The fifth-grader squirmed at the sight of slimy squids being dropped into the hands of her classmates.

Monique Phelps looked as if she hadn’t smelled, much less held something as foul as what she was about to dissect.

It was one of the many firsts for Cascade Elementary School students who took an annual trip to Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor last week. The 77 fifth-graders studied science and learned several lifetime skills.

“So many of these kids are city kids,” said teacher Alice Darling. “(For many) this is the only chance they get to be in nature.”

Minutes after receiving the squid, Phelps was running her fingers along its back. By the end of class she had ripped out its beak to write her name with its ink.

The YMCA Environmental Science Camp at Glen Cove became an about 12-year tradition for Cascade, May 19-21.

“It was definitely an opportunity for kids to learn about their part in the environment, to learn about sustainability, to learn teamwork,” said Rachel Lockhart, Cascade vice principal.

The camp counselors, or self-ascribed “naturalists,” are more like teachers, using the surrounding forests and Puget Sound as exhibits for lecture.

The marine science classes use a large touch-tank, where sea creatures taken from the cove can be prodded and felt by the curious kids.

“It’s so much different to learn it when you’re in the environment,” Lockhart said. “You’re actually getting to see things and touch things.”

Outside the marine science room, narrow benches doubled as canoe training. Steering seemed easy enough, until strong-willed students found their boats spinning in the cove.

Many of the kids had never been in a boat. While they can be taught to paddle on the shore, it’s much more meaningful when they actually row a boat, Lockhart said.

In an orienteering class, the fifth-graders learned to use compasses to find their way in the woods.

The spring rains poured through the towering trees, while two girls in white and purple ponchos counted their paces in unison.

The three-day trip was moved from March to May this year, in hopes of warmer and sunnier days. The weather didn’t improve much this year.

The kids were grateful for their heated cabins and hot showers, Lockhart said.

In an outdoor amphitheater, kids stood above the dripping benches and sang student-initiated camp songs.

To order their attention, counselors lead a chant across the cove to wake up their neighbors. The kids went silent to hear their echo.

The fifth-graders were split into three groups throughout the day – for classes, lunch and cabins – which forges friendships between classrooms, Lockhart said. “It’s nice before middle school that they get the chance to work with other kids.”

At the camp a new lesson is infused into every opportunity. During meals, kids learned to reduce waste by only taking what food they could eat.

Principal Shannon Harvey and Lockhart made a bet that they couldn’t keep their food waste below four pounds. The kids won, and the two jumped into the cove.

“It was chilly but worth it,” she said. At the shore, the fifth-graders counted down to the impending jump, and greeted them with hugs when they got out.

Along with meeting science and social studies goals, free-time activities such as archery and a bouldering wall gave students other places to excel.

“It’s exciting to see kids shining in a different way,” Lockhart said. “I look forward to it.”