The second half of our residential week in in upstate New York was equally filled with challenges and discoveries. As the weather warmed up, we enjoyed more outdoor activities in this beautiful mountain playground.
All students challenged themselves on the climbing wall, pushing themselves to reach the summit while learning to communicate clearly with their belayer.
This was followed by class games and a fun archery session.
The class spent the afternoon engaged in a range of field ecology activities. The dense forest proved a rich habitat to explore! Students observed incredible variation in plant life, particularly in the flowers that litter the forest floor, before sketching examples to compare with our island flora.
We also conducted a habitat survey, in which our class turned up amazing discoveries! From all kinds of insect life, including a termite nursery and all manner of grubs, to the rare Red Backed Salamander – year 7 discovered it all!
The day ended with another battle with the elements – thick fog and rain wasn’t the ideal conditions for mini golf and shopping, but it didn’t stop us!
Our final day in the mountains was spent on the banks of the River Hudson finding the emerging larvae of Mayflies and Stone flies. There was something prehistoric about the amazing life cycle and transformation of these creatures! Of course, we couldn’t resist a paddle in the lazy waters while we were there.
Our last day ended with a gentle walk into the forest, where we found the most striking Red Efts littering our path. We wondered whether their bright skin might be a help or hindrance for these little reptiles.
And how else could our trip end? S’more s’mores, of course! Our lakeside campfire was filled with stories, games and laughter about our fantastic trip. We couldn’t quite believe it when we arrived back at the airport, ready to travel home again.
Everyone at the school would like to say a big thank you to our wonderful volunteers and parents for making this experience possible!
Where should we go next…?!