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!
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!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day #1 has been AWESOME!
Our three busses left school at 8:30, the rain traveled along with us down to Yarmouthport, but it had stopped by the time we pulled into camp at 9:55. What a scream the kids let out as we pulled in! Everyone pitched in to unload the busses, bucket-brigade style, after which the 11 Nature's Classroom teachers rounded up our fifth graders for some running-around games that helped get the blood moving again after the bus ride.
Next, everyone got cabin assignments and had just enough time to make up their bunks before an all-camp fire/emergency drill at the basketball court. ("Listen for the man-made triple signal!")
The children then met with NC director, Fitz, while field group leaders met with all 11 chaperones and the four fifth grade teachers for an info session.
LUNCH was well received by our hungry, hungry group--- peppered chicken, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, and Spanish rice with tortillas for burrito wraps! Sunflower butter/jelly was available for those who wanted it, plus THE BEST salad bar, too!
Every one of our 15 tables has a "waitron" assigned for each meal; actually the kids signed up as volunteers to take turns for the various meals throughout the week. Ask your favorite fifth grader about the privileges...and responsibilities, of being the waitron! Oh, and don't forget to also inquire about ORT [amount of wasted food :( ] and the ORT report that is sung after each meal by the waitrons.
We all got soaked by the surprise arrival of an autumn shower during after-lunch announcements outdoors...but nothing a change of clothes (and a hair dryer blast) wouldn't fix, before heading out to our next activity....and by then, the rain had stopped.
There was a brief transition (T-time) before afternoon field group time during which the children spread out all over camp for various team-building and cooperation activities. During that time everyone signed up for an afternoon class: feed your face (oatmeal facials, etc), water rockets (complete with super-launching!), clay, pig dissection (ayup!), FROLF (frisbee golf), "Oh, chute!" (parachute making), survival skills (fire building and shelter-making), or insect (GIANT grasshopper) dissection.
Another short t-time and then it was back to the dining hall for a dinner of kid-friendly burgers, fries, SALAD BAR, and frosted chocolate cake or fresh fruit.
Tonight's activity was finishing up as I began this posting. It was called Science Fair and Quest, beginning with an NC teacher skit, followed by hands-on experiment stations to which all the kids rotated for 10 minutes at a time ---very cool and quick enough to keep everyone's interest high.
Now is when the fun starts for the chaperones - getting everyone to settle down to write in their journals, shower (if they're on the "night" rotation") and have lights out at a reasonable time, whatever that is!
It's been a full, busy first day...Your children are fabulous!!!!!
I will attempt to attach a couple of pictures, though I'm not sure how or if they will post. One of the parents here will be trying to set up a Shutterfly access for many more photos, and I will include the link info as soon as I have it.
Goodnight!
Next, everyone got cabin assignments and had just enough time to make up their bunks before an all-camp fire/emergency drill at the basketball court. ("Listen for the man-made triple signal!")
The children then met with NC director, Fitz, while field group leaders met with all 11 chaperones and the four fifth grade teachers for an info session.
LUNCH was well received by our hungry, hungry group--- peppered chicken, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, and Spanish rice with tortillas for burrito wraps! Sunflower butter/jelly was available for those who wanted it, plus THE BEST salad bar, too!
Every one of our 15 tables has a "waitron" assigned for each meal; actually the kids signed up as volunteers to take turns for the various meals throughout the week. Ask your favorite fifth grader about the privileges...and responsibilities, of being the waitron! Oh, and don't forget to also inquire about ORT [amount of wasted food :( ] and the ORT report that is sung after each meal by the waitrons.
We all got soaked by the surprise arrival of an autumn shower during after-lunch announcements outdoors...but nothing a change of clothes (and a hair dryer blast) wouldn't fix, before heading out to our next activity....and by then, the rain had stopped.
There was a brief transition (T-time) before afternoon field group time during which the children spread out all over camp for various team-building and cooperation activities. During that time everyone signed up for an afternoon class: feed your face (oatmeal facials, etc), water rockets (complete with super-launching!), clay, pig dissection (ayup!), FROLF (frisbee golf), "Oh, chute!" (parachute making), survival skills (fire building and shelter-making), or insect (GIANT grasshopper) dissection.
Another short t-time and then it was back to the dining hall for a dinner of kid-friendly burgers, fries, SALAD BAR, and frosted chocolate cake or fresh fruit.
Tonight's activity was finishing up as I began this posting. It was called Science Fair and Quest, beginning with an NC teacher skit, followed by hands-on experiment stations to which all the kids rotated for 10 minutes at a time ---very cool and quick enough to keep everyone's interest high.
Now is when the fun starts for the chaperones - getting everyone to settle down to write in their journals, shower (if they're on the "night" rotation") and have lights out at a reasonable time, whatever that is!
It's been a full, busy first day...Your children are fabulous!!!!!
I will attempt to attach a couple of pictures, though I'm not sure how or if they will post. One of the parents here will be trying to set up a Shutterfly access for many more photos, and I will include the link info as soon as I have it.
Goodnight!
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