What a finish!

Cabin 5 : THE dominant force at NC!

This team's rocket reached the lower troposphere

Winners of the egg drop design challenge get their "prize"

Putting a glacial boulder to good use

Taking one of the llamas for a stroll

Aamir trusts his field group to guide him through the woods

Sarah finds a sweet spot to relax

Mr. Webster chucks some heat at the Thunderdome whiffleball park
Sobe and Brookie find a unique route to relaxation

Stealthy moves during "Predator and Prey"

Sorry for the late post. I broke down on my trip home in the lonely hills of Rte 57. A compassionate tow truck driver finally got me back to Framingham. By the time I got to a computer the blog's server was down.

Our kids had another outstanding day on Thursday. A warm and sunny morning was taken up with an exciting round of "Predator and Prey. There is no better venue for what is essentially a giant a science based game of tag. A number of swift and crafty "insects" made it through the final round. The afternoon was spent participating in such "special interest" classes as egg drop and water rockets. The evening's plans called for students to take part in a new series of skills building activities. I am anxious to get feedback from the kids.

I really didn't want to leave Colebrook last night. This is clearly the most successful NC trip I have attended. The positive buzz lasted through the entire week. The NC staff was energetic and formed solid bonds with the students and we were blessed with a terrific crop of chaperones. I suspect that I speak for the HMS staff when I tell you just how proud I am of our 280+ children. They represented Hopkinton well; I heard plenty of positive comments from the NC staff. Your kids are truly WMPA!

Mr. Webster will provide the final post for the week. He will let you know when the kids are on the bus, usually around 12:30, making the ETA at school around 3:00. Don't make big plans for tonight... they are pleasantly "fried"!

I look forward to sharing many, many photos of our week's experience in Colebrook. Please be patient; it will take me about eleventyseventy hours to process them. With so many to fun ones to choose from, the culling/editing process is a tough but pleasant one.

Take care... Mr. H

Wednesday is another great day

Would make Martha Stewart's head spin!


Greeted by more fantastic weather

Getting stoked for field group

The geodome earns its occupancy permit

Mr. Rockwood models mature behavior for Kyle

But is it art?

A stirring performance by the Colebrook Pipe Orchestra

Owen's interpretation of the ideal food pyramid

The climbing room continues to see heavy use...

...as does the megaslide

HMS's Master of Big Air

He went thataway!

Jon is quite limber at recess after lunch

Sammy's Moose: Hmmm... best stick to your writing

Salsa class

More gridiron action

No shortage of BTUs!

Hangin' at the marshmallow roast

Got a tad too close to the fire pit!

We were blessed with more terrific weather as we filled the day with tons of great experiences. NC staff commented on our kids' great attitude and stamina as they took on the week's longest hike. More "special interest" classes made me appreciate the wide array of interesting classes this place offers. The evening found students participating in an important and powerful experience: The Underground Railroad. We finished with many students coming together to share a marshmallow roast up at the Mother Ship.

Tomorrow promises even better weather. The highlight will be the always exciting "Predator and Prey" game.

A world class design team and its arch bridge

Not recommended as a home based activity!

Gravity?... What gravity?

I only have eyes for you!

A future neurosurgeon hones his craft on a shark

The geodome takes shape

Hangin' with friends during transition time

One of many pick up games

Emma and her tatoo design. Don't worry Mom, it will wear off after several years!

One of hundreds of trips down the megaslide

Impressive Nate, but just how high IS that rim?

The goats are always favorites at the farm

The turkeys, on the other hand, are an aquired taste!

A frosty start to the day, but the sun quickly changed that.

Day Two surely lived up to our high expectations. The students began the day with a hike up Sunrise Mountain and around Triangle Lake. Each field group joined in on two "special" classes ranging from building roller coasters and geodomes to tattooing and dissections. The kids enjoyed extensive transition time where they took advantage of the petting farm, climbing wall, fields, and the fabulous new Thunderdome whiffleball park. We capped off the day with the always popular Night Experience.

Some student comments on the day:
Abby W:" I really like the night hike. I was surprised how well my eyes became accustomed to the dark."
Kyle D: "I was amazed how the wintergreen lifesavers sparked when we bit down on them."
Natalie B: " I had a great time hanging with my friends during transition times. The giant slide was awesome!
Katie B: The Improv class was my favorite part of the day. I got to act out different situations with my friends."
Brigid M: "I am really enjoying my friends back at the cabin; lots of talking and laughing."
Wills H:" My favorite thing to do during transition time is to head into the climbing room."

Random Pictures

Dudes of the woods

Team Challenge... I have no idea

Contains ALL wordly possessions

Casual Conversations with future breakfast meat!

Whole Crew Down on the Field

Day 2 Even Better

Just short of 11:00 a.m. and another crystaline day. No wind, upper 50's.

Kids are out and about with their field groups, taking advantage of the hundreds of beautiful acres. Loading images is ponderously slow, so you'll have to wait until they are up on Mr. Howards website. There will be MANY.

Day One at Nature's Classroom

Yikes! It's hard to believe that this is only Monday night. We packed so much into our first day here at Colebrook. We were greeted with a cool but sparkling day. The wind never really picked up so I didn't observe any frozen children. After settling into their cabins, students met with their NC leaders for s orientation and had their first classes, everything from lake ecology to "Scatology". We spent the evening participating in some fun team building challenges in the night activity called QUEST.

Tomorrow promises to keep the positive momentum building. It seems that the weather will only improve as the week progresses. It appears that the Mason Team incantations had the desired impact.

I am happy to report that the "homesickness level" is particularly low tonight. This is my 8th year at Nature's Classroom and I really think this is our best "liftoff day" yet.

Pictures are painfully slow to upload, so I'll have to wait until the morning to add more.