The Wrap Up

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY!

Well, we did it! Our breakfast of jumbo french toast sticks, syrup, cereal, fruit, bagels, bread with sun nut butter, juice, and milk result in ZERO ORT! Nice job, CMS!

Once breakfast was cleaned up, we packed, cleaned our rooms, had them inspected and reported to Shakespeare for a final slide show .... Cudahy students and their Nature's Classroom experience.


After that, students met with their field groups one last time where they reflected on their week together and each received respect beads. Groups were followed by a game of Capture the Flag on the prairie where we watched a red winged blackbird and a hawk in a battle in the sky. There was no apparent winner and eventually, we lost sight of them.



Lunch was then served ... cheese pizza, salads, fruit, and water. The staff were kind enough to load our luggage for us and we were on our way home! Thanks to the fabulous staff at Nature's Classroom (Geoffrey, Kelly, Corinn, Kelly, Nicole, Katelyn, Bryan, Derek, Dave, and Charles)for a memorable, educational, and fun week.



To the students: Welcome home!

3/26 ~ Our Last Morning Together

Everyone's up and moving very slowly. There's an eerie quiet that I haven't heard all week; a combination of exhaustion and sadness over leaving combined with excitement to return to our families and comfy beds (maybe that's just me). It's sunny today and the winds have died down. In about 5 minutes our waitrons will report for breakfast duty. It is our last chance to have zero Ort ~ let's keep our fingers crossed.

Picture Collage

Night Activity

Dinner consisted of turkey, potatoes, cooked carrots, water, and the usual options of salad bar, fruit, and sun nut butter. ORT REPORT: 1/8 lb (okay, now I'm getting worried)



This may be the most difficult activity for our students; a simulation of the underground railroad. For some, it will be a bit frightening. Students will become slaves and will sneak through the property, visiting safe houses in an attempt to reach Canada to earn their freedom from slavery. They encounter bounty hunters and even a sheriff (Mr. Vandenberg. They will eventually come to a safe house run by a "friend of a friend" Betsy (Ms. Cesarz)and her crabby old husband, William (Mr. Seaman), where they will be required to hide under a porch until the sheriff and his deputy leave. In the end, students will acquire their freedom. Things were a bit tenuous for Dillon C as he was captured by the sheriff & William.

In reflecting on this activity, many students were surprised to learn what slaves actually went through (if they survived the journey) and how long the process took. Many students shared that the underground railroad had a new meaning now; one they never truly understood by reading about it in class.

There are mixed feelings in the dorm. All of the girls are anxious to see their families but at the same time, they don't want this experience to end. I anticipate a wave of emotions tomorrow (which usually happens) but it is all for good reason. I am so glad to have had this opportunity to get to know the kids on this level.

Thursday Afternoon

Today had to be a lunch favorite: Mac & Cheese, pickles, sweet potato soup, salad bar, rolls, fantastic banana chocolate chip bread, water, and brownies. ORT REPORT: 2/3 lbs ... UGH

After lunch, students will participate in a simulation where they start out with a scenario that usually involves being disadvantaged in some way; in need of a job, home, or food. They will then need to track down the resources needed. This activity requires focus, determination, reasoning skills, and a desire to succeed (and unfortunately, some of them will not). In the wrap up for this activity, students discuss new appreciation of what people go through when they find themselves in this situation. Hopefully, students will walk away with a sense of understanding of circumstances that life can create for people.

CHANNEL 12 NEWS VISITS CMS AT NATURE'S CLASSROOM

Today will be a test of our ability to layer; it is dramatically colder than yesterday. We started with a fulfilling breakfast of French Toast, cereal, bagels, fruit, and juices. ORT REPORT: 1/4 lb. WE'RE GETTING CLOSER!

Right now, students are with their field groups; exploring the property and attempting team challenges. While at the farm, Lyra O'Brien from Channel 12 came to interview teachers and students. They were very interested in the program and our experience here. Be sure to watch the news for video footage of your classmates.

Today's class choices are: Earth Sculptures, Engine Dissection, Mission Possible, Fire Fire Fire, Dream catchers, and Turtle Power (turtle dissection). Students will pick during field group and class today will run from 1:30 - 3. We have a large group activity tonight from 7:30 - 9:30. It's going to be very cold and very dark and I am excited to participate with the students.

This is a short video of photos taken throughout the day. They are from classes, field groups, and between class time. How do students at CMS spend their time between classes? Things are very different here!

NIGHT ACTIVITY

Dinner was taco bake. It was totally delicious! Although, I am glad I am not in the boys dorms once the beans kick in. ORT REPORT: 3 lbs. YIKES! Are we ever going to get to zero?



After 30 minutes of rest, we headed to the gym to prepare for the night activity: RLU (Raised Leg Urination). STOP! Before you let your imagination run wild, the activity is all about wolf packs. Students became wolves, some alpha males and females. We headed out into the prairie where it was pitch black. We were required to find food but there was a threat of being attacked by other packs and even worse, getting shot by hunters. The group I started with was bravely lead by Ashley I. and Joey P. Don't be fooled by Joey's quiet nature at school; he was very vocal about which direction his pack should travel in. Unfortunately, he was shot along with his alpha female. The activity continued for a good 90 minutes. We concluded the evening in Shakespeare; learning the reality of the wolf populations and the lack of threat they truly pose to humans.



Then came my favorite part .... MILK & COOKIES, a story, and a slide show. Lights out tonight is 10:15 .... we're exhausted!!!!!!

3/24 Afternoon

Short classes were on tap today. We had one hour-long class, shortened to help us prepare for a large group activity. We had a simulation of predator vs prey. Students were randomly selected to be insects, frogs, snakes, or hawks. We started out with 2 hawks. Students ran around the woods, attacking prey. As the prey were attacked, they became their attacker. By the end of the game, there were 26 hawks. No species were completely eliminated.

First Half of the Day, 3/24

Breakfast was delicious; eggs, hash browns, fruit, bagels, cereal, milk, and juice. ORT REPORT; 1 lbs.

Afterwards, we had a short break before meeting with our field group. Our field group experience lasted 2 hours today. There were several challenges presented. Some groups are making great progress in their ability to solve the challenges through teamwork. Others; well, we are patient and continue to work with them.

One of our groups went to the farm. Be sure to check out the farm slide show (once I get it linked to the blog). There is also a slide show that reveals some of the property through the eyes of CMS teachers as we took a walk through the bog and around the lake. Enjoy!

Today's lunch was sub sandwiches with pickles, chips, fruit, bread, and salad bar. The kitchen seems to having difficulty keeping up with the demands of our hungry campers. Parents, rest assured, THEY ARE EATING WELL!!! LUNCH ORT REPORT; 1.5 lbs. We are shooting for zero ort at dinner.

3/24 A Friend

We learned that there is a female fox on the property. We have seen her 3 times hunting for food. She has pups somewhere but the staff are unaware of where she has her nest. She has been within 15 feet of the girls dorms and seems unaffected by our presence. She has great agility and bounces through the field as she chases down her victim. Keep checking, we're going to try to get some pictures of her for the blog.

PHOTOS

Wednesday, 3/24

WHAT A NIGHT!!!! We went for a night hike. It was 2 hours of walking through the woods without flashlights. It was amazing to see the Forrest from this perspective. We had a waxing quarter moon that illuminated the trails. We stopped a several points for various activities. We trained our eyes for night vision (which is the REAL reason pirates wore eye patches), we learned about the rods and cones in our eyes (it's hard to see color in the dark), we created sparks in our mouth (I'll let the kids share that one), and we were challenged to perform a solo hike. THE EXPERIENCE WAS PHENOMENAL! The best part .... all 64 kids made it!

We went to Shakespeare (a theater that we meet in each night) to reflect on the evening activity, enjoyed a story, a slide show and cookies with milk. Then it was back to the dorms. The girls and I stayed up later and had a great time getting to know each other better. We have some great kids at our school.

UNFORTUNATELY, they are pretty tired right now as they prepare for the day. It's going to be a full one!

Tuesday, 3/23 pm

Lunch consisted of baked potatoes with a variety of toppings, nachos, cheese, salads, bread, sun butter, and lots of water! Water is the easiest way to avoid headaches and we are taking advantage of every drop. ORT REPORT: 2 1/2 lbs

Students will have a brief break before reporting to their second round of classes. By the time classes are done, Mr. Vandenberg should be here with letters from the kids back home. We will spend our break before dinner responding to those letters.

3/23 a.m.

THEY SLEPT!! By the time 9 pm rolled around and we were satisfied by our snack of milk and homemade cookies, everyone looked exhausted. They were out by 10:30.

At 7:10, the girls were awakened and preparations for breakfast began. Waitrons reported at 7:45 to set the tables for pancakes, cereal, bagels, fruit, and juice. ORT REPORT: 1.75 lbs

Students will have two classes during the day today. Their first class, which will begin at 1:30, will be a choice of Ancient Olympics, Under the Boardwalk, Rebs & Yanks, and Life and Death. Currently, students are out on their field group. During this time, they will be working on respect, problem solving, and teamwork skills.

Upon their return, they will have a break, lunch, and will sign up for the next round of classes. Those choices are; Alien Invaders, Geo-dome, Pirates, Oh Deer, Habitat Restoration. Busy, busy, busy. I must get out there and get some photos to add.

I have been made aware that some of you have had trouble posting comments. I HAVE CHANGED THE SECURITY ON THE PAGE and this problem should be solved. Be back later.

Winding up the day

After a filling dinner of meatloaf, potatoes, salad, bread, and fruit, we returned to our dorms where we journaled about our classes. Be sure to ask the kids about the difference between our classes here and our classes at home. The teachers came by and walked us to the gym where we were presented with some very difficult challenges to complete. We worked with the STOP philosophy: Stop, Think, Organize, Proceed. Some groups are working well together while others are stuck. I have chosen a group to watch for the week; one that I anticipate will show great improvement in their ability to work together. ORT REPORT: 3 lbs

We are now back in the dorms, settling in for the night. Soon it will be lights out. It's been a busy and very physical day ~ waitrons must report at 7:45 am. Everyone else will report for breakfast at 8. Can't wait to see the class choices tomorrow.

1st Class

Our first classes of the week ran from 4 until 5:30. Kids were able to choose from Tracks and Traces (tracking animals), Going Native (studying Native Americans), Animal Olympics (learning about animal strengths and abilities), Disaster (surviving a natural disaster), World is a Playground (fun in the woods), or Ultimate Flyer (aerodynamics). Some of the kids are showing signs of being tired. I know the teachers back at CMS would find this hard to believe. We are waiting for dinner at this time and our waitrons are cleaning up so they can set the tables and serve the food. I SWEAR IT'S THE TRUTH!!!!!!

Monday, March 22

Well .... we made it! We arrived shortly after 11. Took a while due to the large amount of luggage. I hope the kids know we're only here for a week! In any case, we had an envigorating lunch of pasta, garlic bread, salad, soup, fruit and for dessert ..... Orange Dreamsicles! ORT REPORT: 3.25 lbs

Students are out on their first field group experience. The picture at the right shows one group ... guess I need to correct the date on my camera. I decided to take advantage of this time to get our blog going. Hope you will send us some messages ... they will be shared with the students.