LINCOLN — This month the library is celebrating our local sugar industry. Don and Jodi Gale have filled the glass display case with buckets, taps, articles and instruments, all from their past 32 years of collecting the sweet stuff. Some of the items are donated by Charlie Leeuw. Stop by the library to check it out.
Take and Make activity packs for the kids are also available at the library. There are many different packs to choose from for all skill levels.
FROM LCS PRINCIPAL, TORY RILEY
Last June, after our Lincoln Community School had existed remotely for about three months, educators gathered for professional collaboration at the end of the year. One of the questions we discussed was, “What are we most afraid of as we anticipate opening school in the fall?”
The prevailing fear was that we wouldn’t apply what we had learned during our remote days. One of our responses to that fear was to figure out how we could move school outdoors as much as possible: to play and learn immersed in our beautiful place.
Teachers researched and planned over the summer. In what ways could teaching and learning happen outside at different grade levels? We agreed that each grade band (K-2, 3-4, and 5-6) would have a designated area outdoors to make their own and to care for.
Here is some of what we created: The youngest students had extended play and exploration, morning circle and math outdoors. The third and fourth graders moved their classrooms into a new pavilion and learned outdoors all day (except for 30 minutes of computer-based learning) from September through December. The fifth and sixth graders created their learning communities and read and discussed books in their outdoor classrooms, which they created with handmade benches, tables, and Fire Warden-approved firepits.
In October, we realized it would be great to document our outdoor experiences. We hired filmmaker Stowe Miller to do so. Stowe filmed on campus and on an all-school hike on Willard Jackson’s land — now under the town of Lincoln’s stewardship. He created a nine-minute video that captures many aspects of our Lincoln Community (Outdoor) School. Here is a link to the video: tinyurl.com/j3nkdp5n.
Until next time: What We Think We Become. It Only Seems Impossible Until You Are Done. Once You Choose Hope Anything Is Possible.