February 8th, 2016

January 18th of this year was known as Blue Monday. It is supposedly the dreariest day of the year, when the weather, holiday debt, and unmet New Year’s resolutions weigh on our spirits. On that day, Mrs. Carbone’s grade 4-5 class from Glencairn Public School came to Laurel Creek for an energy and structures program, and a cross-country ski. Based upon the students’ reactions to the day, I felt we had done an admirable job of defying expectations for how we should feel on this cold (high of -10), apparently depressing, Monday. I suggested to Mrs. Carbone, that if she wanted to gather student reflections on the day, I would post them on our blog. Here are the class’s melancholy-free memories of the day…

On Monday, Jan. 18 we went to Laurel Creek and it was amazing. It was super fun cross-country skiing when we went on the 2 km track and went down hills. Sean had us work in groups to build shelters and we tried to get the inside temperature warmer than outdoor. We also learned about how we absorb energy and how we lose energy it was like a dream come true. Laurel Creek was an awesome experience. Everything there was fun and I learned a lot more of how photosynthesis harnesses the sun’s energy. Laurel Creek was an awesome experience. It was like a dream come true. If I had to pick a place to go, I would go to Laurel Creek any time.

On Monday Jan. 18, 2016 My class  went to Laurel Creek Outdoor Center to do a whole bunch of different things like make structures, cross country ski and eat  lunch outdoors. We got to make a fire and roast hot dogs over the fire. I like cross-country skiing it was the  best. It is hard but I got the hang of it after and we got to go all around the Laurel Creek property. When you go down the hill make sure to bend your legs. Thank-you, Sean. Laurel Creek was awesome. I’ll go there again. Haylee

On Monday, January 18 our class went to the Laurel Creek Outdoor Ed. Center to build shelters and cross-country ski. In the morning we built shelters. I found a log and it was bent and it looked like a candy cane. We had a cookout and when the hotdogs were cooking they looked so tasty. Some were burned and some were good. In the afternoon we went cross country skiing. When we went cross country skiing I saw the trees beside the path and they were so big that it looked like I was in a cave. That was our trip to Laurel Creek.  Adam

On Jan. 18 my class went to the Laurel Creek Outdoor Centre for a full day trip. When we arrived at Laurel Creek, Sean told us what we were going to do that day and he said “Today we are going to roast hot dogs, build shelters and go cross-country skiing”.  First we went outside to build our structures out of tarp and 4 ropes and my group got our  shelter very warm it was amazing. After that we went for our lunch. We roasted hotdogs and had hot chocolate. Lastly we went cross country skiing on a 2km trail.  Thank you we had a great day.  Jayleen

Monday January 18 our class went to Laurel Creek. Thank you Sean for the trip it was a lot of fun. When we arrived at Laurel Creek Sean was waiting for us, and he seemed excited for us to be able to come. A half an hour later after we got there we built a shelter with only a tarp and 4 ropes. We were allowed to use sticks from the ground and you weren’t allowed to break off sticks from the trees. We also got to talk about our science unit, conservation of energy. We talked about building your roofs low so you can be nice and cozy because heat travels up so the heat rises to the roof. So if you have a high roof you can be cold if you don’t have a heater because your heat would be wasted.

We brought hot dogs and had a cookout!

Lastly we also went cross country skiing. I was so excited! It was my first time going so I was a bit inexperienced but I got better because I never gave up no matter how hard I try. There were paths, and signs that directed you either back or more. Back means back to the nature center and more means keep going. I had a lot of fun and it was amazing. I wish I could go there everyday of my life that’s how fun it was.

Thank you for everything Sean! Hailee

Thank you so much Sean for the awesome trip to Laurel Creek. It was AWESOME! I loved making the structures and eating hot dogs and drinking hot chocolate and especially cross-country skiing. On the cross-country skiing part I can’t believe that we saw coyote droppings halfway through the trail. So again, thank you Sean! Justin

On January 18, we went to Laurel Creek. I had a lot of fun at Laurel Creek. We made forts in the woods and then we had hot dogs with hot chocolate it was good. Cross- country skiing was really fun it was hard, but I still made it. I had lots of fun. Sean was really nice and the place was really nice. Nathan

On Monday, January 18 we went to Laurel Creek we all had a lot of fun. First Sean showed us around Laurel Creek then he told us what we’re going to do first we went outside and started to build a fort. It was really warm inside. The challenge was to get it above zero. Then we had hot chocolate. My Dad helped me get the hot chocolate. Then we roasted hot dogs They were tasty. Then after that we went cross-country skiing it was so much fun I didn’t even fall on the hill. Meghan.     

On Monday, January 18, we went on the Laurel Creek trip and Thank you for the trip, Sean! It was amazing. My favourite part was the Cross Country Skiing because I never skied in my life, and I was happy I learned it. My opinion of it is that it was very fun and I loved how there was a trail with trees that made it look like it was a dark, scary path. My opinion about the whole trip was it was AWESOME! I loved it so much, Monday was the best day, EVER and thank you, Sean! Sincerely, Marissa.

On Monday, January 18, our class went to Laurel Creek for a Conservation of Energy and Structures trip. We went cross country skiing. There is a track that goes 2 ½ km. I and some others were the last people on the trip to go the last *more* arrow.  We had hot chocolate and tasted good it was good. We also cooked our own hot dogs on the fire. We learned to go down the hill you bend your knees and put your poles behind you. We also made a fort with sticks, rope and a tarp. Our fort got to 3.9 C. That was our great adventure at Laurel Creek. Thank you Laurel Creek.   Dylan

Last week on January 18, 2016 my class and I went on a field trip to Laurel Creek. We were talking about what was going to happen during shelter building contest and the way you could win was by getting your structure the warmest. Our group got up to 2 degrees Celsius. After we looked at all the groups’ structures we went into the classroom to talk about how to cook a hotdog over the fire. When we got out of the classroom we had to shovel all of the snow out of the fire pits. Before any of the fires started we got to drink hot chocolate and eat our lunch. Then when the fires started someone cooked my hotdog and gave it to me. It tasted really good. During lunch Sean let us walk across a long wooden bridge. Some of my friends didn’t know that there was creek underneath us because all the snow covered the ice. Finally we went around the building to go cross country skiing. More about that next time I write.

Monday January 18 my class went to Laurel Creek. Thank-you Sean for an awesome trip. I loved being at Laurel Creek doing all the cross country skiing, hot dogs, and the hot chocolate, but first I would want to say thank-you Sean and my teacher for setting up this amazing trip I would like to say that I already know heat rises but I didn’t know hot places in the United States have higher roofs than us because it’s more hot there than it is here because in the winter it’s really cold here. First we came off of our bus into the classroom. Then we built shelters with a group we had to build it and see if it was going to get warmer than we went inside learned more things, went outside had some hot chocolate and some of our lunch. We made a fire and roasted hotdogs. The hot dogs were delicious. I loved it so much then we went out cross-country skiing for about an hour it was so much fun! I hope I get to go back next year. I hope other people had as much fun as me when they go. Isabelle

Last week I went to Laurel Creek Outdoor Centre with my class. We started off with a quick lesson inside to get instructions on a shelter-building activity. Next, we were split up into five groups and had to make structures. We used a sheet of thick bendable plastic, a long rope and a medium rope. Then, we had to put logs on the extra plastic sheet to hold the bottom of the tepee down.  The tepee had to be short to keep the heat low because if it was taller, the heat would rise up.  Our group had to use your body heat to warm it up inside and use a thermometer to see what the temperature was.  We got +1.4 degrees and the highest group got +3.9 degrees.

Then, we got to make a fire, it was really fun. We got wood and newspaper from the box and newspaper, and put it at the bottom of the tepee. Some people got to light it with a match, I almost burned my thumb. I like I was getting to roast hot dog, and put the bun on the stick to slide it off.   We got hot chocolate with marshmallows but most of the chocolate was still in the cup.

After we got to go back inside and talk about the shelters. Sean asked bonus questions and Justin’s group got +3.9 degrees and they got the highest of body heat in their fort to warm up.

Finally, I went cross-country skiing with my class. It was hard to get the ski boot on the ski because if you turned, you would tip over and I did!  But I got back up and kept on going, I had a lot of fun learning to ski. If it was a bad day, we would have gotten to go snowshoeing, but we didn’t, so after the field trip my Mom said I can use her snowshoes and go in the back of my house and go on the snow with my brother Jayden. Thank you for a great trip, Riley. 

Dear: Sean, Thank you for letting us stay for a day. When we went cross country skiing it was REALLY fun. Thanks for helping us when we fell during skiing.

Hi Sean, Thank-you for the trip on Monday January 18 it was so fun! You are a good outdoors man. Who taught you to cross country ski? My favourite part was eating the hot dogs that we toasted in the fire. What was your favourite part? Cross-country skiing is hard but you made it look easy. My Dad came on the trip and he said it was one of the best times of his life. We made a snow fort and we found a stick that was in the shape of an arc. Sitting in our shelter we got the temperature to 0.1 Celsius. When we went cross-country skiing how far was the ski track it felt like forever and ever and ever.  I was pushing myself further and I made it. There are lots of ways to conserve energy outdoors and indoors. Laurel Creek is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ryley

Dear Sean, Thank you for taking are class on Monday Jan.18 for an outdoor trip. Thank you for teaching us to ski and how to get up when we fall down and how to go down a big hill that seemed like a mountain. When Ii went skiing it was my first time and it didn’t go as bad as I thought it was going to be. When I cooked hotdogs outside it was good and it wasn’t that cold. I learned to go outside and to keep ourselves warm by eating like an apple or something small. When we went to build a fort it was my first time building outside. Inside our structure it was 0.1 Celsius. Carlos

Blog – Monday January 18- Thank you Sean for letting my class go to Laurel Creek for the day. We had fun building a fort but my team did not listen to any of my ideas. When lunch rolled around we were roasting hot-dogs and we got to build a fire. Thanks to Sean teaching us how to build the fire. After lunch we went inside to learn how to put on the skis, and how to get up from falling. Since skiing would have been difficult for me, I walked around the ski trails to help Mrs. Haywood take pictures on the iPad. Don’t tell anyone, but I managed to throw a snowball at our teacher and got her! The horn boomed after we went to the bus to school. Thank you Sean so much!!!!!  Somer

On Monday, January 18 my class went on a field trip to Laurel Creek. When we got there we first went in a classroom and we talked about conservation of energy. Then our teacher put us in groups and we went outside with backpacks that had a tarp and some rope in it. My group and I had fun building our shelter. We took 2 trees and tied the rope to both of the trees and then we put the tarp over it. With the leftover tarp we covered with snow. Finally we all got inside and we checked how much warmer the temperature was inside the tent. After that we had a roast out with hot dogs and hot chocolate it was good and we even got to make our own fire with matches. I’m surprised that the matches would light the fire on snow. Finally at the end we went skiing it was fun and tiring we did that for about 1 hour. Thanks Sean for having us it was fun. I hope we come back next year. Zeren

Hello, I loved being at Laurel Creek on Monday, January 18, building structures out in the snow, cross country skiing and had lunch out in the snow, it was awesome!  I loved the cross country skiing so much that I managed to beg my mom enough that she got me poles and skis. We are going to go get boots to finish the set soon. I hope I get to go/come again because the staff and volunteers are nice, helpful and pleasant. I hope lots of people also have fun and learn to ski at Laurel Creek like me and my class. Sincerely, someone who loves cross country skiing. Kaitlyn

Hi, reader. At the Laurel Creek Outdoor Education Center I had so much fun. The first thing I did was shelter building. That was so much fun, I felt like the natives when they had to build a shelter. After, I went cross-country skiing. When I was skiing I saw a whole bunch of beautiful trees with fluffy snow on them. The trail had wildlife all around which was nice. I learned lots of things like when you build a shelter you trap your heat in the shelter which makes it warmer. The Laurel Creek Outdoor Centre was amazing. I hope more people come and visit. -Nina

 

 

 

 

February 8th, 2016

January 18th of this year was known as Blue Monday. It is supposedly the dreariest day of the year, when the weather, holiday debt, and unmet New Year’s resolutions weigh on our spirits. On that day, Mrs. Carbone’s grade 4-5 class from Glencairn Public School came to Laurel Creek for an energy and structures program, and a cross-country ski. Based upon the students’ reactions to the day, I felt we had done an admirable job of defying expectations for how we should feel on this cold (high of -10), apparently depressing, Monday. I suggested to Mrs. Carbone, that if she wanted to gather student reflections on the day, I would post them on our blog. Here are the class’s melancholy-free memories of the day…

On Monday, Jan. 18 we went to Laurel Creek and it was amazing. It was super fun cross-country skiing when we went on the 2 km track and went down hills. Sean had us work in groups to build shelters and we tried to get the inside temperature warmer than outdoor. We also learned about how we absorb energy and how we lose energy it was like a dream come true. Laurel Creek was an awesome experience. Everything there was fun and I learned a lot more of how photosynthesis harnesses the sun’s energy. Laurel Creek was an awesome experience. It was like a dream come true. If I had to pick a place to go, I would go to Laurel Creek any time.

On Monday Jan. 18, 2016 My class  went to Laurel Creek Outdoor Center to do a whole bunch of different things like make structures, cross country ski and eat  lunch outdoors. We got to make a fire and roast hot dogs over the fire. I like cross-country skiing it was the  best. It is hard but I got the hang of it after and we got to go all around the Laurel Creek property. When you go down the hill make sure to bend your legs. Thank-you, Sean. Laurel Creek was awesome. I’ll go there again. Haylee

On Monday, January 18 our class went to the Laurel Creek Outdoor Ed. Center to build shelters and cross-country ski. In the morning we built shelters. I found a log and it was bent and it looked like a candy cane. We had a cookout and when the hotdogs were cooking they looked so tasty. Some were burned and some were good. In the afternoon we went cross country skiing. When we went cross country skiing I saw the trees beside the path and they were so big that it looked like I was in a cave. That was our trip to Laurel Creek.  Adam

On Jan. 18 my class went to the Laurel Creek Outdoor Centre for a full day trip. When we arrived at Laurel Creek, Sean told us what we were going to do that day and he said “Today we are going to roast hot dogs, build shelters and go cross-country skiing”.  First we went outside to build our structures out of tarp and 4 ropes and my group got our  shelter very warm it was amazing. After that we went for our lunch. We roasted hotdogs and had hot chocolate. Lastly we went cross country skiing on a 2km trail.  Thank you we had a great day.  Jayleen

Monday January 18 our class went to Laurel Creek. Thank you Sean for the trip it was a lot of fun. When we arrived at Laurel Creek Sean was waiting for us, and he seemed excited for us to be able to come. A half an hour later after we got there we built a shelter with only a tarp and 4 ropes. We were allowed to use sticks from the ground and you weren’t allowed to break off sticks from the trees. We also got to talk about our science unit, conservation of energy. We talked about building your roofs low so you can be nice and cozy because heat travels up so the heat rises to the roof. So if you have a high roof you can be cold if you don’t have a heater because your heat would be wasted.

We brought hot dogs and had a cookout!

Lastly we also went cross country skiing. I was so excited! It was my first time going so I was a bit inexperienced but I got better because I never gave up no matter how hard I try. There were paths, and signs that directed you either back or more. Back means back to the nature center and more means keep going. I had a lot of fun and it was amazing. I wish I could go there everyday of my life that’s how fun it was.

Thank you for everything Sean! Hailee

Thank you so much Sean for the awesome trip to Laurel Creek. It was AWESOME! I loved making the structures and eating hot dogs and drinking hot chocolate and especially cross-country skiing. On the cross-country skiing part I can’t believe that we saw coyote droppings halfway through the trail. So again, thank you Sean! Justin

On January 18, we went to Laurel Creek. I had a lot of fun at Laurel Creek. We made forts in the woods and then we had hot dogs with hot chocolate it was good. Cross- country skiing was really fun it was hard, but I still made it. I had lots of fun. Sean was really nice and the place was really nice. Nathan

On Monday, January 18 we went to Laurel Creek we all had a lot of fun. First Sean showed us around Laurel Creek then he told us what we’re going to do first we went outside and started to build a fort. It was really warm inside. The challenge was to get it above zero. Then we had hot chocolate. My Dad helped me get the hot chocolate. Then we roasted hot dogs They were tasty. Then after that we went cross-country skiing it was so much fun I didn’t even fall on the hill. Meghan.     

On Monday, January 18, we went on the Laurel Creek trip and Thank you for the trip, Sean! It was amazing. My favourite part was the Cross Country Skiing because I never skied in my life, and I was happy I learned it. My opinion of it is that it was very fun and I loved how there was a trail with trees that made it look like it was a dark, scary path. My opinion about the whole trip was it was AWESOME! I loved it so much, Monday was the best day, EVER and thank you, Sean! Sincerely, Marissa.

On Monday, January 18, our class went to Laurel Creek for a Conservation of Energy and Structures trip. We went cross country skiing. There is a track that goes 2 ½ km. I and some others were the last people on the trip to go the last *more* arrow.  We had hot chocolate and tasted good it was good. We also cooked our own hot dogs on the fire. We learned to go down the hill you bend your knees and put your poles behind you. We also made a fort with sticks, rope and a tarp. Our fort got to 3.9 C. That was our great adventure at Laurel Creek. Thank you Laurel Creek.   Dylan

Last week on January 18, 2016 my class and I went on a field trip to Laurel Creek. We were talking about what was going to happen during shelter building contest and the way you could win was by getting your structure the warmest. Our group got up to 2 degrees Celsius. After we looked at all the groups’ structures we went into the classroom to talk about how to cook a hotdog over the fire. When we got out of the classroom we had to shovel all of the snow out of the fire pits. Before any of the fires started we got to drink hot chocolate and eat our lunch. Then when the fires started someone cooked my hotdog and gave it to me. It tasted really good. During lunch Sean let us walk across a long wooden bridge. Some of my friends didn’t know that there was creek underneath us because all the snow covered the ice. Finally we went around the building to go cross country skiing. More about that next time I write.

Monday January 18 my class went to Laurel Creek. Thank-you Sean for an awesome trip. I loved being at Laurel Creek doing all the cross country skiing, hot dogs, and the hot chocolate, but first I would want to say thank-you Sean and my teacher for setting up this amazing trip I would like to say that I already know heat rises but I didn’t know hot places in the United States have higher roofs than us because it’s more hot there than it is here because in the winter it’s really cold here. First we came off of our bus into the classroom. Then we built shelters with a group we had to build it and see if it was going to get warmer than we went inside learned more things, went outside had some hot chocolate and some of our lunch. We made a fire and roasted hotdogs. The hot dogs were delicious. I loved it so much then we went out cross-country skiing for about an hour it was so much fun! I hope I get to go back next year. I hope other people had as much fun as me when they go. Isabelle

Last week I went to Laurel Creek Outdoor Centre with my class. We started off with a quick lesson inside to get instructions on a shelter-building activity. Next, we were split up into five groups and had to make structures. We used a sheet of thick bendable plastic, a long rope and a medium rope. Then, we had to put logs on the extra plastic sheet to hold the bottom of the tepee down.  The tepee had to be short to keep the heat low because if it was taller, the heat would rise up.  Our group had to use your body heat to warm it up inside and use a thermometer to see what the temperature was.  We got +1.4 degrees and the highest group got +3.9 degrees.

Then, we got to make a fire, it was really fun. We got wood and newspaper from the box and newspaper, and put it at the bottom of the tepee. Some people got to light it with a match, I almost burned my thumb. I like I was getting to roast hot dog, and put the bun on the stick to slide it off.   We got hot chocolate with marshmallows but most of the chocolate was still in the cup.

After we got to go back inside and talk about the shelters. Sean asked bonus questions and Justin’s group got +3.9 degrees and they got the highest of body heat in their fort to warm up.

Finally, I went cross-country skiing with my class. It was hard to get the ski boot on the ski because if you turned, you would tip over and I did!  But I got back up and kept on going, I had a lot of fun learning to ski. If it was a bad day, we would have gotten to go snowshoeing, but we didn’t, so after the field trip my Mom said I can use her snowshoes and go in the back of my house and go on the snow with my brother Jayden. Thank you for a great trip, Riley. 

Dear: Sean, Thank you for letting us stay for a day. When we went cross country skiing it was REALLY fun. Thanks for helping us when we fell during skiing.

Hi Sean, Thank-you for the trip on Monday January 18 it was so fun! You are a good outdoors man. Who taught you to cross country ski? My favourite part was eating the hot dogs that we toasted in the fire. What was your favourite part? Cross-country skiing is hard but you made it look easy. My Dad came on the trip and he said it was one of the best times of his life. We made a snow fort and we found a stick that was in the shape of an arc. Sitting in our shelter we got the temperature to 0.1 Celsius. When we went cross-country skiing how far was the ski track it felt like forever and ever and ever.  I was pushing myself further and I made it. There are lots of ways to conserve energy outdoors and indoors. Laurel Creek is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ryley

Dear Sean, Thank you for taking are class on Monday Jan.18 for an outdoor trip. Thank you for teaching us to ski and how to get up when we fall down and how to go down a big hill that seemed like a mountain. When Ii went skiing it was my first time and it didn’t go as bad as I thought it was going to be. When I cooked hotdogs outside it was good and it wasn’t that cold. I learned to go outside and to keep ourselves warm by eating like an apple or something small. When we went to build a fort it was my first time building outside. Inside our structure it was 0.1 Celsius. Carlos

Blog – Monday January 18- Thank you Sean for letting my class go to Laurel Creek for the day. We had fun building a fort but my team did not listen to any of my ideas. When lunch rolled around we were roasting hot-dogs and we got to build a fire. Thanks to Sean teaching us how to build the fire. After lunch we went inside to learn how to put on the skis, and how to get up from falling. Since skiing would have been difficult for me, I walked around the ski trails to help Mrs. Haywood take pictures on the iPad. Don’t tell anyone, but I managed to throw a snowball at our teacher and got her! The horn boomed after we went to the bus to school. Thank you Sean so much!!!!!  Somer

On Monday, January 18 my class went on a field trip to Laurel Creek. When we got there we first went in a classroom and we talked about conservation of energy. Then our teacher put us in groups and we went outside with backpacks that had a tarp and some rope in it. My group and I had fun building our shelter. We took 2 trees and tied the rope to both of the trees and then we put the tarp over it. With the leftover tarp we covered with snow. Finally we all got inside and we checked how much warmer the temperature was inside the tent. After that we had a roast out with hot dogs and hot chocolate it was good and we even got to make our own fire with matches. I’m surprised that the matches would light the fire on snow. Finally at the end we went skiing it was fun and tiring we did that for about 1 hour. Thanks Sean for having us it was fun. I hope we come back next year. Zeren

Hello, I loved being at Laurel Creek on Monday, January 18, building structures out in the snow, cross country skiing and had lunch out in the snow, it was awesome!  I loved the cross country skiing so much that I managed to beg my mom enough that she got me poles and skis. We are going to go get boots to finish the set soon. I hope I get to go/come again because the staff and volunteers are nice, helpful and pleasant. I hope lots of people also have fun and learn to ski at Laurel Creek like me and my class. Sincerely, someone who loves cross country skiing. Kaitlyn

Hi, reader. At the Laurel Creek Outdoor Education Center I had so much fun. The first thing I did was shelter building. That was so much fun, I felt like the natives when they had to build a shelter. After, I went cross-country skiing. When I was skiing I saw a whole bunch of beautiful trees with fluffy snow on them. The trail had wildlife all around which was nice. I learned lots of things like when you build a shelter you trap your heat in the shelter which makes it warmer. The Laurel Creek Outdoor Centre was amazing. I hope more people come and visit. -Nina