A typical day at Our Place camp includes…
into the woods
A typical day at Our Place camp includes:
—meeting at 9am at the Forbes Library, then driving away in the van for our day’s explorations
—arrival a few minutes later @ our field study site in one of the 5 ecoregions of the Nonotuck biome, which has been chosen because it is a fountain of biotic & cultural intensities
—a short talk about the place: just enough to provide contexts, and to cue the campers to the creatures and ecologic systems we are investigating
—”walking”: a) opening 5-senses—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting; absorbtion, immersion, cognition—FUN!
b) identification—learning the names, behaviors and relationships of the creatures and ecologic systems—EDUCATION!
c) reflection—campers read a little poetry, science and/or philosophy & are prompted to engage critically, aesthetically & imaginatively w/their perceptions via discussion, photography & journal writing—PERSONAL GROWTH!
—a mid-day picnic, chill out & recharge
—”walking” again in a different but allied place
—return to Forbes Library @ 3 pm for pick-up
At the end of 5 days, campers have
—applied the lessons they learned in indoor school to their experiences, gaining a much deeper understanding of abstract concepts
—had the opportunity to see how their own curiosity, enthusiasm and imagination can lead them to profound & enjoyable insights and discoveries, which increases the odds that they will return to indoor school with a hunger for more
—met other campers and, as a consequence of our “walking” together, befriended them on substantive and not shallow level
—learned how the land (soils, waters, creatures & climes) has produced the uniquely vivacious and intelligent culture of the “Happy Valley” & “Paradise City”
—visited a variety of beautiful sites (some well known, some secret) in “our place” that they will want to return to with you
Next time you drive by the Sacred Heart Church on King St. in N'hamp, imagine what it looked like when America's most influential theologian, Jonathan Edwards, lived there
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