It's February Already?

Where does the time go? It seems I'm always mentioning this in my blogs, but it's so true. I can hardly believe I've been at Bear Brook over a month. Already I have so many stories and new friends to talk about, I could go on for hours. Last week we received nearly two feet of new snow, another few inches throughout the week, and today through Monday we're due for at least another foot. It still amazes me that it's not just a foot of snow on the ground, it's a foot of new snow to add to everything that's been on the ground since the day before I arrived. So we'll be over three feet soon. And even if you don't like the cold, I can't express enough that what I see each day just sitting on my front porch is some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Sure the negative temperatures at night and only a wood stove to heat our cabin has left us fairly cold in the morning, but when we're having a snowball fight or sliding around the ice on the frozen pond, it's hard to remember how cold it actually is.

Last week concluded our education training. We worked intensely with our teaching teams to create our first lesson and prepare for the upcoming week. Due to our snow days schools were canceled on the days we were supposed to observe classrooms, but we were all able to reschedule. Being able to meet the teachers and students ahead of time was a great advantage. My teaching team consists of me and one of my new friends Brandon. Together we teach three days a week, two lessons a day at two different schools, four 4th grade classrooms and two 3rd grade. We also have three after school programs, one each day that we are teaching. Monday is our usual community day in camp, we teach Tuesday through Thursday, and have Friday in camp to plan for the next week.

So far we've had very few challenges with our lesson planning and teaching. My initial nerves quickly disappeared and we were able to improve each time we taught our lesson. Our basic lesson plan for the next nine weeks will consist of New Hampshire animals, plants, habitats and ecosystems. Basically we could be teaching anything nature based. The purpose of us coming into the classrooms is to add a science lesson that some of the school may not be able to provide. We also do our best to get the kids outside, even if there is three feet of snow. At the end of our ten week program, which is mid April, we will be doing a Service Learning Project in each classroom/school. In the past this has been anything from and outdoor classroom to a mural in the school to a recycling program. It's an opportunity for us to leave a lasting project that the kids can see as they continue in school and it enhances the school program as well.

That's the basic overview of what I've been up to for the past two weeks. There is always something new happening and I'll be sure to keep everyone posted as best as I can. Which reminds me, Valentines Day is coming up next weekend. We drew names for a "secret valentine" who we will leave handmade gifts throughout this week up til Valentines Day. I've got a few good ideas up my sleeve. And Valentines Day we'll be headed to Prescott Farms for their annual Winter Festival, where we will be volunteering but also we will be able to participate in activities such as a sleigh ride, a bonfire, and other outdoor activities. As I said, there's always something going on. =)