Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

BIG BAY -- Fifth graders from Bothwell Middle School loaded into their buses Wednesday to head to Bay Cliff Health Camp. And that's where they learned about everything from hiking to campfire cooking by instructors who used to attend the camp as children.

"I think if you walked around the room and asked even some of the teaching staff who remembers coming as fifth graders, they'll tell you that they remember it, and to me, that's worth it all together. If somebody remembers the good times and that they learned something and had fun doing it," said Bothwell teacher Mary Bengry.

Throughout elementary school, students at Bothwell are taught about the outdoors and nature. They take a variety of science classes and learn about everything from the food chain to microbiology.

The whole point of the trip to Bay Cliff is for students to have a hands-on look at the things they're learning about outside of the classroom, mixed in with team-building exercises and a little bit of fun.

"I really like it here because there's fun activities, and you can do fun stuff in nature. You can go down and canoe, and swim, and you can play fun games. And you can learn about the wild," said student Sydney Kivi.

Students will end the day with board games and a talent show before hitting the cabins for bed. Then tomorrow starts another day in the outdoors.