Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Day #2 - October 14, 2009


Everyone slept well, including our first time "campers"!

It was a beautiful autumn day on Cape Cod! After pancakes and bacon (plus options including fresh fruit, coffee cake, dry cereal selection, or toasted mini-bagel) for breakfast, we trekked back to the bunks to pack daypacks for our outing to Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham.

It took us a little over a half hour to get to the Visitor's Center by school busses, and then our fifteen field groups headed out in separate directions to explore the wind-blown salt marsh and wonderful sand beach at the seashore, framed with federally-protected sand dune cliffs. It was mostly a sunny day with the sky turning bright blue and dotted with puffy white clouds by the time we unpacked picnic bag lunches (choice of tuna, turkey, bologna/salami, or sunflower butter/jelly sandwich, with chips and an apple.

A little more time was spent making discoveries before we arrived back in camp about 2:30. During transition time, everyone chose their own "down time" activity - soccer, basketball, visiting with friends, playing games brought from home, journal writing...or whatever...all with adult supervision, of course.

We went to afternoon classes from 4 to 5:30 p.m., having chosen either geodome building (thank you, Buckminster Fuller!), turtle dissection, Burma bridge (rope-bridge building), weavology, pond biology, atlatl and other Native American games, Hot Air Balloons (out of tissue paper...and they really soared HIGH!), (sheep) eyeball dissection, or Tree (identification) Tag.

T-time before dinner was a quick trip to the bunk for a bathroom break (and cleaning up, as needed, from classtime). We were pleased that after our dinner of meatball subs, corn, and Hoodsies (or eggplant parmesan for the vegetarians among us!), our ORT total dropped from 45 lbs at breakfast (mostly leftover liquid at 8 lbs per gallon!) to 21 lbs. Translated, that means our kids are paying more attention to only taking what they will actually eat and drink, even when second servings (and salad bar) are available.

As I'm writing, our FRCS adventurers are experiencing the nighttime in a whole new way - with guidance from their field group leaders and participating chaperones, without the use of flashlights at all. This is Night Hike, which I LOVED when I went last year. There's nothing Halloween-y about it, nothing to be scared of, no one jumping out to surprise them...The children will be quietly (we hope!) listening to the sounds of the night in the woods and in open fields, learning about how the human eye (with the help of the brain's efforts, of course) adjusts so miraculously to the lack of light, to be able to "see" in the dark.
I can't wait to hear their reactions and to see if anyone writes about it in their journals.

In the blog that follows, I will post a few more pictures!

7 comments:

  1. Once again, a fun filled day!! I told Sean I was envious before he left and I am even more so now! The whole neighborhood is caught up in this adventure. Sleep well young one!

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  2. Awesome, I am so glad that Julia is able to take part in such a fantastic learning experience. Your description of the day once again Mrs. Sheer is terrific. Thank you, thank you! Hi G-the house is quiet without you!

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  3. So great to see the kids enjoying the beautiful gifts of nature! It is nice to see their happy faces. I will be looking forward to seeing my son Fabrice in the upcoming pictures. We miss him so much, so so much.

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  4. It looks like the kids are all having so much fun and learning lots of very interesting items. We love the editorial Mrs. Sheer. We miss you Kristen and we can't wait to hear all about your experience at the Nature's Classroom when you get back.

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  5. Wow!! it sounds like they are really have a great experience, doing all kinds of interesting activites...Amyah Dad said he has one more day that he doesn't have to hide the remote control:-) see you tomorrow!!!!!

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  6. Great pictures, everyone looks very happy and enjoying. Mom, Dad and little Aakash miss you Akansha very much. Take lot of pictures.
    We all love you Akansha.

    Mommy, Papa & Aakash

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  7. Natures Classroom was so much fun! From Julia 5A

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