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4th Grade Class Trip

The 4th graders had a really wonderful class trip! I hope your children came back from their trip as I did: rejuvenated and full of great stories and memories! I want to especially thank Jennifer Mayfield, Edwin Mims, and Kevin Ofloy for chaperoning and being so very helpful throughout the trip. You can see pictures from the trip in the album “Ms. Cather’s 4th Grade Class Trip to Camp Edwards 2018” on Urban Prairie’s photo share site at https://urbanprairiewaldorfschool.shutterfly.com/pictures.  

 

Here’s a recap of our time at Camp Edwards:

Day 1: Wednesday, February 14

We left school at 9:00 and rode a bus to Camp Edwards. When we arrived, the children unpacked the bus, got their bunk assignments, and began to set up their rooms. We stayed in Runge Lodge, which has a large room with a fireplace and couches, a ping pong table, and 8 bedrooms with bunk beds and shared bathrooms. We were then led on a tour of the camp by one of the camp guides.  I could see their excitement beginning to build, as they learned about all of the activities and recreation options that the camp has to offer!

After the tour, it was lunch time. We went to Micklewright Lodge and the children learned about meal setup. For each meal, 3 “hoppers” went a little early to the dining hall and set the tables. These hoppers were also in charge of bringing trays of food to their tables and also for leading the cleanup at their tables. The children enjoyed their meal and returned to the lodge to get ready for their first activity, Predator/Prey. In this activity, the students reviewed what it means to be a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore. They played a simulation game in which each person took on the roles of various members of the food web. They had to try and find food and water while trying to evade predators. Next, we headed to an indoor classroom to learn about Life in Cold Blood. The children learned about cold-blooded animals. They then learned about different reptiles and amphibians.  They got to see some of the reptiles and amphibians that the camp cares for, and even got to handle some of them, including a Blue-Tongued Skink and a Bull Snake, with instruction and supervision from the camp guides.  After that, we had an hour of recreation time. The students had an absolute blast sliding down giant Tube Slides on plastic sleds! Next was dinner, followed by the evening program, All About Wolves. The children had learned a little about Gray Wolves during our first Human and Animal block, and they learned even more during this exciting activity. They learned about the history of wolf habitation in the United States, how wolves compare in size and bite force to other animals in the Canine family (dogs, foxes, and coyotes), and how wolves benefit from hunting in packs. The students played a hands-on game in which they each got a Q-tip with a scent on it, and then they had to “find their pack” by smelling the other students’ Q-tips and finding others with the same scent. They had to do all of this in silence! We ended the activity with an outdoor game called “Alpha Wolf.”  Our camp guide, Tommy, went out to hide somewhere in the field by our lodge. In groups, we had to try to find him, by howling. He returned our howls, and we followed the sound. We didn’t use flashlights, but only used our natural night vision and sense of hearing.  Then the children all got into their pajamas, we built a fire in the fireplace, and I read to them a little before bed.

 

Day 2: Thursday, February 15

We woke up to warmer temperatures, thawing snow, puddles, and slush! After breakfast, we played a game called Communication Breakdown. This game required the students to work together as a team and to communicate clearly to achieve a goal. This was frustrating to many children, and in the end we debriefed about the importance of clear communication and the harmful effect gossip and hearsay can have on relationships. We then went on a hike through the snow as a part of the activity On the Right Track. The children learned to closely observe their surroundings to find any evidence that an animal had been there.  This included identifying animal tracks and scat, and also looking for fur that had rubbed off on trees and plants. This was a fascinating hike! We saw evidence of deer, muskrats, raccoons, and rabbits. Next we headed off to lunch.

After lunch we had two more activities, one of which was called Living History, in which the children learned about three important groups of people that had lived in the region: Native Americans, Voyageurs, and the Pioneers. They played a Native American game and learned to use a crosscut saw and draw knife.  Next they learned about Wilderness Survival. They split into teams and build their own shelters. We had recreation time after that. One group went indoors to play basketball, do yoga, and do gymnastics in the Recreation Center, while the other headed to the frozen pond to ice skate and play hockey. After dinner we had a campfire, cooked s’mores, and went on a night hike. Everyone slept really well after this full day!

 

Day 3: Friday, February 16

We ended our stay at camp by learning about Maple Syruping. We went on a beautiful hike through the marsh and up to the top of Edward Island, where we learned to identify Maple trees. The camp guides showed us how to drill holes into the trees and place spiles and bags so that sap could be harvested. It was unfortunately too cold for the sap to flow on that day, but we got to go visit the “Sugar Shack” and help to assemble the equipment for processing sap into maple syrup. Then, the class went inside and did a taste test to see if they could distinguish between real maple syrup and artificial syrup. Any and all interested families are invited to visit the camp in April for their Maple Syrup Day, where they sample and sell this year’s harvest.  I will send a link to that once it is up on their website.

 

Overall, this was a fantastic trip. There was some homesickness, but overall the children did well and adjusted well to their surroundings and schedule. I overheard many accolades from the children, including “This is the best camping trip ever!” I am so thankful that we got the chance to take this trip as a class and learn, work, play, and eat together. I hope that the children enjoyed themselves and gained a reverence for nature in the process.