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How's this for a summer vacation? Magdalia Campobasso spent a week in the Ozark Mountains exploring caves, hiking, and catching fish. And she did it all with one of her favorite people: her grandmother!

Magdalia, 12, was the 2011 winner of the Craig Tufts Educational Scholarship. The scholarship sends one child and an adult family member to an outdoor education camp called the Family Nature Summit. At the summit, families hike, go rock-climbing, and do other fun outdoor activities. And wildlife experts teach them about the animals and plants they see. (At left, Magdalia checks out a fish from a local lake.)

Last year, Magdalia applied for the scholarship by submitting an essay about her love of nature. She wrote, "I have always been passionate about studying everything in the natural world, including insects and all types of animals." And that's just what she got to do on her Ozark adventure.

2012 FAMILY NATURE SUMMIT

This year, the Family Nature Summit will be held July 7-13 at the YMCA of the Rockies, in Estes Park, Colorado. That's right next door to Rocky Mountain National Park! Imagine a week of hiking in the mountains, climbing boulders, tracking elk and bighorn sheep, seeing zillions of stars in a clear night sky, and much more.

Have your family find out all about it at familysummits.org. To apply for the Craig Tufts scholarship like the one Magdalia won last year, visit familysummits.org/craigtufts.php. 

Craig Tufts was the chief naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation, the group that publishes Ranger Rick.

photo by Helen Steussy