Amazon adventure - junior high school students travel to Amazon rainforest for Children's Rainforest Workshop

Ranger Rick, Oct, 1994 by Susan Goodman

"Check it out!" Kevin shouted, pointing to something swimming in the world's largest river, the Amazon.

From the deck of a river boat, Kevin and his friends watched rare river dolphins flash past.

Then the kids looked toward shore - at the houses on stilts, the banana plants, and the palm trees. This place was so different from home!

Who were these lucky kids, and what were they doing in the Amazon rainforest? They were junior high students from Michigan. And they were taking part in a Children's Rainforest Workshop.

All through the school year they had studied rainforests. They also worked hard earning money to help pay for the trip. Now all their learning would come to life as they spent a week in a small corner of the world's largest rainforest. (See red dot on map, page 33.)

LIFE IN THE FOREST

After flying to the city of Iquitos, Peru, the kids cruised 50 miles (80 km) down the Amazon. The boat finally docked at a jungle hideaway called Explorama Lodge. Right away the kids could see that life here would take getting used to!

Lots of rain made the air very humid, so wet clothes took days to dry. erosene lamps took the place of electric lights. (No videos or hair dryers here!) Mosquito netting kept creepy-crawlies out of their beds. And to go to the bathroom, the kids had to walk down a long path to an outside toilet.

"I miss hamburgers and pizza," said April, "but I've tried some neat new foods - like fried bananas, black beans, and manioc root."

The kids didn't have to go far for animal-watching. While swinging on hammocks, they watched hummingbirds sip nectar from flowers. They shared their showers with huge moths and weird katydids. Once they even had to step over a column of marching army ants to get to the dining room.

HI, NEIGHBORS!

After getting settled in the lodge, the kids visited a Yagua Indian village. The chief colored the kids' faces with red "paint" made from seeds. Everyone tried shooting darts from a blowgun more than six feet (2 m) long. Best of all, they traded things brought from home for blowguns, dolls, grass skirts, and necklaces.

A LIVING LAB

All week, the kids explored the river and the rainforest. While paddling down the Amazon in canoes, they learned that the river contains more species (kinds) of fish than the entire Atlantic Ocean. By catching some of those fish in a net, Jake made another discovery. "These are the same kinds of tropical fish I have in my aquarium at home!" he said.

On one hike, the kids learned some of the jungle's medical secrets. For example, when some of the native people get bad cuts, they force ants with huge jaws to bite both sides of the wound. The ants' jaws lock and hold the skin together like stitches until the cut heals. "Gross!" Rebecca said when she heard that. "I'd rather go to the emergency room!"

By hunting for tarantulas, butterflies, and footlong walking sticks, the kids learned a lot about nature. But exploring the canopy walkway was the trip's high point - in more ways than one.

GETTING ABOVE IT

The canopy walkway is like a narrow trail through the treetops. (See photo, page 39.) It starts at the top of a tower and zigzags through the rainforest canopy. (That's the top level of the forest.) It ends 1600 feet (480 m) away at another tower.

The kids knew the walkway was safe. But that first step onto it was still a little scary. Sarah said it was "fun, exciting, wonderful, frightening, and every other word that describes my mixed feelings!"

Scientists have known for a long time that tropical rainforests have more species than any other place on Earth. But, until a few years ago, they had no idea how many. Now they're sure that millions of unknown species live overhead without ever coming near the ground.

Discovering an unknown species would have been neat. But the kids were happy just seeing what they did. Some creatures that were hard to spot from the jungle floor were now right before their eyes.

Instead of seeing just a flash of bright feathers, the kids stood eye to eye with some incredible birds. Instead of just hearing a weird howl, they nearly shared the same branch with a howler monkey.

The sights were amazing, but what Emily liked best was her second trip on the walkway - in the black of night. "We got to see glow-in-the-dark mushrooms up there. It was so neat!"

GOOD-BYE - FOR

NOW, ANYWAY

By week's end, all the kids were ready to see their families - and modern toilets! Still, the kids were sorry to leave. Tim said he was going to be "rainforest sick" instead of homesick. Erica said that although she hoped the forest would always be the same, "I know I'll never be."