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

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

Outdoor education takes many forms at CELC.  The “outdoor education class” happens twice per week for two hours at a time. We work with environmental educators such as Ranger Russ at Meigs Point Nature Center, do a lot of hiking, letterboxing, winter skiing, work on an organic farm, kayaking, and lots more. In addition to being a time to learn and be in nature, outdoor education also incorporates physical education.  Playing basketball in a gym, bowling, or doing yoga are all possible activities.  We play each day, no matter what the weather – call it recess or just being outside – after noon meal, CELCers run around outdoors.  They may toss a football, play guitar, or build forts in the woods.

Childhood is changing from something that once was a time of imaginary play, both indoors and out, to a time that tends toward structured activities or interacting with some form of digital media.

Yet research shows interaction with the natural environment plays an important role in children’s development, including building problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as fostering creativity.  As one example, Louv points to research on attention-deficit disorder at the University of Illinois, in which exposure to nature was shown to decrease ADD symptoms. Louv calls on adults to take kids hiking and camping or go just plain encourage them to spend unstructured time outdoors. Go! Explore! That’s the cure for the disorder.

– Sally Dennen, Ecopedia

      

There is a Japanese practice called shinrin yoku or “woods bathing” Just spending time in the woods is believed to help relieve fatigue and stress. This practice is part of the overall Japanese philosophy of combining nature into every aspect of life to become a part of it.

Our students are eager to be outside.  It is so refreshing to watch young people have time for free play.  These days schools are pressured to cut recess, yet it is hard to believe that spending less time outdoors and more time sitting at a desk does anything beneficial to increase test scores or increase motivation to learn!  We know that at CELC – one of the students’ favorite aspects of our program is the outdoor education component.

“The future will belong to the nature-smart — those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”

– Richard Louv

Students arrive and get to the business of a Literature Circle class.  Opening their copies of Huck Finn, they read, prepare for the literature circle roles, and quiz each other on the vocabulary for the upcoming test (all 80 words, in context, to be dynamically presented in a written evaluation in a couple of weeks).

One math class pursues understanding decimals and the magnitude of the applications, while another group works on algebraic equations and measures of central tendency.  Then, in keeping with our theme of Exploration and Discovery, we engage in a “passion project” presentation on football.

With the idea that any explorer or discoverer began with some seed of inspiration, CELCers take to our study by exploring their passions and then design a way to share with the class in a hands-on way.

Today, Nick uses the white board to enlighten us on the nuances of the game, including offensive and defensive plays, penalties, and other specifics.  We then go outside for a practice game!

After that, it’s writing workshop where students work on their mystery-writing pieces, all based on taking a fairy tale and finding a way to solve a puzzle, such as why Humpty fell of the wall, or how did Jack fall.

Some lunch, some outdoor play.  Yes – we go outside everyday, no matter the weather!  Students toss a football; others build tree forts in the woods.

And now the day really gets cooking.  In walks 10-year old Brett Leckey, our guest speaker with us to launch our water science series with the Whitney Water Center to benefit LifeStraw®. About fifteen students also arrive to participate in the series.  All join together as Brett shares about the importance of taking care of our water, how LifeStraw® is an affordable way for clean water to be available to people throughout the world, and how he has made a difference.

“6,000 people die a day from water-related diseases, and I want to help,” Brett told his mother, after reading an article about the problem in the 2009 Kids’ Almanac. This one fact made such an impact that he decided he had to do something about it.  And so his nonprofit organization Ucan2 was born. In one year he raised over $11,000 to buy Lifestraws to make it easier and safer for more people in the world to drink clean water!

Following Brett’s presentation, Lisa DiFrancesco, educator with the Regional Water Authority’s Whitney Water Center, begins her workshop entitled Wise Water Ways.  CELC is offering a series of five different workshops presented by Lisa through the Whitney Water Center.  The cost for each of the workshops is a donation toward LifeStraw®

Well, if that were not enough, we then had our final activity of the day – geography bee practice session.  In addition to our core group of students, others arrive for the study session in preparation for the National Geography Bee through the National Geographic Society.  CELC is this year’s host for all Connecticut homeschoolers.   The practice sessions are meant to provide a fun way for students to learn about geography, and while the topic of geography is quite broad, we delve right in – connecting with our own interests as well as pursuing new knowledge.

There you have it – a Monday. And for Tuesday, let’s see … current events, math, a science class (study of rocks and minerals), writing time, and for outdoor education today, another student passion project.  This time we will venture onto a hiking trail where Willow will instruct us on the art of nature photography.  CELC – oh, the places we go!

For more information and to register for water classes, contact us at mandm@ctexperiential.org or call 203-433-4658.

Emilia Biancardi is known as one of the foremost authorities on the folkloric music and culture of Brazil.  She pioneered the recognition of this music as an art form, performing it on stages all over the world.  Her long awaited book The Musical Roots of Bahia was published in 2000.  Emilia has been musical director for many folkloric programs in the Pelhourino district of Salvador. Her collection of traditional musical instruments from around the world is on permanent exhibition in Salvador, under the direction of the Museums of Bahia.  She is also co-founder, along with Gerilyn Greco, of “Iabas” – an all-women’s Brazilian folkloric band based in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York.

At this workshop, Emilia will discuss the history of the music of Bahia, demonstrate a variety of traditional musical instruments, and lead the group in “Samba de Cozinha “ (Kitchen Samba).  This is the earliest form of Samba, which uses body percussion and ordinary household objects as musical instruments.  Bring your metal plates, utensils,  pots and pans!

From learning about the origins of berimbau from Angola to playing surdo drums, this experience is sure to be unique and full of discovery and learning.

Water is one of our most precious — and endangered — natural resources. The Regional Water Authority’s Whitney Water Center offers environmental education programs to show people, especially kids, how their actions can affect the quality of the region’s water resources.  Using engaging hands-on activities and experiments, students learn how human actions on land affect the quality of the region’s water resources.

CT Experiential Learning Center (CELC) will launch our Water Science Series in conjunction with the Whitney Water Center on Monday, 28 November.  Peter Cleary, Communications Director with Vestergaard Frandsen, Incorporated – the company that created LifeStraw® – will visit CELC in Branford to speak with students and families about its work to save lives.  Brett Leckey, a 10-year old who initiated his own project devoted to LifeStraw®, will also speak about his fundraising efforts to better peoples’ lives throughout the world.

All participants of the Water Science Classes please join us for this exciting presentation/lunch gathering that will begin our series. Bring a lunch and arrive for 11:30 a.m. to be followed by the presentations at noon.  The first Water Science Class will then commence from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.  See you all on Monday, 28 November starting at 11:30 a.m. at 28 School Street, Branford, CT.  This special event is open to the public with a donation to LifeStraw®.

All workshops are free with a donation toward Ucan2’s Life Straw Project. Please contact us at mandm@ctexperiential.org or call 203-433-4658 with any questions and see below for a list of all classes:

Monday, 28 November 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at 28 School Street in Branford:

WISE WATER WAYS – Students will learn how much water a dripping faucet can waste every day and easy ways to conserve water at home and beyond.

**Special presentation and lunch gathering begins at 11:30 a.m.**

Monday, 12 December 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at 945 Whitney Avenue in Hamden: RETURNING RAINDROP – Students will explore the water cycle by building their own terrariums in clear two-liter soda bottles. You provide the bottles; we’ll provide everything else.  Students need prior knowledge of the water cycle.

Monday, 9 January 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at 945 Whitney Avenue in Hamden: MAGIC OF MICROSCOPY – What are some of the smallest things that live in the Mill River? Students will learn the basic parts of a microscope and look at and identify some of the smallest plants and animals in the food chain.  Based on their findings, they will try to determine if the water is healthy.

Monday, 6 February 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at 28 School Street in Branford: INVASION OF THE ALIENS - What are invasive alien species, and why should we care about them? Using zebra mussels and purple loosestrife as examples, students will learn about the problems that invasive, non-native species can cause.

Monday, 12 March 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at 28 School Street in Branford: MACROINVERTEBRATE MESSAGES - Benthic macroinvertebrates are small critters that live on the bottom of a stream. Students will find out how scientists use macroinvertebrates to assess the health and water quality of a stream.

Greetings from Boundless!  This is the life, and we are already deciding to give up on being landlubbers and take to the seas, travel the world.

As the adventure begins aboard Boundless with Captain Jeff and First Mate Janine, CELCers are having quite an extraordinary time! 

Each day students perform jobs that enable them to learn to “run the boat”. Today, Jenna served as Captain for the Day and provided us with data, including wind direction, weather conditions, barometric pressure, and our latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes and seconds. Henry, as First Mate, was responsible for starting the motor and checking the engine. Cole and Kyle on Deck Crew took care to raise and lower sails, lower anchor, and lower the dinghy. All students took turns steering the boat as we made our way from the start at Coan River to St. Clement’s Island. These jobs will rotate throughout the week, and according to Cpt. Jeff, students will have it all down in a few days, enough to run Boundless on their own (for the most part!).

Today, 22 May 2011, we set sail from St. Mary’s, Maryland with a plan to follow the wind, cross the Chesapeake Bay, through Tangiers Sound, and onto the St. Jane’s National Park area of Maryland. 
Captain Cole competently steered us out of port and into the wide expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. Navigators Henry and Jenna successfully plotted our day’s course. First Mate Kyle checked the oil and started the engine. To start, we used the engine until wind speeds became sufficient to sail by, preferable at about 10 knots. Deck crew M&M lifted the sails. We all cheered as we once again became powered by the wind.

Living with the elements as they are and in the moment, we are not wedded to any schedule but our own. We plan for the day, navigate a course, yet know that we may decide to alter the plan depending on what the day brings. 
Captain Jeff knows the area well – he intends to have us see as much of the beauty the area has to offer, and to anchor for the night in a suitable spot. Best decisions are once again based on wind conditions and amount of time we still have daylight in the sky by which to travel. We plot the course in order to arrive at our new destination with time to explore or maybe to have a swim before dinner.

Sailing is at once incredibly peaceful and thrilling. Truth is present at all times. Moving via wind power necessitates working with physics and nature, remaining flexible, adaptable, courageous, and being ready for anything. It enlivens the spirit. Not to mention that for our CELCers, this may be one of the few times in their lives to be away from the hustle-and-bustle of a plugged-in, fast-paced society, with hours to simply be – with thought, curiosity, wondering, and healthy appetite. Ah, rejuvenation! And much needed for all!

It is something to see how students take to the responsibilities aboard Boundless as they learn the skills needed to run the boat. After only 5 days, they have more confidence, and more questions. A captain’s license requires 360 days at sea, and while we are not yet near that mark, this could be the start of something.

Tradition!  Each year at Wightwood School classes from kindergarten through 8^th grade had a year-end adventure.  The kindergarten stayed overnight in the school building, each student accompanied by a parent, who would arrive to school on that Friday with pajamas, sleeping bag, favorite stuffed animal friend, and the anticipation of possibly a first-ever sleepover thrill.  The 2/3-grade class pitched tents and camped for two nights at Trap Rock Ridge Camp, better known as Rob’s house.  These were the start of memories that last a lifetime, from traveling to the Abbey of Regina Laudis, roasting hot dogs and s’mores at the campfire to hearing Rob tell the Leatherman story, complete with details that entertained, taught, and even one year offered a “live” visit by this historic figure.

These trips away were a chance for students to bond in a way other than what could happen inside a classroom. Traveling allows a person to get to know himself as well as learn to work with others, together discovering possibilities that arise from novelty and the spirit of adventure.

When Maria and I began the CT Experiential Learning Center, after Wightwood closed its doors, we knew from our years as middle school teachers that student travel adds a dimension to learning that was perfectly developmentally appropriate for the young adolescent who is in a process of self-discovery, craves independence, and still tends to play and be curious when given the occasion.

While we also do a lot of moving about in the world with students as a regular part of our curriculum, we have kept up the tradition of including a significant travel experience towards the end of an academic year.  The group by this point in time has become more of a cohesive unit, knows each other very well, understands how to utilize effective communication strategies, and generally, is a capable team.  The year-end adventure solidifies that ever so much more, celebrating and living up to the potential of further strengthening this team.

For this, CELC Year Two, we decided to incorporate our grand adventure into May.  We will take a 7-day sailing trip to explore the Chesapeake Bay aboard the 46-foot ketch Boundless, with Captain Jeff and crew of Different Drum Sailing Adventures at the helm.  Students are gearing up for this trip, literally gathering some gear, as well as getting more and more excited as the date approaches.  This expectancy provides an additional boost of energy that is put towards academic studies with a concentrated focus in math, grammar, and other subjects; the same philosophy towards travel and field experiences is applied to each and everything we do as students who learn and grow, hence a classroom of the world becomes a reality.

Between now and 18 May when we set sail, we still have lots to do.  Continuing our studies in all subject areas, travel to Tsongas Industrial History Center in Lowell, New York’s Tenement Museum, and more, it is no wonder CELC students thrive.  Stay tuned for updates and student blogs … thanks for reading!