Does your child love real challenges? Does she surprise you with amazing questions? Does he come alive in the presence of
 new people, new places? SpringQuest takes children into our community for an exploration of our place in the world.
"The more we help children to have their wonderful ideas and feel good about themselves for having them, the more likely it is that they will some day happen upon wonderful ideas that no one else has happened upon before." - Eleanor Duckworth, author, The Having of Wonderful Ideas and Other Essays on Teaching and Learning
In small, multi-age groups with a student-teacher ratio of not more than 5:1, children will learn about themselves, other kids, older generations and the places they call home.
Kids in grades 1-4 will learn about how local organic food supports healthy people, a healthy economy and healthy land use through activities on the COA campus and at COA's Beech Hill Farm. Children may spend a morning transplanting seedlings, building a trash sculpture or helping to run a farm stand. In the afternoon, they might prepare a healthy meal from locally grown produce.
Kids in grades 5-8 will examine how their community is created by individuals as they participate in activities both on and off the island. They will talk with local community members to find out about how residents, workers, year-round and seasonal visitors as well as the organizations they run contribute to what MDI is today. Then they'll compare this with MDI a generation ago and imagine MDI when they are old enough to have kids. Their stories, taped interviews, photographs, and artwork will culminate in a multimedia community presentation.
 Quest Guides are advanced COA students of human ecology preparing for professional (K-8) teacher certification. They are dedicated to creating fun and engaging experiences, honoring individual differences, and fostering a creative learning community. Judith Cox, Director of Educational Studies, and Bonnie Tai, Professor, Educational Studies, will supervise all Quest programs and activities.
Who: Kids in first through eighth grades.
When: Next offered in Sping 2009
Where: College of the Atlantic, Educational Studies Center, Turrets.
Cost: $TBD.
Enrollment is limited. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Deadline for registration: TBD.
SpringQuest Registration Form - (will be posted as next session approaches).
If you have further questions, please contact:
Judith Cox, Director of Educational Studies
College of the Atlantic
105 Eden Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
207-288-2944, ext. 322 |
