Log:
I knew today would be exciting because we started it at Pal Camp. We gave interactive presentations to kids ages 5-12. They were even generous enough to invite us on super hero day, so the kids were ready to take on anything. We gave a short introduction about CCAT and then broke off into smaller groups. I was teaching the kids about trees. I had everyone share at least one thing they liked about trees. My favorite answer came from a tiny five year old boy in an orange shirt with a very serious look on his face, “I like trees because they’re so beautiful,” he said with a Vannah White-like hand motion. We talked about how trees produce oxygen that we need to breathe, shelter for animals, fruit, places to climb, beauty to look at, as well as many materials that we all use in our everyday lives. We passed around homemade recycled paper and discussed how important recycling is. We also took turns sitting in a bamboo chair to demonstrate alternative building materials. I must admit though the most well liked part of my station was bamboo limbo. Other stations included pedal powered smoothie making, discussion about energy conservation, and cooking with the sun. Amusingly enough we were able to throw together these stations in a few minutes as we were prepared to make smoothies only. It was a good reminded of the importance of flexibility when working with kids.

Questions:
-How could SENS connect with the education department at Berea?
-How can SENS work with more youth?
-What is the job market in this area for Outdoor Education?

Feelings:
It was refreshing to be teaching kids about the environment! Sigh of relief. It’s comforting to work with kids because it’s reassuring that I’m making the right decision majoring in Outdoor Education. It’s also so energizing to work with all of those little excited people.