Friday, October 9, 2009 Last Day

Today the boys were woken up to the soft sounds of Judas Priest.  I sure am going to miss waking them up this way.  Maybe the parents can continue the NC tradition.  Last night was a blast.  It was so much fun that the kids are still talking about it.  Make sure you ask them about the Underground Railroad.  Throughout the week we have been singing different songs so if you hear your child singing something new this is where they got it from.

I would like to thank Ms. Aarons, Mr. Way, and Mr. Gallant for chaperoning this week. I think they had more fun than the kids. Also, Mr. Way was the official photographer.   As always it was a successful week.   Mrs. Hennessey and I are looking forward to next year already.  The staff up here is incredible.  They have nothing but the kids' interests at heart.  The activities were engaging and fun.  The kids were learning and they didn't even realize it half the time.

By the time you read this your child will probably already be home.  Sit down and ask them about the week.  If they say they didn't do anything they are lying.  Remember to check the pictures on the Aborn website(www.abornschool.org) under Grade 5.  I will be posting a video montage in the near future.

Cleaning the cabins was a barrel of fun, and a few trash bags .  If your child is missing any clothing it is because they did not claim it when we were showing them the lost and found in the cabin.  Also, the boys are smelling just a little bit prettier this morning thanks to Mrs. Hennessey and her crew.

This will be the last post of this NC year.  I hope everyone enjoyed reading them as much as I did posting them. BYE!!!!

Ouch that hurt!!!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009 Day 4

It was realitively quite night. Oh, yeah the boys nailed the girls with silly string.  Of course Mrs. Hennessey got us back. While we were all over at the girls' cabin she snuck into ours and silly stringed the whole inside.  Wednesday Night Live was a riot.  The kids did some really funny skits.  Needless to say the boys were woken in the gentlest of ways with the screaming guitars and monstorous drums.  I think waking them up is my favorite part of the day. LOL!!

After a breakfast of french toast and bacon the kids signed up for the classes they wanted to participate in today.  Today they could write for NC News, learn yoga, build a burma (rope) bridge, learn about baby turtles, or dissect garbage, YUM!!.  That last class is something they certainly won't learn in my room.  Maybe Mr. Held could teach it.  By the way, we all hope that the other fifth graders and the fourth grade had a great time exploring Lynn Woods with Mr. Held and Mrs. Wladkowski.

It amazes me.  The kids go out on four hike in the woods, which they are all raving about, and come back and want to play soccer, basketball, and kickball.  Mrs. Hennessey, myself, and the other chaperons can't wait to get home so we can rest.  They just go, go, go!!  So expect a quiet weekend parents.

We just finished up pizza. It was pretty good.  In about an hour we will start the Underground Railroad activity.  The kids are really excited about this because they have no idea what is going to happen.  It will be pitch black and the chaperones will be the only ones with flash lights.  I'll let you know more tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Day 3

The boys were given of dose of Anthrax this morning after going to sleep at 11. NO!! Not the dangersous chemical. The band.  Mrs. Hennessey woke the girls to Beethoven.  That would have put me back to sleep.  They were sleeping like babies. It rained all night and will continue alllllll day.  The outdoor activities are not cancelled either.  It just makes them more interesting.  The class choices today consist of a couple dissections, how to use duct tape effectively, how to make a slingshot and rollercoaster.  They also get the chance to make rocket cars and play with scat, animal poop.  Sounds fun!!!!!

Are you wondering how your smelly your child will be when you see them on Friday?  Hygeine is of the utmost importance up here.  The kids are required to take showers everyday and brush their teeth twice a day. Can you imagine what the cabin would smell like if they didn't?  However, the cabins are pigstys. It is like they never had to pick up after themselves.  Look the picture.

The night hike went well, they all loved it.  Then they came in and sang some songs.  We do use some of the songs in our Moving on Ceremony.  My favorite was Charlie on the MTA.

After a breakfast of eggs and homefries the kids got into their field groups. Some are out in the rain and some indoors.   What fun!!

During class time it started to pour and became very windy.  Many of the kids were outside when it came through, but they weathered it. Today was the big game of tag called Predator vs. Prey.  Half the kids are predators and the other half are prey.  They run all over the campground.  It is a great way to tire them out.  We had to postpone the Underground Railroad activity until tomorrow night because of the rain.  I have the kids thinking that they will have to dig tunnels under the campground.  So gullible.

The Predator vs. Prey game was intense.  They ran all over the place.  Luckily, the sun came out just as the game was getting under way.  Dinner was great tonight.  Chicken parm with spaghetti and garlic bread. Delish!!!  At 7:30 we are off to Wednesday Night Live.  The kids perform skits with their groups in front of everyone.  It is really funny.  The teachers are getting into it this year also. 

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 Day 2

FYI: Click Here to see all the pictures we have taken so far.The boys were woking to Metallica this morning. However, after the chatty pattys fell asleep around midnight a few woke up on their own at 6:30 this morning. I'm sure that will change tonight because they will be so tired. Mrs. Hennessey told me the girls had a similiar night and they were up at 4:30. Good luck to them tonight. Today's breakfast was heaven for the kids, chocolate chip pancakes. Suprisingly many of them loved the sausage too. They are now in their field groups. Most of the groups are walking around the camp site on nature hikes. One group just found a salamander. For those kids who never saw one it was a great learning experience. Even though it is not a conventional classroom learning goes on all the time.

For lunch today we had chicken patty sandwiches with onion rings. They were really good. The kids gobbled them down. During transition time there was a massive dodgeball game and soccer game. If you were worried about the kids not getting any exercise, don’t worry about that.

They had some great classes today. Some of the students built a geodome out of wood that could hold all nine of them at once. Another class was Feed Yo Face. In this class they had a facial with bananas, oatmeal, and other natural ingredients. Other classes were Ultimate frisbee, Egg Drop, Improv Comedy, and Bats Incredible. They are having so much fun and the weather has been great. However, tomorrow it is suppose to rain all day so we postponed the long hike until Thursday.

Tonight the kids are on night hike were the do experiments in the dark. No flashlights. They will learn how wintergreen lifesavers spark in the dark and other cool nighttime activities. If all goes well everyone will be asleep by 10. We’ll know more tomorrow. Good night.

Monday, October 5, 2009 Day 1

We made it safe and sound in record time.  Cruised into Nature's Classroom around 11 and the kids unloaded the bus.  They make them work up here.  After, we headed to the dining hall for lunch.  Today we were served corn dogs and french fries.  They do have a vegetarian choice and a salad bar.  I must say the salad bar is quite popular with the students.  At least they are getting their nutrients.  Each child has to take a turn as a waitron.  They leave 15 minutes early and have to set up the table for the campers.  Also, they are reponsible for getting the food for the table and cleaning up. There will be no excuse for them when they get home and you ask them to clean up after dinner.

After lunch they had field group where they were introduced to their field group leaders.  They did many get aquainted activities.  The good thing about field group and meals are that all the kids are mixed in with the other schools.  Many friendships are being built.  We came back to the cabins and practiced a fire drill. They did very well.

During transition time, free time for the kids, the boys played football and basketball.  The girls played basketball and tether ball.  There are no boring times up here.  Some of the classes the kids had included building shelters, sheep brain dissection, and making a beast out of potatoes.

We just finished dinner which was barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn.  For dessert they served Hoodsies.  Tonight we are going to have a science fair and sing some songs. I'll give more information on that tomorrow.  I am going to try to make sure the boys are in bed by 11:00. As far as the girls I can't say for them.   Some of them were ready for bed after dinner.

Look at all the luggage!!!!

Here is the boat we will be using to teach the kids how to waterski.

Just kidding.

I can't believe how fast this happened!!!

For those of you have had children go to Nature's Classroom with us before you know that there was a little leeway in getting things done.  Well not this year.  In a little over two weeks we will be New Hampshire bound.

Usually we have fundraisers before we go to help cover the costs of the bus and chaperones.  As you probably know that hasn't happened to the extent that we need. Kris Way did spearhead a fundraiser last year for us, but we still need to raise more money. The way that will happen is when we come back we will have fundraisers to cover the costs.  We would appreciate it if all the parents of the children who went supported us.  I will have more information on that at a later date.

Make sure you fill out the forms and send them back as soon as possible.  The rest of the money will be due by October 1.  Also, follow the list that was sent home about suggested items to bring.  If your child brings a camera or flashlight make sure they have extra batteries or chargers, don't forget pillows, and most importantly do not pack your clothes in garbage bags.

I'm psyched that we will have warmer weather, which means a lot of time will be spent outside.  Be prepared for the most fun you can have in week.

Last Day (Friday) 2008 Trip

Let me just start by saying "What a week this has been". Your children are all worn out. However, last night started with a visit from the girls to the boys cabin. What started out as a nice visit turned into a Silly String blitz. The girls got the boys good. There was Silly String everywhere. But don't count the boys out yet. We slyly made our way to their cabin while they were in line waiting for dinner and took all their mattresses off of their beds and piled them in the middle of the floor. Revenge is sweet!!!

Thursday Night Live was good. There were some really good skits. Mr. Eddy and Mr. Doherty (Lincoln-Thompson) were part of a skit.  We were two suckers on a stick.  The staff did an excellent job bringing out the acting skills in the children.

This morning was up early and out early. We had to have all of our things in the field by 7:30. Now we know what you parents go through to get your kids up and off to school. They didn't want to move. The staff took them back to the cabin for a thorough cleaning while we filled out evaluations.

From 10-11 the kids have field group one last time. After that we have lunch and say our goodbyes. I would like to thank Mrs. Matsubara, Mrs. Powers, and Mr. Whittier for taking their time to come up as chaperones.

Mrs. Hennessey dragging her luggage.

I will be posting pictures when I get back on the website.

Until next year.