We Made It!

 

Good Morning Parents! The kids are all packed, had breakfast, and are on their final lesson of the week. Yes, we made it! We will have an early lunch at 11:30, load the buses, and depart Ferry Beach around 12:30. We should be back at Pine Grove anywhere between 1:45 and 2:15 depending on how smoothly things go here. If your child took medicine, please see us at school to pick it up. See you soon Pine Grove!

 

 

The Last Full Day Was Busy!

We have had a very busy day here at Ferry Beach. After our beach and dune lesson this morning and lunch of Pizza, students had lessons to choose today. Some of their choices were: Forest Olympics, Beach Relaxation, Shelter Building, Recycled Art, Cooking Apple-rhubarb tart (yes, it was delicious...thank you Robert), Hike to the State Forest, and others.

In the evening, the kids were on an Eco-Quest. Using different factors of Productivity, Disturbance, Nutrients,and  Diversity, plus a map of Ferry Beach, they had to find the Ecosystem on the property based on the different levels of the above factors. The students in my group did a great job and worked through each factor to find the correct ecosystem.

It has been a quite a week with many success stories. Your children are now in bed awaiting their final lesson tomorrow called Connections...Connecting all they have learned this week, so it all makes sense. Then we will load the buses, and we can all re-connect with our families. Good final night...I will hopefully post one final blog tomorrow before we depart from Ferry Beach. See you tomorrow Rowley!

Beach and Dunes

This morning after a breakfast of French Toast and sausages, the kids learned about the beach and dune ecosystems. They learned about the primary dune, secondary dune, and how they protect Ferry Beach. Many groups built the White Mountains in the sand and created the Saco River to see how the minerals and sand travel from New Hampshire here to Maine. Most groups also did a scavenger hunt to find Biotic and Abiotic items on the beach.

We also welcomed many visitors today. Ms. Lacey, Mr. Vadala, and Mrs. Ferarra all joined the beach and dune lesson. The weather today is absolutely beautiful!

Nature at Night

This evening students learned about nature at night. They played a bat and moth game, where a student is blindfolded in the forest (as the "blind bat"), and another student has a container with rocks. The child with the rock is the "moth" and it is simulating echolocation, the method of hunting used by bats. The bat tries to "locate" and grab his dinner just by the sound of the container with rocks. The kids had a great time with this game and each enjoyed being the bat or moth.

The kids also learned about rods and cones in their eyes. They were given a crayon and a journal. Next,  they wrote with the crayon what color they thougtht was in their hands. Tomorrow in daylight they will see if they were correct. Ask you child about why pirates had a patch over one eye when they get home, because many groups looked at a flashlight during a story in the woods while covering one eye. After the story was over, the flashlight was shut off. The eye that was uncovered has difficulty seeing in the dark, however, the eye that was covered by your hand can easily see in the darkness!

Just a few photos tonight from earlier in the day, and I will also upload some video shot earlier at the saltmarsh. (It takes a long time to upload videos!) Good night!

Forest Lesson

The afternoon lesson was about the forest. They learned about producers and the FBI (Fungi, Bacteria, and Invertebrates)  Later they played a game where half the kids were gray squirrels and the other half were red squirrels. They were each given 8 beans to hide for the "winter". Gray squirrels hide their food in several different places, whereas the red squirrel puts all their food in one spot. The kids were sent out a few times during the "winter" to find their food. They came back to their group and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each squirrel's method of hiding their food. The kids are active, having fun...and learning!

Back from the Salt Marsh

We just got back from the salt marsh where the kids learned about the different creatures that might live there. They also learned how the salt marsh is like a sponge and jumped on it to feel it shake (no, we did not have another earthquake). The sun is shining, the kids are happy, but some faces are a little muddy. Check out the photos and videos!

Sunshine over Saco

Good Morning! Just a few photos to share this morning. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise today, but apparently the earthquake affected the eggs for breakfast, as they were all scrambled! (Sorry for my bad jokes) Stay tuned for more photos this afternoon...should be fun as we are now off to the Salt Marsh!