This is the 67th event held by AYLUS Oakland Gardens. On Thursday, April 25, 2024, AYLUS Oakland Gardens went to Powell’s Cove Park to learn about poetry around the campfire. The day was really nice and warm with only fluffy and wispy clouds in the air.
There were two areas, one was the campfire area, or the quiet area, and the other was a field where you could talk with your friends. In the first area, the campfire, the kids were very quiet, as you could not speak loudly. They spent the time writing and reading poems, as well as doodling while enjoying the flora and fauna around them. Anyone who was speaking in that area spoke in very quiet voices so as to not disturb anyone. To protect everyone, Ranger Moshon, Ranger AJ Tompkins, Ranger L. Kravtsova, and Ranger Asaro didn’t allow anyone to go near the campfire, so no one could sustain any burns from the fire. The park rangers were highly skilled and occasionally added more wood to the fire to keep it burning. They used fireplace tongs to sift the coals while adding wood to the fire through using their gloved hands.
In the field, kids were playing games of all sorts. Some of our youngest members stayed in that area for most of the event, as they were really active and didn’t want to disturb anyone who was writing the poems. They played games like tag and Simon Says. Occasionally, our older members came over to take a break.
The bay next to us, Powell Cove Bay, was very calm. Small waves were splashing against the shore. We learned that this peace is only achieved as you cannot commercially fish. If you were to fish, you must catch and release. Pilings, pieces of wood, served as warning for large boats of rocky waters when the bay was a dock. However, now they are not in use, serving a purpose of providing areas of ground for the birds like gulls and cormorants to sit on while looking for fish to eat.
Near the end of the event, Ranger AJ Tompkins and Ranger Asaro set out the fire. They use clipboards to fan the flames, helping it die out on its own. This is because if you just put water on it, it becomes pieces of wet burnt wood. If it dies out on its own, it eats up most of the wood and there is very little waste left. As they fanned it, the wood started glowing red and orange. This is because more oxygen is being blown towards the flames. The flames use the oxygen as fuel, so the wood starts glowing. While they were doing this, the members watched but still had to stay far behind so no one got injured. The leftover coals are the hottest part of the fire. If you have only hot coals, you can put in a little paper or twigs, blow on it, and start a new fire. This is why we have to make sure to properly dispose of the hot coals as it may start a forest fire if disposed improperly.
We would like to thank Ranger Moshon, Ranger AJ Tompkins, Ranger L. Kravtsova, and Ranger Asaro for inviting us to attend this event today. From this event, we experience nature, enjoy nature, learn to love nature, and protect nature.
Our volunteers:
Jia Qi Liu (Angela): 1.5 hours
Hong Hao Liu (Alfred): 1.5 hours
Sophia You: 1.5 hours
Stephanie You: 1.5 hours
Sophia Li: 1.5 hours
Ioknor Lin: 1.5 hours
Ioklee Lin: 1.5 hours
Melissa Chen: 1.5 hours
Ryan Chen: 1.5 hours
Ryan Wu: 1.5 hours
Austin Yuel: 1.5 hours
Kaisa Wu: 1.5 hours
Vicki Lin: 1.5 hours
Sunny Chen: 1.5 hours
Evaline Yuel: 1.5 hours
Jiaheng Yu: 1.5 hours
Aiden Lin: 1.5 hours
Brandon Lin: 1.5 hours
Xilin Huang: 1.5 hours
Anthony Lin: 1.5 hours
Austin Li: 1.5 hours
Darren Li: 1.5 hours
Emily Zheng: 1.5 hours
Hannah Zheng: 1.5 hours
Blake Han: 1.5 hours
Tian Xiang Ding: 1.5 hours
Paxton Xu: 1.5 hours
Nerissa Xu: 1.5 hours
Xiangxi Yu: 1.5 hours
Yuxin Liu: 1.5 hours
Jun Zhe Ling: 1.5 hours
Zhengyilan Fang: 1.5 hours
Ricky Song: 1.5 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Cui Li (Fannie)
Hsinhui Liao (Karen)
Teng Fei Liu (Faye)
Report by: Hong Hao Liu (Alfred)
Reviewed by: Jia Qi Liu (Angela)
