Today’s outdoor education class:

CELC students design and carve letterboxing stamps with Lucy Meigs of Everyone Outside.

- J.S., CELC student

Brett Leckey, a 10-year old who initiated his own project devoted to LifeStraw®, also spoke about his fundraising efforts to better peoples’ lives throughout the world. Following the presentation, students attended a water science class entitled The Magic of Microscopy.

CELC students’ impressions about the event:

Millions of children gone everyday due to waterborne sickness.  The trees that fell one by one to make a fire for boiling water.  There was little hope for Kenya until the Vestergaard Frandsen company made a creation that won many awards, including 2000’s best invention.

This lifesaver is called LifeStraw®.  It is a straw about the length of a pencil and the width of your thumb.  LifeStraw® filters 99.9% of the viruses and bacteria.  All you need to do is put the LifeStraw® in contaminated water and suck; all the sickness gets stuck in the filtration system and clean water comes into your mouth.  This invention has helped the forest because the people of Kenya no longer have to boil water; it most likely saved people from getting sick and so it is a win-win on all sides.

- N.M., CELC student

I was amazed at how much I learned today.  It was really cool to be able to look through a microscope for the first time.  I never knew that there could be so many little organisms in just three drops of lake water.

We got to look at plant and animal samples under the microscope, such as fern leaf, fish scale and mammal lung.  I found it fascinating how the samples were dyed so that they could be seen better with the microscope.

The water that we looked at was from the Mill River, near the Whitney Water Center.  The water had so many plants and animals in it.  I enjoyed learning about water.

- J.S., CELC student

Connecticut Experiential Learning Center (CELC) is host for the National Geography Bee for all Connecticut homeschoolers.

On Monday, 23 January 2012 nine students took their places on the stage of the auditorium of the James Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford, Connecticut.  These students have all been working to prepare for the day’s event – The National Geographic Geography Bee!

After the preliminary round containing seven questions to determine which four would be moving on, there was a tie for the third finalist and third-place winner.  The tie-breaking round commenced, followed by a final championship round, which ultimately determined our 2012 Bee champion!  

Willow Coleman of Guilford is this year’s winner.  Willow will now take a written exam that could qualify her for the state competition, which will be held at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain 30 March 2012. The National competition follows thereafter in May in Washington, D.C.

Students were all very pleased and proud to have been a part of this Geography Bee, now a CELC tradition, and are already preparing for the 2013 Bee!

The noise of the chickens bounce back and forth through my skull.The  rising smell sends me into NOT the best state, as I clear away the chicken dung from the ground. The fire wood still needs to be brought to the house by “mule”, so that’s where I’m off to next.

Crooked wood under my feet requires me to hold onto the top of the “mule”, as a quick jolt sends a trail of gas behind us. Sore legs and arms flop down into the leather seats as the ignition starts, and we drive away, back toward HQ.

- written by N. M., CELC student

I shared my passion with CELC in two different ways.  One was a short computer presentation, and the other was going on a hike and to the beach to take photographs.  Those are two very different ways of teaching people something, and I believe they both work very well.

As we started on our hike, someone pointed out a deer on a nearby marshy island.  It was quietly eating grass and weeds, maybe a hundred yards away.  That was quite a start to our hike.  As we walked along, people took pictures of mountain laurel groves and of new buds on a pine tree.  One friend of mine found a beautiful, multicolored fall leaf to take a picture of.  As the hike progressed further, I could tell that everybody was really enjoying themselves.

Next, we headed to a small, quiet beach that I call Trolley Beach.  Everyone went out on the large pile of boulders sticking into the water.  Some people took pictures of interesting textures and pattern in the rocks, while others found patient hermit crabs to be the better subject for their photographs.  We ended these several hours of fun and adventures with a CELC group photo where everyone was “hidden” amongst the rocks.                W.C. – CELC student

Our classes are back into swing after the holidays.  Science classes sorted their rock samples into categories: sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous, based on their characteristics.  The “math-sketteers”  jumped right into exploring magnitude of decimals and fractions, working with variables, while algebra students examined absolute value inequalities and equations.  The Literature Circle groups got new books – A Call of The Wild, and The Sea-Wolf.  Spanish class: conversing, conjugating –er and –ir verbs, and translating a song from Spanish to English.  Mystery writing commenced, as students worked toward final drafts; peer conferencing conversations blossomed.

The Tuesday outdoor education class was entitled “For Goodness Snakes”.  Ranger Russ at Meigs Point shared with us his vast knowledge as we observed and held many reptile friends; later students drafted blogs about their experiences.  Thursday brought us into New Haven.  We hiked Edgewood Park with Ranger Joe as he led the group on a tracking expedition.  Hard to believe we were still within city limits, surrounded by woods along the Mill River.

In music students improvised on drums, worked on reading music notation, and discussed the next instrument to be built.  Why Cook? had the group preparing Shepherd’s Pie.  Peace Studies involved a continuation of a study of the Bill of Rights, and a beginning activity to determine what students already know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That was just a Friday morning.

To top it all off, Friday afternoon students attended the first in a series of art classes with Ken Rowe of Krowe’s Nest Studio in Durham.  A master craftsman, wood turner, and more, he introduced the group to the world of woodworking.  So many varieties of wood, some bright yellow, some with a special oil and scent, others with a grain like a zebra – one might not even imagine the assortment.

Safe use of tools was paramount as he toured the group through his shop, which included a lathe, table saw, band saw, drum sander, and much more; this is a professional shop, well organized and very user-friendly. From measuring to cutting with a table saw, courage and determination played a part as students each began to work on building their “swivel boxes”, a project that will last a few weeks, and in the process will include much new learning.

Oh, the places CELC goes …  what a journey!

CT Experiential Learning Center 

Hosts 2012 National Geography Bee

for all CT Homeschoolers

CELC 3^rd Annual Geography Bee

James Blackstone Memorial Library

 Branford, CT

23 January 2012 at 1 p.m. 

Free and Open to the Public

For more information or to participate contact us:

 mandm@ctexperiential.org

or call 203-433-4658 / 203-215-2317

to be held Thursday, 8 March 2012

The CELC Science Fair is open to students of all ages and will take place

from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. on 8 March 2012.

 Cost for entry is a donation in any amount to LifeStraw®.

Come to an initial informational meeting on Tuesday, 10 January at CELC HQ (28 School Street, Branford CT) from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.  Receive materials and guidelines, plus answers to any of your questions before getting started.

Projects submitted to the CELC science fair must be brought to CELC for set-up at 8 a.m. Thursday, 8 March.

There will be additional opportunities for work-sessions/group tutorials will be available for work on aspects of the projects/posters, etc. from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Mondays: 30 January, 13 and 27 February

Contact Melinda to register and for more information:

mandm@ctexperiential.org

or call 203-433-4658 / 203-215-2317