This fall has proven to be filled with many delightful, inspiring and remarkable outings and adventures for the CMS Adolescent Program. Through the morale-boosting and team-building challenges that took place at the ropes course at Principia College, the enlightening information and scientific observations that were made at the World Bird sanctuary, and the hard-working and collective efforts in planting trees on the land lab, along with the CMS 6th grade students, the AP students have revealed positive growth in leadership, participation, collaboration, effective listening skills, self-confidence and communication. Please take a moment to check out some of the exclusive writings below, written by the AP bloggers, as they share more specifically, the details of these various exciting events and activities.

JR- “Principia was a place we visited for the low ropes course field trip. While we were there we got to do team building exercises, but we weren’t able to go on the actual ropes, which was surprising because it said “ropes course”. Instead, we worked together on games that were meant to help us work on our communication and collaboration skills. Mr. Doug tried to make sure we were having fun and advocated for us to be a “member of the team” and to speak up. At the end of the trip we made promises/ goals for ourselves that we now have hanging up on our lockers, so that were always reminded of what we strive to accomplish.”

JR- “Here you can see N using a device to track a turtle during one of our field trips to the low ropes course. Everyone got a chance to use the device to find a cute turtle and we were able to find them.”

JR- “In this photo you can see the AP students trying to make it to the safe zone, while balancing on the boards. During or trip to the low ropes course, we worked together as a team to make it across onto the roped area on the right side of the photo”.   

JM- “We went to the world bird sanctuary a few weeks ago and learned about some awesome birds and even got to see a private bird show! We learned about: screech owls and barred owls, peregrine falcons, eagles, and other cool birds. After the show we saw some other birds like vultures, ravens, owls, and even a couple emus! There also was a snowy owl. He would stare at us at all times; it was a hoot. He would not hide behind anything just stared at us. Did you know that screech owls do not actually screech? I thought that was very interesting. Watch for wounded birds!”

RB- “On picture day, we went to the land and planted some trees and shrubs with the sixth graders. It was fun. We got to show them around the Land Lab (again) and teach them how to plant trees. We didn’t finish planting the trees on that day, but it was really nice seeing them, and playing with them again. Mr. Mike even brought us Gatorade (thank you Mr. Mike). We planted a bunch of different things, like chokeberry, beauty berry, and oak and wahoo trees. WE planted many native plants, and one or two non-native plants. Even though we had to leave early because of a storm, it was nice seeing all of our friends that day.”

Over the span of 6 weeks, the AP student body has found a variety of both common and unique species, while working at their Land Lab Classroom, located up in Wildwood, Missouri. The AP Blog Committee then documented pictures of each of the species, and identified and researched each of the reported wildlife types and classifications. Please enjoy their findings below, as you dive into the realm of bugs, amphibians and reptiles!

R- “Mole Crickets are in the same family as crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. Mole crickets are native to the United States, but are mostly found in Australia. We had found a few mole crickets, near the pond, and the one we took a picture of seemed to be missing its bottom half. They have two long antennae, forearms like a mole’s, and either four or six eyes.”

R- “Grasshoppers and crickets are also related to locusts. Grasshoppers don’t really have a specific country or continent they’re native to, but they can be found on all continents, except Antarctica. Crickets are actually native to Asia, though between 1950 and 2000 they were spread worldwide. Grasshoppers can actually bite humans. Though nothing happens if you do get bit, just a tiny red mark, or a welt. Crickets can actually bite, though they rarely puncture skin. Though crickets carry a number of significant diseases, none of them are fatal to humans, but it can sometimes cause painful sores.”

R- “Crawdads and Crayfish are actually the same animal. Crawdads are native to the United States and northeastern Mexico. Crawdads are actually related to lobsters. Crawdads can actually be colored sandy yellow, pink, red, dark brown, and blue. Crawdads live on every continent except Africa and Antarctica. There are about 200 species of crawdads in North America. We have found many crawdads and crawdad skins in the creek at the land and will continue to find more.”

R- “There is a butterfly we keep on seeing every time we go to the land and it is called the Pipevine Swallowtail. Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies are found/native to North America and Central America. The male butterflies are more blue than the females. The Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars are typically black or red. We have found a few, or the same one over and over, at the gravel bar near the creek.”

J- “The Ribid spider is able to  carry babies on its back as you can see here. It has its babies on its back and when they are born they are able to carry them on their back to protect them. They’re native to the US.”

J- “Haldea Striatula snakes also known as brown snakes are harmless and don’t attack humans when bothered and just try to get away. The Haldea Striatula is native to Missouri and can be found near rocks.”

J- “Assassin bugs are called that because they pierce their prey with poison, instead of hunting them and being a normal bug. They are also native to the US.”

Last week, the Adolescent Program, at Chesterfield Montessori School, experienced a week full of fun that they will never forget! Albeit, the fall “trip” didn’t quite take place like normally expected, each day, all of the AP students participated in an exciting new adventure, surrounded by spectacular outdoor environments. On Tuesday, the adolescents were able to explore the CMS Land Lab up in Wildwood, MO, where they prepared the ground for planting trees by the pond, learned about different ecosystems on the land, and identified a variety of species within the river. On Wednesday, the students hiked the rolling trails of one of the last preserved Prairie Lands in the USA, known as the Shaw Nature Reserve. Breathtaking sights such as luminous limestone bluff overhangs, a grandeur Sycamore tree, the wide untamed Meramec River, and the abundance of stunning wildflowers and plants that lined the walking paths, were just a few of the many observations that the students made. Then on Thursday, the AP students walked to the CMS campus where they serviced the CMS garden and compost piles and created seed balls for Micro-Economy. Needless to say, the AP students did a fantastic job in transforming the garden into a beautiful environment. Finally, Friday brought a wealth of exciting new experiences such as getting to ride in the shiny new CMS school bus for the first time, float down the Missouri River in large canoes for over 20 miles, and explore the sandy beaches of the river while going for a splash in some good ole’ swimming holes! All in all, it was a wonderful week and the students learned a lot, thus challenging them academically, physically, emotionally and socially. Below, the AP bloggers have captured in writing, descriptive moments in some of last week’s photos. Enjoy!

On Wednesday the AP met with their bee mentor, Walt, to perform a mite check. In lessons and seminars, students have been learning about the challenges that colonies are facing around the world. What better place than our very own hive to further investigate some of these issues. In a sample of 323 bees, the students encountered 8 aptly-named Varroa destructor mites. Eight mites do not sound like an excessive amount, but our hive is occupied by at least 40,000 bees! When we apply our measured mite density to the entire hive, we end up with nearly 1,000 mites present in the population. Luckily, the mite load in the hive is below the threshold considered to be alarming, but treating for mites before winter not only helps our bees but ALL bees in the area by reducing the spread of the pest. The mites are about the size of a sesame seed and they are a vector for several infectious diseases that can wipe out an entire colony. For a bee, it would be like having a dinner plate-sized parasite attached to your back or stomach while you also have the flu.

The Adolescents spent the last week of September on a Mad Dog excursion through Southern Illinois. It was a great opportunity for the group to spend time deepening their relationship with each other, and in turn, forming a community in which risk-taking is encouraged and problems are solved with vigor. Through a deep understanding of each other, we can share in each other’s joys and triumphs, as well as support each other when times get tough. There were certainly challenging moments on the trip, but the adolescents met each challenge with positivity and smiles.

If you would like to read more about how risk-taking in nature improves executive functioning skills in children of all ages, check out this article from The Children and Nature Network.

Enjoy this glimpse into the trip.