Day 5

Friday, October 9, 2015
Well, our week is coming to a close.  After a week of beautiful weather we woke up to pouring rain this morning. It kind of hampered the kids bringing their luggage to the rec hall so expect some wet things when you open their bags. We should be arriving back between 2:30 and 3:00 to our pick spot, Great Woods Rd.
For the last breakfast the kids got chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. YUM!!  They gobbled them down.  After breakfast they will come back to the cabins and clean.  Yes, this is another skill that you will have to work on when they get home.  You can tell them that you know they learned how to at Nature's Classroom.  I must say they do have a lot of work to do. :)
After the cleaning they will be in their last field group.  Some will be in the rain and some won't. It depends on the counselor and how adventurous they are.  Who knows they may go for an hour long hike in the woods.
Once lunch is done, around 12, we will load the busses and be on our way.  Every year it is sad to leave here.  The kids have so much fun and interact so well with each other.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I realized that more and more parents from other schools are reading it so I try to incorporate pictures of all the kids. Until next year.......

Day 4

Thursday, October 8, 2015

This is blogging, New Hampshire style

It is our last full day here in Freedom, NH.  Many of the kids are saying they don't want to leave and want to stay another week.  This happens every year.  The weather has been so nice up here all week.  The temps have been in the 60s during the day and dip down to 40s at night.  Don't worry the kids learn quickly if they aren't wearing the right type of clothing.  Also, don't be surprised if your kids come back minus a few clothes.  We try to keep them organized but it is an uphill battle.  They also do stay clean while they are up here.  We make them take showers and brush their teeth.
Today they played what is deemed the largest game of tag in the state of New Hampshire, Predator vs. Prey. In this game each student is put in a group of either a bug, frog, snake, or hawk.  It is used to help the students learn about the food chain and how it works.  After a little transition time it was lunch.  Today they had pizza and I must say it was pretty good.
Later in the day they had another class in which they could've taken dissection classes, scat class, owl pellets, geology, Mad Libs, or forest fires. Don't worry they didn't burn down any trees.  It is amazing how interested the kids are in these classes.  Make sure you ask the kids about the classes they took and what they learned.
You may have noticed that I mention what they are having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in every post.  That is just to reassure you that they are being well fed.  By the way, each one of them is learning how to set a table and clean it up after everyone has eaten.  Please continue that learning at home.  With that said they had pork, potatoes, and asparagus for dinner.   Many of the kids tried the asparagus and a few of them actually liked it.
Tonight was Thursday Night Live.  It is similar to Saturday Night Live but child friendly.  The kids practice their skits with their field groups during the day to perfect it.  The skits were pretty funny and the acting superb.  This is usually the one thing the kids remember the most when they look back at their week at NC.
Tomorrow is an early day.  The kids will be woken up around 6:30 because they need to be packed and have their bags in the rec hall by 7:30.  They will be tired tomorrow night. Good Night.

soccer spectators

The counselors

The view

deer scat

animal scat

owl pellets

What did they find in the owl pellet?

edible geology

We are geology.

Why yes that is a soccer ball skin on his head.

packing up

soccer

more soccer

Day 3

Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Sorry for the delay in this post. The internet up here is very unreliable.  Anyways, the day started out just like the others, waking up the boys with heavy metal.  The girls get more gentle waking up of Mrs. Hennessey saying, "Alright girls, time to get up".  They are so lucky they aren't with me.  After a breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit, and bagels the kids were off to their first class.  I watched a rat dissection and a frog dissection.  These are the kind of things the kids definitely won't get to do in our classrooms.  They were so excited about the classes.  Others made containers to protect their eggs when they drop off a 25 ft drop and some painted their rock buddies.
After a short break they came back to the dining hall to pack their lunches for the long hike.  This is when they are gone for 4 hours hiking through the woods of Freedom.  Some of them catch frogs and salamanders, others roast marshmallows and others will go explore the abandoned airfield.  It is a tiring time but the kids love it.
For dinner they had chicken fingers and corn on the cob.  I was amazed at how much corn was eaten. For the night time activity the kids had another hike.  This time there was no light involved.  It was the Night Experience Hike.  They went out in total darkness and learned how lifesavers make sparks, used a flint and steel to start a fire, and experienced what it was like to be an owl.
Below are some pictures from the multicultural night as well as today.

Learning about Australia

Adding to a quilt

Playing Mancala from Africa

Making hieroglyphics

More hieroglyphics

Dance from Cuba

Making totem poles

Playing a Viking game

More of the Viking game

Foggy Morning

Learning about rat anatomy

Frog dissection

So interested

Intriguing

Dropping the egg

Oops. Cracked

Bombs away

Painting rock buddies

Hmm, what color should I use?

Giving advice on color choices

Yes, the insides of a rat.

Even the kids get to try it.

Using acorns as whistles