Nature’s Classroom – Caidan

It was a cold winter day and we had a five hour delay. Now usually I would be excited about this but today it was just stressful. It was stressful because we were supposed to be going to Nature’s Classroom that day. So instead of leaving at 8:00 we left at 1:00 and got there at 4:00. So that meant I had 5 hours to worry instead of just 1 hour. When I got to school I was very excited. After a while of waiting we all put our bags on the bus and it was time to go.

 

When I was on the bus I was sitting with Bode and we talked the whole time. As we got closer to Nature’s Classroom me and Bode started to look out the window I thought it was really cool to see the change in weather. There were a lot of times where I would see a place and think that it was Nature’s Classroom and I would think “oh um is that it?”. But it wasn’t, so when we actually got there and I saw what it looked like, I was very relieved that it wasn’t some shack in the middle of the woods. Once we got there we unloaded the bus, played a game, then we  went inside and got our bunk mates  and which numbers they would be. After that we did our first field group, ate, did another field group, ate again, had our sing along, and went to bed.

 

The next few days were filled, and when I say filled, I mean filled with things to do. We got our first classes, ate food, had field groups, talked, and had some simulations like the Oregon trail and Predator vs Prey. I was really having fun and forgot about the rest of the world like school and other things. But then I remembered something that hit me like a rock to the gut I had to leave. To be honest I really enjoyed this and seemed sad to be leaving but I was glad to be going back to my house and seeing my family. My bunk mates and I, Sam, Michael, and Memphis (Bode was there too but had to leave two days ago because of skiing) talked, played some games like never have I ever then went to bed. When we woke up in the morning we had to pack up and leave. It was a big commotion while packing up but once we got on the bus I was sad and happy. I was sitting with Isaac. Once I got off the bus my mom was there and I went home.

 
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Picture by PDS

Nature is The New Classroom (Natures classroom refection) by Ryanne

I started packing Thursday night, and was awestruck with this adventure. After packing, I got in my PJs and went to my last sleep at home for four days. In the morning, school was canceled because there was a lot of snow. I thought we would not go to the trip. Just then my mom said that we had to be at school at 12:15 to be on the bus. I was so excited! Mostly because we were going on the trip, but also it would be funny to be the only ones at school till’ we leave. Before my mom dropped me off I had lunch with my friend Yasmeen. We decided that we would sit together on the bus ride there.  
day304Philip Ray via Compfight

After lunch my mom dropped me off at school and I saw a huge pile of suitcases, duffle bags, and backpacks. I came in and put my stuff in the pile of bags and said goodbye to my mom before she left. After we loaded the bus with bags, we set off for Nature’s Classroom. It was a three hour drive because the roads were covered in snow. Yasmeen and I both took a nap on the bus. When we got there it was so cold. We played a quick game and we put our stuff in our bunks. I was in a room with Milaura, Cedar, Violet, Bella, Zoё, Zsofi, and Yasmeen. I was happy with everyone in my room because we were all friends. After we got set up in our room we set off for our first activity.

When we got there, we went through all the counselors and they each did a different activity, all involving team work. Then we ended the day with a sing along. We sang a bunch of different songs.  After that we headed back to our bunks to sleep.

The next day we woke up and ate breakfast. After breakfast we went to our field group. This is when we would go hiking, play camouflage, and learn about nature, (as said in the name “Nature’s” Classroom) in smaller groups. You don’t get to decide who is in your field group, so you are assigned with people. My field group was fun so it all worked out. After we would pick classes that the counselors lead.  All the classes I got were really fun. Every night we would end with a sing along as we did the first night. Then we would go back to bed and have breakfast in the morning.

One activity we did was called the Oregon trail. Each group had a certain job and they each had a different amount of money depending on your job. You could buy clothes, oxen, wagons, parts for the wagon, food (rations), etc. During the trail we had to act like it was the real Oregon trail. There would be situations saying you lost food, an ox died, your wagon broke, you earned food, you get money or lose money, etc. It was REALLY fun.  

We also played a game called predator vs prey. There were five groups and each group was either an insect, frog, or snake. Two groups were insects and I was in the centipede group. Everyone was trying to tag us because we were the prey and we could never be the predator. Two groups were frogs and they could tag bugs but they could be tagged by the one snake group. It was fun till’ I got tagged to the snake team. It was fun chasing everyone but it was more fun running away from everyone.

Then it came the time we had to leave. I got everything packed and we loaded the bus.  I sat next to Cedar and off we went. The counselors were waving until they could not see the bus anymore. I was sad to be going home because I had a lot of fun, but I also was happy to be in my own bed.        

Zsofi’s Natures Classroom

I loved Nature’s Classroom! It was so much fun, but my favorite part was at the end of the day when we all did a sing-along in the amphitheater (my favorite song was the one about the worm). The food we got was great; it had amazing gluten-free options (I’m  gluten free), and really good tasting gluten-free bread. I really liked my counselor Sassafras (all the counselors had nicknames, I still do not know my counselor’s actual name). The only problem was that whenever I came back to my bunk, I would find weird grains of sand in it that I had to sweep off my bed. Also, I think it would have been a lot easier to get to the top bunk with a ladder and not by climbing on the bed frame.

I really enjoyed the simulations we did there, and my favorite was the Oregon Trail one. In the Oregon Trail, my group were farmers and we had the least amount of money, but for some reason the person who was in charge of buying the wagon we would be using decided to buy the Mercedes of wagons (it was a lot of money). In a nutshell we all froze to death in the end in the simulation. Nevertheless I had an amazing time at Nature’s Classroom.   

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Picture by PDS.

 

 

Blogging Challenge Week #4 by Adam

By Adam

All Hallows eve was the name of this day,

which sometimes would make grown men say,

Ahh you scared me! A child of mine!

Scaring adults is really not fine.

So go on! Get some candy to eat,

and dress up in costumes that look very neat.

But be warned, do not go into the dark,

where ghouls and goblins continue to lark.

Though these activities aren’t very jolly,

they take children like you and ship them to Somali!

On that note I leave you so enjoy this age! Now where did I leave my child size cage? Path / IntoCreative Commons License sszdl via Compfight

Shane’s avatar post – challenge one

                                                                                       

Week #1

I made an avatar named The Checkered Bandit because it just came to my mind, therefore I did it. I started off with an all green guy and it just went from there. I decided to change the colors a lot.  I had to remake it more than once. That was really hard.

Sobia- Global Issues

Challenge 4 (Activity #2);

The government has shut down in the U.S.A and this makes so many things like sites and parks unavailable for everyone in the U.S.A. They are really being unfair because the people who work at the parks don’t get paid whereas the governors do get paid when they shouldn’t. This is because they aren’t doing anything. Some governors are nice and don’t accept the money whereas other governors accept the money and are very unfair to the people that work to get that money. Some people are still yet to decide what they are going to do: accept the money or not accept the money. I could see why some people would accept the money because they might need it to maintain their family and their house . If they have a mansion and still want more money than they might as well give it to someone that needs to keep getting the right amount of food or someone who is just trying to do a nice thing like donate something to the needy and not spend the money on themselves like certain people are doing. The government has also shut down certain websites that aren’t bad in any way but in fact are very useful, like a site for making graphs which I had to use for science.  I wonder why the government is still accepting the money and being shut down for so long but they should try and convince other governors to negotiate something with the president. I hope that they will both come to an agreement that works for everyone.

Day in the life of – Alexandra A.

Blogging Challenge #3

On a usual school day morning I get up at 5:45 in the morning. I go back to bed and get up at 6:00. I eat cheerios for breakfast or a waffle. Then I get dressed and put my shoes on. I need to brush my teeth and my hair. I pack my backpack and lunchbox. I go outside at 6:45 and the bus comes at 6:55. In between that time I let my chickens out.

It takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to school everyday because I have to take 2 buses. I take 1 to the Highland middle school and the other to Poughkeepsie Day School. When I get to school it is 8:10 and school starts at 8:15. I unpack my bag, check my schedule, and get my things to go to class. I have an 8 letter day rotation which means a different schedule everyday. An A – H day schedule is the 8 day rotation. My technology at Poughkeepsie Day School is computers. We basically use them for every class.

At 3:15 school is over. I put all my homework and anything else I need to bring home in my bag. I get on the bus and it takes me to the Highland middle school. I get on the other bus and it takes me back home. I get home at 4:15-4:30 and if I have homework I do it. If not I relax. That’s my whole day.

PDS
Stained glass made by a class of students

 

Sta

About My Town – Mira

 

Hi! I am Mira . I am going to tell you some interesting facts about Montgomery.  I live in Montgomery , NY. The place where I live is very interesting and I would like to tell you about it. Montgomery has been around for 255 years!  Montgomery is named after General Montgomery after he died in the Revolutionary war. Now many people live in Montgomery, there is a Village and a Town of Montgomery. There are many good restaurants ,tourist places and my favorite ice cream stand. Some of the tourist places are village hall, the Montgomery park, baseball and softball fields, some historical houses and Montgomery Elementary School. Another thing that I love about Montgomery is the food! There are so many good restaurants ! Some of the restaurants I love are Copperfield’s, Ward’s Bridge INN, Mike’s deli, Franco’s and 88 Charles street all of them hold a great variety of different food and cuisine. My favorite place in Montgomery is ……. Richard’s Ice Cream Stand!!!! It is delicious and it holds over 50 different ice cream selections. The last thing I want to tell you about Montgomery is the Wallkill River. The Wallkill River is so beautiful and one different thing about it is that it flows north and most rivers flow south. So now you know many different, interesting and wonderful places in my hometown Montgomery.