On October 6 the children at The New School set out to enjoy an overnight camping trip at Highland Forest. The weather was spectacular - blue skies, temperatures in the 70’s and yet there was a chill in the air during the night. The wood stoves in the cabins fixed that!
On Thursday we hiked in mixed age groups and went in search of a field! Not an easy task at Highland Forest. In the field we played Who Am I. Children had to guess which animal they had secretly been assigned and in the process discussed the interdependence of plants and animals in a field. Hiking back to the cabins we were divided into groups and played Habitat Hunt. We challenged children to appreciate the diversity of plant life as they looked in groups for shape, color, texture, size and signs of animals.
At Skyline we sat in groups and admired the stunning landscape. Children were challenged to record what they saw in their sketchbooks. After some free time we played Treasure. Parents began to arrive around 4 pm and at 6 pm we were treated to a delicious potluck, followed by campfire introductions and a sing along. After games of flashlight tag, bedtime stories it was lights out at 9:30 pm, and if you were lucky no trips to the outhouse during the night.
On Friday before we headed out on our hikes children revisited the Water Cycle Game. Our second graders were the experts! Friday’s hiking groups were divided into two groups of older and younger students. The older students were challenged to build a shelter that could keep out water! One group was successful when a glass of water was poured onto their “roof.” The younger students went on a scavenger hunt with a partner. The hardest thing to find in the woods was litter! As we were searching for animal tracks, three beautiful horses walked by and provided the evidence we needed. A good discussion took place as to whether horse poop could be counted as an “animal track.” Each day we played Flash Flood, Camouflage and Dead Bug while hiking through the woods.
Children returned to school tired, dirty and full of good experiences.
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