Final Posting!

Part 1:

Please DESCRIBE (this means MORE than list, you know...) at least five meaningful things you learned in this course and how these things have, or will, effect change(s) in your life (either personally or professionally).

Well to start off, I definitely learned a lot that I will take back to my personal and professional life! Professionally, I am going to read the whole Richard Louv book (I actually ordered it today from Amazon) and make sure that I as a teacher am trying to expose my students to nature more frequently. As I shared with the class during a discussion, I also plan on doing something similar to the 100 mile diet type of challenge with my 5th grade class because I think they will enjoy it and really learn something from it. Personally I am more aware of the distance the food travels to get to my plate. Already since I have been home I have started conversations with others about this and been looking at even produce at my local grocery store. It is definitely amazing how far carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes travel. I am going to go to the farmers' market once a week starting this week! After talking about more local outdoor field trips during out discussions, I have started brainstorming and looking up local places I can suggest this year. Hopefully these ideas will catch with other teachers :) Along with reading Louv, I plan on using all the nice weather I can to do some instruction outside. I also want to use some adventure games....does anyone remember the book Kevin (our facilitator) recommended? I think that will work well not only all year, but also as first week of school activities! Lastly, I am continuing (with more effort) to reduce my family's carbon footprint by informing them, and also replacing light bulbs, using less water, unplugging and turning things off we aren't using, and reducing our garbage!

Part 2:

Please DESCRIBE at least three things you have taken away from the course topics, activities, discussions, and/or readings that will affect what you do to in your classroom (or workplace) that will connect our week to what you do every day.

This is kind of repetitive of what I said above, but I plan on using some of the adventure games in my classroom this fall and also the ideas of Richard Louv. I will incorporate these ideas into my lesson planning and curriculum. I found that kids love to play games and if you connect it to curriculum it makes the material more meaningful. So now I have some more game ideas in my toolbox! I always thought that it was important for kids to be outside, but until our readings and discussions, I didn't really think about why and how nature truly affects children. Now I am going to really try and advocate for my students to have more outdoor time, even if we just have to do our lesson out on the grass, and fieldtrips that maybe focus around nature and outdoor education. We did a low ropes course at the end of school last year, and I am going to see if there is anyway we could manage doing this is October (partly because I am only there until December & want to go! and partly because I think it will help build classroom community!) I am really going to focus on recycling in the beginning of the year and why it is important because as I expressed in our discussions, kids do not recycle even though the bin is right there! So I have two great books (check them out if you get a chance) for intermediate kids called: "Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself" and "The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming." If I had remember I had them, I would have brought them to our class! Oops! The Global Warming one just explains all about Global Warming in kid friendly language and the Earth Project one has Earth friendly things to make so that kids can help out (ex. natural bug repellents, an experiment to see what acid rain does to our lakes, etc.). And as I mentioned before, I will try to 100 mile diet activity. So, I am excited to take what we have learned and use it in my classroom and personal life!

Thanks for everything!

Our Last Day...

Today was our last day at Camp Huntington at Raquette Lake. We had our presentations this morning...everyone did an awesome job on them! I think everyone's projects were unique and really creative. We all worked hard and definitely came out with something that inspired each other to try different things in our classrooms which would expose our students to the outdoors on amore regular basis. Well done everybody!!

We got cleaned up, packed the boat, took out the trash & ate our lunch in the outdoor dining room...and off to Antlers we went! It was a bittersweet ride home. While I was happy to get home (see my family & pets), catch up with people on the phone, and make some meeting times to get into my classroom....I was also sad to be leaving such a beautiful place after having an awesome week. This was definitely my favorite college class! I learned a lot about myself and my life/professional goals and had so much fun doing it! I was glad to meet and get to know so many great people! I feel that we all got along well and definitely meshed as a group. It was awesome to see the support we could offer each other when we were sharing opinions, learning to kayak, or climbing high in the trees! Thanks you everyone for making this class so great! Let's make sure we keep in touch!

Ropes Course!!

Today was our ropes course adventure! The thought and first view of the high ropes course made my stomach turn...but it ended up being an awesome and exhilarating experience! We learned how to get strapped into our gear and how to hook and unhook for the transition from each part of the course. Then we got our helmets on and off we went! The best part was encouraging our group members and in turn being encouraged by them when I was up there. Climbing up the first ladder was tough, and the course was definitely challenging, but it was so worthwhile. I made it all the way through! I was very proud of myself and think I could do it again...someday (not right away!)

After the ropes course we had the opportunity to go on a 60 foot high zip line! I was definitely in for that! Climbing up to the platform was the worst part because you could use a ladder for about 1/4 of the way up and then had to use the cut off branches and nails in the tree for the rest of the climb! A little terrifying (although you were hooked into a rope that a person had on the ground). Then you took a breather, asked permission to go "Permission to Zip" and you would hear "Zip Away...1, 2, 3..." and you were off! What an adrenaline rush! I was going so fast and felt like I was flying! Definitely one of my favorite parts of this week! I had a blast doing it and it was a great group of people to be experiencing that with!

And tomorrow we must go home...

Museum Outing

Today was our outing to the Wild Center and the Adirondack Museum. We had some time to explore the websites ahead of time to figure out what was there and what we would like to see. At the Wild Center I really enjoyed the information about how the Adirondack forest came to be. There was information about glaciers and the forming of the different lakes and vast land. That was very interesting to me and I would like to learn more about that! I also enjoyed a little presentation about a northeastern screeching owl which was cool. I felt a little sorry for the owl as he was on display and uncomfortable just wanting to fly away! The Adirondack museum was very interesting! I really enjoyed the old schoolhouse and walk through the extravagant train....if we could only ride in that luxury today! We had a chance to see the way transportation evolved over the years to be more comfortable. I would definitely go back to that museum another time.

On our way back we had some time to take in the local culture of "The Tap Room" and relax in the sun which was excellent. We got back to camp, took a little hike down to Kirby camp, then headed in for dinner. After dinner we were told we had time to play because the weather was so nice! So I enjoyed a little canoe ride down to Big Island where we saw a family of ducks. Weirdly...the ducks felt dangered by us and so they all pooped on the rock they were on at the same time and swam away! That was definitely interesting. After that I had time to take a kayak out again on my own and the water was really calm....easier to paddle then the day before and very relaxing....I am hoping to do that again!

Tomorrow brings project work time and a ropes course adventure! I can't wait...

Kayak Experience

Today we were able to go on a kayaking excursion for a little while. I was excited and a little nervous because I have never kayaked before. As it turns out, it wasn't that hard and I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to go again! I really appreciated the people in our group who gave us advice and mini lessons on the basics of kayaking. It made me feel better about going and the advice helped a lot once I got out there (not to mention the help getting in & out of the kayak!). Thanks everyone...I hope we get to go once more this week :)

We also had a historic tour of Camp Huntington (SUNY Cortland's outdoor education facility where we are staying). This tour was very interesting. We learned how the camp ended up in the hands of SUNY Cortland. It was really amazing to see the architecture and furnishings of these camp buildings that have been around for many years. The way Adirondack building material was strictly used for construction made these camps unique and special. I had heard a little about the "Great Adirondack Camps" but I am very glad I got to experience seeing and staying at one of them!

More adventures to come...

Adventure #1 - Bog/Hike

Today we visited Ferd's Bog and hiked Black Bear Mountain. We had the pleasure of having Ed Kanze as our guide in both of these places. In the bog I think we all felt like kids again! We were looking at different plant species, calling to birds, and even collecting some creatures to check out with our magnifying glasses. The bog was a unique place to explore and I did step off the beaten path with some coercion to test out the feeling of a bog on your feet, and I'm glad I did!

Next we were off to Black Bear Mountain! I think we made it to the top in about an hour or so, ate our lunch, took in the scenery, and relaxed. The scenery was amazing and made the hike even more rewarding! I think I could have hung out up there all day taking in the view. We continued to the summit before heading back down. On the way down a snake was found! I am not fond of snakes, so I stayed near the back for that part of the adventure and looked without touching! The hike was good exercise and a lot of fun.

I think today was a pretty awesome day! I am so glad I have the opportunity to experience the Adirondacks this week and this was a great way to start. I wish my students knew more about this great Adirondack park and could see/feel it for themselves. I wish schools in my area would consider field trips to the Adirondacks because I think all kids need to and would love to go to a bog and on a hike, although, I know it may be out of price range for busing. Hopefully I can bring some Adirondack ideas back with me from this trip!

Before The Trip...

*Why you are taking this course?

I am taking this course because it sounded very exciting when I heard about it on my first visit to SUNY Cortland.  I have a close friend who has a camp on a small lake in the Adirondacks called Loon Lake.  I feel so peaceful and love every minute of my visits there each summer.  I have also camped on Raquette Lake with my family in the past and have enjoyed all of the outdoor activities. 

*Why did/do you want to be a teacher? (If you are one of the students taking course who is not in education, change this answer to whatever your chosen field is)

When I was a high school student I was a lifeguard at our local pools. I really enjoyed being around young kids all day long and ever since then I have only had jobs where I was working with children.  I love it and cannot think of anything else I would rather make a living doing!  It is a very rewarding job where you can see in such a short amount of time (a school year) the impact that school, the classroom, and teachers have on children. 

*What are your professional goals in teaching?

My personal professional goal for teaching is to always continue learning.  I know that we are all pushing our way through our masters programs and will be excited to complete it, but at the same time I hope that I will continue to take classes and learn new things that I can take back to teaching (at my own pace of course)!  I also have a goal to continue trying new things. I don’t want to have a classroom that is like a broken record every year.  I want to have the drive to try and bring new ideas to my classroom to keep my life and the lives of my students exciting and new. 

 *Do you think you will make a career in teaching?

Right now I would have to say that I think I will make a career in teaching.  I truly love this job. When I think about doing it for 20-30 years it can be a little scary, but I think it will become my career!

   *What are your goals for this course and this week with us in the ADKs?

            One goal for this class is to have fun!  I want to learn the Adirondacks on deeper level than just camping there.  By looking through all of our materials I am already learning a lot about this national park, its successes and challenges.  I am hoping to try new things because we are constantly encouraging our students to do so and you are always happy in the end that you tried something new!  I am also hoping to bring things back from this trip that I can use in the classroom.  I hope to incorporate Adirondack material into science, ELA, and field trips (virtual or real)!  I am really looking forward to the upcoming week and can’t wait to have some fun!  I am also looking forward to the scenery...I love the views around Raquette Lake!