January Pizza Forms

If you would like for your child to have pizza on Wednesdays please return the form to your child's teacher by Wednesday, January 7th.

Ice Storm Update

12/16/08 School will reopen tomorrow (Wednesday, December 17th). Please check your emails for more details on this weeks schedule.

For complete coverage, visit WMUR Channel 9 News, WZID 95.7 FM, and WJYY 105.5 FM.

Winter/Spring After School Program

Please contact the school if you would like to sign your child up for any of our programs. These programs will run from January 5th through May 29th, 2009.

December 2008 School Wide News

Last month in school wide meeting we took time to discuss the concept of gratitude. The children’s “grateful hearts’’ are displayed on the bulletin board in the front hall along with the poem we recite each day at lunchtime. This month, as we enter the season of giving, we will be exploring the idea of generosity and celebrating the joys of giving by making “giving hands” to add to the hearts. As a tangible sign of our understanding of these abstract ideas, each class will be collecting contributions for a holiday food basket that will be donated to the Hopkinton Food Bank. See your child’s teacher for details.

Our annual Holiday Tea (grades K-7) celebration is just around the corner. This evening of Holiday songs and skits will take place at St. Andrew’s Parish Hall starting a 6:00 pm on Friday, December 12th. A reminder that this year the event will not be an extended day, so all students will be dismissed or go to after-school care at 1:30, as on a regular Friday. If you are in need of after-school care just for that day, please speak to Lisa in the office.

Preschool Holiday Tea will take place on Tuesday, December 16th from 10:30—12:00. After the concert children will return to their classrooms for lunch. Monday, Wednesday, Friday preschoolers are welcome to come with their families to join in the celebration

The few flurries we’ve had recently are a timely reminder that snow season is soon upon us. Please be sure to check the Snow Day Cancellation and delay policy on our website.

The Mt. Sunapee Winter Sports Program for the upper school students (grades 1-7) is scheduled to begin January 5th. Information went home last week. Please let us know whether your child will be renting skis this year. Forms and payment are due back to the office December 2nd fittings for those needing rentals will take place here at school on Thursday, December 4th.

Given the response to our Nordic Ski survey, we will not be offering Nordic skiing this year. We will, however, be offering a Winter Sports Program here at school as part of our after school program. In addition to a winter sports program, we have a number of new after school offerings for our winter/spring semester. More information on our after school program will be sent home later this week.

Our first Preschool Parent Teacher Forum met on November 18th. We had a great turn-out and discussed ideas for adjusting class configurations and classrooms for next year. Minutes from this meeting are attached.

The Safety Committee met on November14th. Sara Duval, Jodi Burnham, and Laura Brancato attended. We have plans to install a lock and buzzer system in the front entrance. This will provide even more security for the building during the school day. We will inform you soon with details about times and procedures for before and after school drop off and pick up.

A big thank you to Kate Vattes for hosting the Lia Sophia Jewelry sale for our annual fund drive. If you wanted to purchase something but were unable to make the sale, catalogues are still available in the front office.

Barefoot Books are back! Lisa Whipps is sponsoring a Barefoot Book sale for the month of December. This is a great way to make a dent on some holiday shopping and support our school. Information and catalogues came home last week. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of books for the school’s library.

You should have received a copy of our new strategic plan and annual fund letter. As you may know, annual giving comprises over twenty percent of the school’s operating budget each year. If you would like to donate online, we are now set up to receive contributions electronically on our website at http://www.hopkinind.org/.

Michelle Leuci (our school photographer this year) has reopened the school’s online photo gallery for those wishing to order more photos for the holidays. It will be available online (http://www.blogger.com/www.michelleleuci.com) from Friday, December 5th to Friday, December 12th. The password will remain the same.

SAVE THE DATE! Our annual auction will be held on March 21st at the Concord Audubon Society. Plans are already underway for this fun(d) raising evening! If you would like to be involved in the planning please see Kate Vattes, Jennifer Frizzell, or Christine Haydinger.

A reminder that school will be closed for winter vacation from Monday, December 22nd through Friday January 2nd.

Holiday Tea

Holiday Tea -- December 12, 2008

Come celebrate the holidays with our K-7 students at our annual Holiday Tea, to be held on Friday, December 12. The evening's performance will begin at 6:00 pm at St. Andrew's Parish Hall, located in the center of Hopkinton, and will be followed by a reception with refreshments.

Please note that this year Holiday Tea will not be an extended day, so all students will be dismissed or go to after-school care at 1:30, as on a regular Friday. If you are in need of after-school care just for that day, please speak to Lisa in the office.

Snow Day Cancellation Policy

We will announce cancellations and delays on the following networks:

• WMUR TV Channel 9
• WZID 95.7 FM
• WJYY 105.5 FM

The public announcements on the networks listed above enable your family to anticipate cancellations and/or delays.

If the Hopkinton public schools are closed – we are closed.
If the Hopkinton public schools have a delayed opening – we have the same delay.

Because road conditions vary from town to town, if we are open but the public schools in your town are closed, your child will not be marked as absent if you choose not to come to school because of unsafe road conditions.

If there is a delayed opening, school opens at the designated delayed time, for example if there is a two hour delay, before school care opens two hours later (at 9:00). Upper School would begin at 10:30 and students should not arrive before 10:15.

November School Wide News

Thank you to everyone for making our Harvest Fest such a joyful celebration of this special season. The children’s preparation and anticipation built steadily through the weeks leading up to the event. It was such a pleasure to watch it all come together.

Some of money from the raffle tickets will go to purchase seeds and tools for our school garden. With the support of New Hampshire Farm to School program, we hope to develop a weekly nutrition class next year that will use foods from our garden and local farms. Stay tuned for more about this project.

As winter weather approaches, please remember to send your child to school with warmer clothes, gloves or mittens, and appropriate footwear.

Speaking of snow, we are sending out a survey via email to all parents about the possibility of running a slightly different ski program this year. In addition to our alpine ski program, we are considering participating in the Bill Koch nordic ski program right here in Hopkinton at the Blackwater Ski Club, a beautifully maintained course located on the fairground fields behind the Grange Hall. Please fill out the survey in the next week so that we can begin to plan our ski programs accordingly.

A reminder that there will be no school on November 10th and 11th. The Preschool teachers will be visiting a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool in Concord on the 10th and the Upper School teachers will hold Parent Teacher Conferences on the 11th. Sign-ups for meeting times are posted outside your child’s classroom. School will also be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday November 26th, 27th, and 28th.

Our first Upper School Parent Teacher Forum met on October 30th. It was a very productive meeting and will help the Upper School teachers as they continue to develop the curriculum schoolwide and within their individual classes.

The Preschool Parent Teacher Forum has been rescheduled and will be held on Tuesday, November 18th at 4:00pm. Child care will be available.

The Safety Committee met on October 17th. Sara Duval, Jodi Burnham, Jayne Huxtable, Jill Stagner, and Laura Brancato attended. We shared some great safety ideas and strategies and are in the process of finalizing an Emergency Response Procedure. Our next meeting is scheduled for Friday, November 14th at 3:15. All are welcome.

Kate Vattes will be hosting a Lia Sophia jewelry sale in the Library on November 20th from
8-6. 40% of the proceeds will go to HIS. Catalogues are available in the front office. If you would like more information about Lia Sophia products contact Kate at 856-7519.

The Beech Hill Players will be presenting The Wizard of Oz at the Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, November 14th and 15th at 7:00pm and Sunday, November 16th at 2:00pm. Tickets will be on sale in the front office.

There are still two more Open Houses at the St. Paul’s School Observatory on November 7th from 7:30 to 9:00 and November 16th from 6:30 to 8:30. Don’t miss this chance to get a close up view of the moon, planets, stars, and galaxies. Children and adults of all ages are welcome. Contact Ian Hoffman for details at ihoffman@sps.edu, or 229-4758.

Ms. JoEllen is having a wonderful time on her Nature Quests with students on Mondays after school. She would like to remind all who participate in this program to be sure to dress appropriately for outdoor adventures. She’s hoping to make birdhouses with the students on November 3rd and 17th and is looking for a parent who might lend their woodworking skills and tools to help in their construction.

We are emailing this month’s School Wide News home to you. It is also posted on our website and copies will still be available in the foyer and front office. In our efforts to save paper we hope to communicate increasingly in this electronic medium. If for some reason this does not reach you, or if you would like it emailed to an alternative or additional address, please let Lisa know.

Fall Open House: Saturday, November 1, 2008

We welcome all prospective parents and families to our school community for this Open House event. Please pass this announcement on to a friend or two!

Hopkinton Independent School

Fall Open House

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Join us to meet our teachers, tour our facilities and grounds, and learn about our exciting programs.

SCHEDULE:

• 10:00-10:30 = Introduction and Slideshow with director Heather Harwood
• 10:30-12:00 = Tours of classrooms

You can learn more about our school on our website before your visit. See you Saturday!

HarvestFest 2008: Picture Slideshow

Here are some photos from our HarvestFest 2008 celebration!

We extend our thanks to all our staff, students, and especially our family volunteers who helped make this HarvestFest so exciting and educational!

Also, here are more photos of our Kindergarten HarvestFest music party.

HarvestFest 2008

Remember, this Friday we celebrate HarvestFest!

Hopkinton Independent School
HarvestFest 2008
FRIDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2008
Festivities begin at 4:30

Barn Dance with Two Fiddles (Dudley and Jacqueline Laufman) & the HIS HarvestFest Band
Potluck Dinner
Harvest Raffle

Families and parents are welcome to join us at any time of the day after 1:30 pm.

• We have assigned the families of each class a type of food for the potluck supper; you can sign up on the lobby bulletin board:
• Abenakis = salad or side dish
• Amoskeags = main dish
• Ossippees & Monadnocks = dessert
• Volunteer on the lobby bulletin board if you can help during the day, or for clean-up afterward. We appreciate any degree of family involvement.
• Drop off your donation for the HarvestFest raffle basket in the front hall. Put your raffle tickets in the box in the front hall and give payment to Lisa in the office – check out the list of raffle prizes now posted in the hall!

School Wide Meeting: Full Moon Poetry and Barn Dances!

Here's a peek at one of our weekly School Wide Meetings.

On Tuesday, the 14th of October, Heather read us some poetry for the full moon, and then Courtney called some traditional New Hampshire barn dances.

The older students enjoyed teaching the kindergarteners how to dance these old New England steps.

Our Community, in Doll Form

To start our year, each student created a version of his or her self in paper doll form. You can see the complete display on our front lobby bulletin board; can you match up each doll with its student?

Preschool Parent Teacher Forum

The Preschool Parent Teacher Forum has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. We will keep you informed of the new date.

October Schoolwide News

Fall is finally here in all its splendor! We are off to a wonderful start, helped in no small measure by the string of beautiful fall days we enjoyed in September. Preparations are well underway for our annual Harvest Fest on October 24th. We have some fun activities planned for the students and invite you all to come and join us for this first community gathering of the year. You will be receiving a letter in the mail with your tickets and a schedule of events. Look for sign up sheets for volunteers on the bulletin board in the main entrance to the school soon.

Environmental Day at Tuckernuck is this Thursday October 2nd. Be sure your child comes dressed for a day of outdoor activities. The Preschool will be celebrating the beginning of fall with an Apple Fest on Friday October 3rd. Look on your child’s class page for more information on both of these special events.

On October 10th the Preschool teachers will participate in the first of three professional development workshops that will introduce them to the early education philosophy and practices of Reggio Emilia. RE is very similar to the Multiple Intelligence pedagogy used in the upper grades. We hope that this will provide an even more fluid transition for students between our preschool and upper school programs. A special Preschool Parent Teacher Forum has been planned for October 14th at 3:00pm. Childcare will be available. This will be a time for teachers to share some of what they have learned about the Reggio Emilia approach to early education and for parents to ask questions and become involved in this exciting learning venture. If you have questions feel free to contact one of our Parent Teacher Forum ambassadors this year:
Petra Shaw, Emily Hacker, Nicole and
Ian Hoffman, and Mary Catherine Jones.

Our first Upper School Parent Teacher Forum will meet on Thursday October 30th at 4:00pm. Parents are invited to meet with teachers to reflect on the upper school curriculum and discuss any changes or modifications that we can institute going forward. The Upper School Parent Teacher Forum ambassadors are Joe Brancato, Francoise Bishop, Jill Stagner, and
Kate Vattes. Please contact them for information, questions, or concerns.

Thank you to all of the mentor parents who reached out to our new families at Back to School Night. New families should feel free to contact their mentor families with any questions or concerns.

Over the summer we cleaned out and painted the Library in an effort to create a more student centered space for quiet reading and reflection. Lisa Whipps has started a literacy program with the Preschool, Kindergarten, and Early Elementary classes there one day a week. See attached flyer (Literacy with Ms. Lisa) and look on our website for more pictures and descriptions of what the students are doing with Lisa.

In an effort to encourage and promote reading school wide, (and to help us sort through and clean out the plethora of paper backs we have) we will also be piloting a “Ladder to the Library” program for the upper school students. Students who read to each rung of their classroom ladder, will earn a special “Library Lunches” and be given the chance to choose a book from the library to take home. Look for details in your child’s upcoming class pages.

As part of their Responsive Classroom practices, teachers spend time in the beginning of the year working with students to come up with rules that will guide their social education throughout the course of the year. These classroom rules were shared and discussed at one of our early school wide meetings. Because the students will be studying the history of New England in their classes this fall, we used stonewalls as a metaphor for our discussion about our school wide rules. Just as stonewalls were built by early farmers to define their property and to keep animals and crops safe and protected, so our school rules are human made boundaries designed to keep us safe and to allow everyone in the school community to grow and flourish in a safe and clearly defined learning environment.

In order to keep us all mindful of our rules, we are building a stonewall together in the front hallway. Anytime anyone in the upper grades is witnessed doing something that exemplifies one of our school rules—their name and their action will be added as a “stone” in our wall. By publicly affirming our social curriculum in this way, we hope to inspire students towards positive actions and choices in their interactions with each other. We welcome any positive observations you have about teachers or students as well.

The school recently joined New Hampshire’s School Recycling Club. The students have been learning about composting and helping out with recycling paper, plastic, and glass. A reminder to try to limit the amount of non-recyclable waste in your children’s lunches by using reusable containers and water bottles.

We will have a Halloween parade and festivities in the preschool and a contest this year in the upper school. Prizes will be awarded to students who use the most recycled materials. The theme for the contest is “fruits of the season.”

On display soon in the front hall you will see a collection of our students’ Visions of Peace. This artwork is part of a statewide community art project sponsored by NH Peace Action and will be on display at a to be determined location in December. Bethany Reed, the coordinator of this project came to our school in celebration of International Peace Day on September 21st and explained the purpose and importance of the initiative. The school is also participating in an international community service project called Pennies for Peace. The program, which was established by Greg Mortenston, author of Three Cups of Tea and founder of the Central Asia Institute, collects pennies from schools across America to help raise funds for school children (especially girls) in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The children have already collected many pennies! Thank you for your help.

Michelle Leuci’s lovely portraits and class photos of the children are now up on her website and will stay there through end of the month. You can order the photographs and sizes you want and she will ship them to you directly. Michelle’s website is http://www.michelleleuci.com/. Ask your child’s teacher if you need the password.

Starting on October 6th you will also need a password to access your child’s classroom page on our website. As was announced at Back to School Night, this is simply a proactive safety measure we have initiated in response to some parent’s concerns. More information will follow in your child’s class news.

Many of you have commented on Lisa Dean’s new “window on the world.” Not only does this afford her a bit of fresh air and a chance to greet students and parents as they enter and leave, it is another one of our safety initiatives this year. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Safety Committee or if you have safety ideas or concerns you would like addressed please contact Sara Duval. Our next meeting is October 17th at 3:15 and all are welcome. Childcare is available.

As the days get chillier, we ask that you remember to send your child with warmer outside clothing. The lost and found in the front office already has several items—be sure to check there for any stray hats or cover-ups.

Warmly,

Heather Harwood

Back to School Night

We enjoyed hosting all our class parents at Back to School Night 2008.

September Music Slideshow

Here's a slideshow from some September, 2008 music classes and events:

Press Release: Take a Child Outside Week

We're celebrating "Take a Child Outside Week" in our wetlands and forests, September 24-30!

Download our PRESS RELEASE about the week >>

You can learn more about this all-natural national program at the following websites:

• "Take a Child Outside" Week
• The "No Child Left Inside" Initiative

2008-2009 Back to School Night

We invite all current HIS parents and families to join us for our:

Hopkinton Independent School
2008-2009 Back to School Night
Thursday, September 25, 2008
4:00-5:00 Preschool
5:00-6:00 Grade K-Grade 8

Come visit our classrooms, talk with our teachers, and learn about our dynamic programs for this Norumbega (local history) year!
View all posts about Back to School Night (including last year)...

Installing Our Kestrel Home

Here's the kestrel that visited us on Thursday!

Jeremy showed us how to install a kestrel house high up in a tree on our wetlands.

If we're lucky, we'll have a kestrel of our own living here by next Spring. See the Early Elementary Blog for more photos of our kestrel visit.

2008-2009 School Year Calendar

Click on the calendar to enlarge & download it!

A Kestrel is Coming!

On Thursday, September 11, 2008 we received a visit from the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. A wildlife expert presented to us about American Kestrels, and then we installed a kestrel home in our forest, so that our school can host this amazing bird of prey. [View Photos]

According to Squam Lakes:

The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center developed the Kestrel Project that will use specially-designed nesting boxes installed at schools throughout the state to try and create suitable nesting sites for American Kestrels. This is a Conservation and Educational project that will allow students to take part by doing observations of these boxes. American kestrels have been in decline recently so we are taking action by creating artificial nesting boxes made from metal mailboxes to increase durability. These nesting sites serve as much-needed places for kestrels as well as getting the children outdoors to enjoy and be connected to nature.

For more information, visit the Squam Lakes Kestrel Project page.

HIS Receives "Picturing America" Award

Hopkinton Independent School has received a Picturing America award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. As part of the award, we will receive 40 high-quality reproductions of great works of American art.

According to Picturing America:

Picturing America, an exciting new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, brings masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide. Through this innovative program, students and citizens will gain a deeper appreciation of our country’s history and character through the study and understanding of its art.

The nation’s artistic heritage—our paintings, sculpture, architecture, fine crafts, and photography—offers unique insights into the character, ideals, and aspirations of our country. Picturing America, a far-reaching new program from the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association, brings this vital heritage to all Americans.

To view the images in the program, visit: http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/

School Photos: September 22-24

We have scheduled the following dates for school photos:

• Grades K-7: Monday, September 22, 2008 (Rain date Sept 29th)
• T/TR Preschoolers: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 (Rain date Sept 30th)
• MWF Preschoolers: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 (Rain date Oct 1st)

Here is a note about photo orders from our photographer, Michelle Leuci:

Greetings Parents!

School pictures will be taken by Michelle Leuci Photography. All photos will be taken outdoors, therefore a rain date has been set for each class. All students will have their picture taken on the designated date and added to the Hopkinton Independent Gallery at www.michelleleuci.com according to date taken (go to Ordering). All print orders can be placed individually in a shopping cart format. There is no obligation to purchase, and no minimum orders. All orders are à la carte and shipped directly to you. The gallery will be active within 2 weeks of the shoot, and will remain active to order from for 1 month.

First Day of School

It's been a big day of introductions and new experiences!

We circled up after lunch for a quick song...
Then, at the end of the day the upper school (K-8) met with our new director, Heather.


Watch the other class blogs for news about our first day!

September School Wide News

Greetings to all returning students and families and a special welcome to the 34 new students and families we have joining us this fall. Since their retreat in the spring, the teachers and staff have been collaborating and planning to ensure a challenging, engaging, and inspiring educational experience for your children. We are all looking forward to an exciting school year, full of change, growth, and exploration.

A copy of School Wide News will come home with your child each month. In addition you will receive weekly notices and updates from your child’s teacher. Both communications will also be posted on our website at http://www.hopkintonind.org/, enhanced with our teacher’s wonderful photo journals of each week’s events and activities.

At our faculty retreat this fall the teachers and staff used the poem Wooden Boats by Judy Brown as a springboard for reflection and discussion about how to continue to craft and polish our evolving Multiple Intelligence, place-based curriculum. Their curriculum maps, which have been in the works for over a year, will be up on our website soon and ready for you to see and discuss with your child’s teacher at our Back to School Night on September 25th. Preschool families are welcome from 4:00-5:00 and Elementary and Middle School parents from
5:00-6:00. We look forward to seeing you there!

The poem also encouraged us to consider the many unique gifts we bring to the craft of teaching; the creativity that lies at the core of our profession as educators. I know that many of you also have special talents and interests and we encourage you as always to share them with our teachers and students.

The theme of this year’s curriculum is “Norumbega: Where the Mountains Meet the Sea: the People, Places, and History of New England and New Hampshire.” This course of study lends itself well to enrichment opportunities that will expose the children to the discipline, artistry, and history of New England Arts and Crafts. We have planned a number of Craft Circles for the fall that will bring local folk artists to the school to share their skills and talents with our students. Look for details in up-coming class pages!

You will see some new faces at school this year. JoEllen McCaffrey joins us as a preschool teacher in the Quechee classroom. JoEllen will also be coordinating the science curriculum with the elementary grades and offering a nature explorers class in the after school program one day a week. Pat McCabe joins us from Sunapee and will be teaching our middle school students History, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. Rebecca Cloutier and Paula Ward will be helping out in the Amoskeag and Pemigawasset classrooms respectively. Rebecca is a seasoned kindergarten teacher, most recently at Bow Elementary. Paula was the founder and director of the after school program, Bow Kids Inc. and will lend her experience to running our after school program this year. Please join me in welcoming all of these new faculty to HIS.

Marek Bennett, Marilyn Knapp, and Lisa Whipps will be returning this year in slightly different capacities. Marek will be teaching Spanish and Music part time on Wednesdays and Fridays and providing website and technology support for the school and faculty. Marilyn will teach Middle school math and support the science and language arts curriculum for the 3rd and 4th grade students. Lisa will be assisting Sara in the Abenaki classroom in the mornings and will also be developing and supporting an early elementary literacy program in the afternoons.

This year we will have a common lunch period for grades 1-7 at 12:45 in the Multipurpose Room or outside on the picnic tables as weather permits. We hope to make this a joyful community gathering and welcome you to join us if ever you can.

We will be offering Pizza on Wednesdays again this year starting on September 17th. If you would like your child to participate, please fill out the attached form and return it to your child’s teacher.

Included here are our offerings for After School Programs. We have several new offerings this year and hope to have more variety again in the spring. We are also pleased to be able to provide extended care until 6:00 pm this year.

Before school drop off this year begins at 7:00 am. The regular drop off time is 8:15 am for the Upper School and 9:00 am for Preschool. Preschoolers with siblings in the Upper School may arrive as early as 8:15 as well. If you need to drop your child off or pick them up before or after these times, please be sure to sign them up for extended care. Teachers will dismiss students at 3:00 to the area behind the fence near the parking lot. Please wait for students to exit the building and pick them up.

We installed a beautiful new swingset over the summer. Many thanks to the Haydinger Landry family for this generous contribution to our playground.

As you may know, there have been a few cases of head lice reported in Hopkinton over the summer. Attached you will find some information about how to treat it. Please let us know if your child should present with a case. We will continue with all of our regular hygienic practices, but in order to be proactive we would ask that for the first few weeks of school students refrain from bringing personal items such as stuffed animals or pillows from home. The kindergarten and preschool teachers will give every child a special bag for their belongings and we would ask that you store all personal belongings that go back and forth between home and school in these at least for the first month or so of school. Thank you for your cooperation in this.

It has been a busy summer full of new beginnings and new adventures for me and my son. As I take on my position as Interim Head of School, I am so grateful to everyone who has helped to make this transition a smooth one. Thanks especially to Paul Dann, the Board of Directors and all the members of the Transition Team: Courtney Huff, Jodi Burnham, Eileen Eber, Deb Marcou, and Heather Staples. Their warm support and intelligent guidance have been invaluable to me. I look forward to working with them throughout the course of the year.

Feel free to call the office (226-4662) or stop by to see me if you have questions or concerns about anything. I look forward to getting to know you in the year ahead.

-- Heather Harwood

"Arts in the Wild" Camp Photos: Fun and Games

We enjoyed some songs and active games down by the dining hall...



Below, we're playing our newly-built and -decorated rain sticks on the busride home!

"Arts in the Wild" Camp Photos: Forest Walks

During our week at Camp Tuckernuck, we're practicing our woodlands observation skills with "Wordless Walks" in the forests. For 30-40 minutes at a time, our groups explored wide-ranging terrain... without a single word!

We talked with our hands, our faces, and with our bodies.

We discovered lots of great new sounds, plants, animals, and landscapes... and we found lots of delicious summer berries, too.

Of course, it wouldn't be "Arts in the Wild" camp with music at the campfire circle...
You can find many more pictures and samples of the comics we drew here.

Wind 'N' Willows Camp Photos: June-July 2008

"Down by the Bay" Camp: Photos

Inspector Detector Camp: Photos

Sports & Games Jamboree: Photos

Breeze into Summer Camp: Photos