4/2 - AFTERNOON/EVENING

We have had a lot of fun doing simulations (you probably know that simulations recreate events that have happened in the past, are happening in the present, or may happen in the future). Talk about hands-on learning, these recreations have helped us understand habitats, historical events, and real life situations that people may face in the world today. It creates a whole new perspective on what we thought we knew. Some of the one-word comments when reflecting on our simulations are; "amazing", "awesome", "terrifying", "fun", "exciting", "tunnel" (we'll have to explain that one to you), "cool", "horrifying", and "outstanding."

We are torn about tomorrow ... we don't want to leave but everyone misses home a bit. We have another busy morning so the next blog will be posted by a very tired teacher from the comfort of her own home.

4/2 AM

We're off and running again! It was rough waking up today, we are all getting tired and our night activity really wiped us out! Our afternoon activity yesterday had us in the woods running around and attacking different species which added to our feelings of exhaustion. But none of that matters much as we are all enjoying what we are learning.

Right now, students are on their field group experience. We have some interesting classes that include a rat dissection, exploring spiders and their webs, native american culture and dream catchers, learning about and trying some Yoga, birds and birdwatching, and a class about culture and Japan where kids will learn to write their names in Japanese. So many awesome classes to choose from! It's hard to decide which to take.

We'll blog you later!

4/1 - EVENING

Tonight students discussed and explored the life of a wolf. They learned about the Alpha Male and Female and the importance of their roles in their pack. Students learned the characteristics, habitat, adaptations, and senses of the wolf before participating in a simulation. We were out in the woods (yes, in the dark), following our Alpha Male and Female while searching out food, maintaining our status among other packs, and most importantly, protecting ourselves from hunters. Several wolves were taken out by the hunters and others lost their role as the Alpha wolf. When our simulation was over, we gather to reflect on the experience and learn the truth and myths about our wolf population. It is down significantly from previous years but is showing a rising trend. It was interesting to learn that people are responsible for the loss of 4 times as many deer than wolves (hunting and car accidents). It was also interesting to learn that there is no documented account of a human being attacked by a healthy wolf (yet there are thousands of documented attacks by domesticated dogs). Sounds like wolves get a bad rap.

Whoa! It continues to be cold but a lot of fun! Students are out right now for field group. We had an amazing breakfast of eggs, hash browns, cereal, juice, milk, and bagels. As you can tell, the food is a huge interest. The fresh fruit that is available is so refreshing! We are all a little tired today but we want to share some direct quotes from students:

Alex B: "No offense to the lunch ladies but this food is way better."
EmmaLea M: "Why wouldn't kids want to be here?"
Connor L: "TVP is good!" (let him tell you what that is)
Kristina K: "I know it's late but I'm too hyper to go to sleep." (15 minutes later she was out like a light).
Jamie R: "I can't wait for the cookies tonight. They're the best cookies I've ever had."

After field group, we will have lunch and our classes for today. We will try to post the class titles later. Hope you are all enjoying your classrooms (lol).

3-31 Afternoon/Evening

There were so many cool classes to choose from today. It's Tuesday and that means students get to pick two classes; one in the early afternoon and one early evening. I watched an improv class today where students improvised some hilarious routines. After our dinner of egg rolls, rice, fruit, bread, and salad bar, we were gathered up for a night hike. The moon was incredibly bright and we were able to see several constellations. There were two points during the hike where teachers walked ahead and signaled the students to come; once as a group and once alone. This requires trust and bravery and our students did a great job. We also experimented with night vision and watched as winter green lifesavers sparked in our mouths. Our evening concluded with cookies, milk, a story, and a slide show. Lights out will be at 10:30 tonight (that's 11:30 your time).

Day 2 am

It is cold and rainy. Many kids are reluctant to wear their coats and raingear but we will stand our ground. After a great breakfast of pancakes, cereal, bagels, and fruit, todays classes were revealed. They are; Renegades with Kelly; Salmon Soldiers with Yukumi; Life and Death in nature with Charles; Disaster with Kelly; and Going Native with Dave The students are currently in their field groups where they will choose their classes. Didn't have time to write about yesterdays classes but we will do a better job of posting those today. We played Stump the Staff after breakfast and so far, the staff is outscoring the students. They're going to have to come up with some challenging questions in order to defeat us. Upon their return, students will have some quiet time to prepare for lunch. We'll let you know what that is later. Hope you are enjoying your classroom experience!

March 30th

After a rough start (short 1 bus), we made it here and quickly settled in and got busy. We began with a field group exprience where students faced several challenges to solve as a team. They became acquainted with their field group leader and field group members. It was cold but sunny and with all of the activity the kids were doing, they were warm and happy. We were placed on mountain time to accommodate our night activities (we are actually running 1 hour earlier than everyone back home). After a great lunch of spaghetti and garlic bread, students were given their first list of afternoon class choices. They were; Basin Ball with Kelly and Dave; Oh Deer with Yukumi; Habitat Restoration with Charles; Stormchasers with Nicole; and Lumberjack Scramble with Bryan. Each class focuses on a curricular area and uses hands on and role playing situations to drive instruction. After dinner (hamburgers & fries), we participated in a large group activity called Quest; which is another chance for students to work on team success of challenges. Students were taught the STOP strategy: Stop, Think, Organize, Proceed. This activity ran until 9 pm. Aftewards, we gathered as a large group, reflected on the experience, listened to a story, had milk and cookies, and watched a slide show of pictures of animals and nature. Lights out was late tonight but with the time change, we all will have a good nights sleep!