had 17 fifth grade girls who radiated adventure, courage, and beauty. i think i loved them deeply the moment i met them.

i opened my intro class by saying "you girls have no idea how pumped i am that we are an all girls group this week. get ready to do things you've never done before, get ready to put dirt on your faces, get ready to experience what it looks like to be living in community with only girls for a week, and get ready to see and feel god in ways you never thought you would."

the girls start squealing/looking at me like im the coolest and craziest human being they've ever met.

the week looks a little something like this:
pushing them far past any limit their minds have ever perceived....CHECK.
talking about girly things....CHECK.
"hands in" 1,2,3 HARDCORE!!!!....CHECK.
talking to each and every one of these precious little babies about their lives and what they love....CHECK.
lots and lots of group hugs....CHECK.
lots and lots of dirt on our faces...CHECK.
getting lost and laughing it off...CHECK.
reminding them every day that they are special, beautiful, and loved....CHECK.






aren't they precious?

what i loved about this past week, and what i usually love about most weeks, is being at the front of the line, leading the group down a trail, and hearing the things that come out of their mouths. for example:

on night hike "there is no way anyone else but god could have created all this. i mean, he is so CREATIVE!"
at the climbing wall "sarah, im scared. i try to pray. i pray all the time. but i don't feel god"
after climbing wall class "i pictured us as the harness and jesus as the hook that connected us to the rope. because before jesus we weren't connected to god."
after finishing night hike "my parents couldn't afford for me to go to science camp. so people donated money. and im so grateful i was able to come, because ive learned so much about myself here this week"

those are just a few of the little nuggets of wisdom i got to be witness to this week.

it's not like i don't like co-ed groups, it's just that, when the girls are taken away from the boys, they are comfortable being totally themselves. parts of their personalities come out that i would never get to see if boys were there to make them doubt themselves. that doesn't happen every week. some weeks i get kids who grew up together. the boys know the girls and their families very well and vice versa, and they treat each other well and they actually care about each other's feelings. but usually when you put 15 sixth grade boys and girls together, chances are they won't treat each other very well, and those girls insecurities are gonna flare up faster than i can say "sticky toed circle".

so there you have it. thats why i adore pouring so much of myself into girls lives. because who doesn't love to see people be who they are and do what they do?

as cheesy as it is....girl power is where its at.