Girl Reporter

Did you know that Skyland Ranch was infested with monsters? At the first ever Super Skyland days my Girl Scout sisters and I went monster hunting! During our quest for the monsters we got to make fun crafts and learn more about what cryptozoology actually is. We even got a V.I.P. Q & A with a special guest and author, but you’ll  have to keep reading to find out just who it was.

Upon arrival to the camp I could tell that we were going to be dealing with some spooky monsters but nothing could prepare me for the hand monster! Each girl was standing at the craft table ready to let their inner monster out. They gave each Scout a white glove and told us to “open your imagination and let your monster escape”. With googly eyes and pipe cleaners galore I started with giving  my monster about 7 eyes so he could see just about anything coming his way. Then, I went on to make sure everyone knew my monster was the scariest by making his mouth dark and treacherous. Some of my Girl Scout sisters decided to give their monsters hair and bows and some wanted to use pipe cleaners and glitter glue to make their monster pop.

For our next exploration we went to the cryptozoology station where we brought our monster to life with clay, rocks, and many more unique materials. If you’re wondering just what cryptozoology is, by definition, it is the search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Loch Ness Monster and the Yeti. Crazy cool right? After choosing our rocks for the base of our monsters we used clay to shape and bring our monster to life. We then got to choose from leather, boomerangs, cups, light up bulbs and many more random items to make our darkest fear a reality.

After we were all done with our monsters, our group together to go on our very own monster hunt. We traveled down a long and scary trail while learning about different animal tracks and different types of scat, more commonly know as poop. We learned about what the animals in the forest eat and how to tell which animal is which just by their droppings.  We then got to scavenge on our own to test our monster hunting skills. After learning all the steps to locating a monster , we made a trap for one. We used whatever we could find and made whatever we wanted, to trap our monster – no matter how silly.

After our exhausting day of monster hunting we got to sit down , eat a snack, and talk to the one and only Cat Winters, author of “Odd and True,” a bone chilling story of two sisters with monster hunting in their blood. After Mrs. Winters told described her background, we got to dive right into the juicy questions. My Girl Scout sisters and I got some amazing advice on how to become a writer and start a writing career – and surprisingly found out that the book is not based off of Cat and her sister! Cat also revealed to us that she received many rejections for her latest book but, never gave up and finally got it published!

All in all, I learned some valuable life lessons about monster hunting and where to find the evil dwellers! So, no need to fear Girl Scouts, next time you go to Skyland Ranch you’ll find that it is monster free thanks to Cat, my Girl Scout Sisters, and me.