Friday, October 10,2014

Well, the week has come to an end.  The kids are sad to be going home. During sharing time  before breakfast one student said he wished he could start the week all over again.  There will be tears shed when we board the buses.  However, it was great that the students had an opportunity to experience Nature's Classroom this week.  For some this will be their only chance to be in the "woods" and we are all glad it was here with Aborn, Lincoln-Thompson, and Sisson schools.

After another great meal the kids went back to the cabins to clean their disaster zones.  I felt bad for the counselor who had the Aborn boys' cabin.  From what I hear though the other cabins were just as bad. Once they were done they filled out evaluations to say what they liked and didn't like about Nature's Classroom.  In the past there have not been many negative things said.
Now they are off to field group for the last time.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as I enjoy keeping the parents informed because I know many of you were nervous about letting your child go for the week.  Make sure you ask them about their week. If they say they didn't do much, they are lying.

We've been here all week and no has claimed us.

 

Good Bye from Freedom, NH.

PS. I will be posting all of the pictures on a website once I get them.  I will post the link here.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

What a beautiful day it is up here.  The sun is shining and it is a little on the windy side but there is no rain.  After breakfast and a class the kids are going on a loooooong hike.  They will hiking into the woods and up some small mountains.  Along the way they will study animal tracks, learn how to start fires for survival, and just have fun

Parents please note that while your child is up here they are not the neatest of people.  Clothes are strewn everywhere, at least in the Aborn boys' cabin they are.  Your child may not come home with every single piece of clothing you sent up with them. There are socks, underwear, t shirts, shoes, etc.... everywhere.  We do our best to have them claim what is theirs, but most of them have no clue what was packed in their bag.
Many of the kids are already talking about not wanting to come home and how quickly the week has gone by.  Your child is having a fantastic time up here. 
For their night time activity they are going on the Night Experience.  They break up in their field groups and go exploring in the dark.  The only one with a  light is their field group leader.  Some groups chew on peppermint lifesavers to see them spark, others will use their senses to help guide them through the woods. This is a great activity that has very popular in the past years.
Only one day left. Where has the time gone?  It was another great year.
Here is one of my favorite things to do here at NC, waking the boys.

Feed your face

Making Masks

Making water rockets

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

We woke up to rain and it has been sporadic today.  They decided to flip flop the schedule for today and tomorrow.  Today they were supposed to go on a 4 hour hike but since it is so wet and the possibility of rain it was delayed.  However, they did play a huge game of tag.  It is called Predator vs. Prey.  The purpose of this game to help the kids understand the food chain and how animals rely on each other for survival as food.

I'm sure some of you are wondering if the kids are learning anything valuable. Every class they take up here has a real educational value to it.  Most of the classes are learning about things they wouldn't study in a typical classroom.  For example, in Wild Edibles they learn what kinds of plants they can eat to survive if lost in the wilderness.  Another class, deer survival, teaches them ways in which they can use camouflage to hide from predators.  One that I think is very important is learning how to build a shelter in the woods only using branches and shrubbery. To keep with the classroom curriculum they also had the choice of a creative writing class. Of course there are fun classes such as Feed Your Face in which the kids learn about using vegetables and fruits for a facial.  And of course the ever popular dissections. Who knows there may be a student who gets turned towards the medical field after participating in the shark or pig dissection.

Tonight the kids participated in Wednesday Night Live.  This is Nature's Classroom's version of Saturday Night Live.  The kids perform a skit with their field group and laughter ensues.  This is usually the kids favorite nighttime activity.  Yes, the teachers get involved too.  We create our own skits and have a blast.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Last night's science fair was pretty cool.  The students learned about why metals melt, why some things burn and others don't.  They even set a dollar bill on fire yet it didn't burn. Hmmmm.   From what I hear the girls were up a lot later than the boys.  But all in all it was a good night because there was crying about missing home.

For breakfast today the kids enjoyed french toast and bacon.  They also had choices of cereals and fruit. Some kids were commenting that this was the best breakfast they ever had.  Trust me, they are being well fed up here.  No one is going hungry.  I find it funny that the kids say they know what the next meal is when in my 7 years of coming up here I've never seen a menu.
As I sit here there is no one around.  All the kids have gone off with their field groups for two hours.  Most of them will spend that time in the woods learning about a variety of environmental things.  All of this is happening in the rain.  No matter what the weather they are outside.Unfortunately today and tomorrow do look a little wet. WOW, did it rain up here, then the sun came out.
Of course it poured while they were in their classes which were all outside.  The learned about slingshots, making ice cream, deer survival, ultimate Frisbee.to name a few.  Tonight they have a multicultural fair in which they learn about the customs from various countries.  Last year was the first time we did this and it was well received by the kids.
Tonight was taco Tuesday.  Boy, could these kids eat tacos.  It was really messy but they ended up the least amount of ORT yet.  What's ORT? Ask your child.

Monday, October 6, 2014

After a fun filled bus ride watching a movie and making new friends we made it up here around 11:15.  The kids brought all the luggage into the rec hall and then went into the field to meet their field group leaders and play some games.  Then, they broke up into thier groups and headed out to the dining hall for a lunch of grilled cheese, french fries, and tomato soup.  Don't worry they also have a choice of the salad bar.

My favorite part takes place after lunch, the dragging of the bags.  The kids are responsible for carrying their own bags to the cabins, but most of the bags are way to heavy for them to carry.  I feel bad for Sisson boys because they have the farthest cabin.  After that they practiced a fire drill, because safety is of the utmost importance up here.

The kids have been so busy they haven't time to think about missing any of you, but don't feel bad.  This afternoon they had their first class.  Some of the choices they had were rat dissection, soccer ball digestion, salamander gander, and jelly bellyology.  Dissections are definitely the most popular.

After a delicious dinner of chicken, mac and cheese, the awesome salad bar we came outside to a couple deer in the field.  The kids were quite excited to see them.
Tonight there is going to be a science fair and then quiet sing.  I'll give more info on that tomorrow.  The kids seem really tired today.  Hopefully it will be an early night to sleep, but I highly doubt it.