Hello people, I was just in Peru with the
National Geographic Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge Expedition. It was such an honor to be with the kids who won! Thousands of kids entered this contest and only 15 got a chance to go. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't enter. All the kids that won never thought they would be picked, so you should try it next year ... plus, it's really fun.
We met up with the group when they were flying from Lima to Cusco, where we all spent time together in the Sacred Valley. One of the days we were there, all of the kids participated in a "treasure hunt" with a group of local people who live in the highlands of Peru (we were at 14,000 feet!). Our first competition was hair braiding, since this is a popular traditional hairstyle in Peru. Our team did not do so well. The second competition was textile weaving. I learned how to how to do it from a local woman, but I wasn't so good at that either. I got to keep the bracelet I made though, which was a really cool souvenir from our trip.
We also had an event where we used slingshots to shoot at balloons and hats that were strung up in some trees. It was hard but really fun. One of the kids, Dewey, was really good at it. He shoots beebee guns at home, so maybe that's why he was so good.