NATURE'S CLASSROOM INSTITUTE OF WISCONSIN

At Nature's Classroom Institute we work to have students come away from their experience with a greater awareness of environment, each other, and themselves. During our five-day residential program, students study environmental processes and resources, human impact on the world around them, and their role in preserving natural resources. This, in its simplest form, can be broken down to a matter of respect. Our teachers strive to nurture a sense of strong self-respect in every student. This carries through logically to a respect for each other, and from that a sense of concern for every living thing around them, from the smallest beetle to their peers and teachers. Through this respect students gain confidence, cooperation with others, and an underlying wonder and love for the environment.

At Nature's Classroom Institute we motivate the students to seek out knowledge and develop new areas of interest during their experience. By giving the students the freedom to choose what they want to learn, we increase their motivation and their excitement. Nature's Classroom is concerned with the entire learning process and constantly works to promote a sense of curiosity and an eagerness to learn. Our teachers work to uncover the "essential child" and to aid in the development of his or her individuality. We believe that learning should be self-rewarding.

Mathematics

Nature's Classroom Institute uses an active, hands-on approach to teaching. We use natural objects in our study of mathematics , challenging the students to measure the height of trees from their shadows, or gauge the widths and depths of streams and ponds. Field studies involving temperature variants, dew point, and humidity use mathematics as a tool for understanding the world. Students construct their own bridges, geodesic domes, and pulley systems with the use of fundamental principals of geometry and physics. The use of maps and compasses in our orienteering courses incorporates survival skills into the academic arena and reinforces the connection between subject areas within the natural and manmade environment.

Sciences

Through the observation of natural phenomena such as twisted trees, glacial moraines and cloud formations, we heighten the students' natural curiosity. Scientific investigations such as water quality analysis and acid rain testing, in conjunction with an examination of stream velocity, erosion patterns and quality studies of soils, increases student appreciation of interconnecting life support systems. The exploration of habitats, such as the diversity of static and migratory wetland wildlife, both supplements and validates work done in the classroom. Students play "Predator & Prey," in which they take on the roles of the frogs, snakes, and hawks in the food chain, giving them a first hand experience of the struggle to obtain basic needs, as well as and an understanding of dynamic equilibrium. Abstract theory in the classroom is transformed into concrete concepts.

History

Nature Classroom Institute creates "living history" in our historical simulations. Students experience American history as slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad, puritans gathered together for the Salem Witch Trials, or immigrants coming to America through Ellis Island. Students take the role of soldiers in the American Revolution and relive the events leading up to the fateful battle in Concord, or become pioneers in Wagons West. By playing the role of a historical character and experiencing some of the same hardships and challenges, history is transformed in a way that is fun, exciting, and sometimes a little scary. Students are better able to understand history and its relation and effect on today's society.

Language Arts

The program also incorporates artistic, written and musical interpretations. Activities such as Recycled Art, Invent a Beast, Natural Dyes, and Marbleizing create opportunities for students to use their artistic talents in conjunction with studying such things as waste management, adaptations, plant morphology, and chemistry. Our ancient oaks, which we have named "Witness Trees", provide inspiration for poetry and creative writing. Riddles and logic puzzles on the trail, camp songs in the dining room, and each evening Quiet time breaks down barriers and creates a sense of community. It enables students to "let their hair down" and get silly in a controlled and comfortable environment.

Social Studies

In creating exciting cultural interactions to expand the Social Studies curriculum , we give students the opportunity to look at concepts and ideas such as cultural bias and acceptance of differences. Classes such as Lothlorien and Egg Babies give students an opportunity to experience parenting and community responsibility. Alpha-Beta and New Society look at politics and community interactions, as well as perceptions of individual abilities. Coke & Pepsi and The Oil Game give the students insight into the worlds of marketing and international trade and transportation.

Astronomy

Nature's Classroom Institute is looking towards the future with a dynamic new astronomy program. Students will get the opportunity to experience planets, stars and distant galaxies with our Celestar Telescope and hands on astronomy activities. Viewing sun spots during the day and catching glimpses of the moons of Jupiter at night, motivates students in a new area of the educational arena.

Individualized Teaching

At Nature's Classroom we give the students the opportunity to choose from an array of classes and subject materials. In this way, students become actively involved in their own learning process. Nature's Classroom Institute strongly emphasizes cognitive learning. Underlying themes throughout the program include aesthetic appreciation of a sunset or a hawk winging its way through the sky, cooperation and confidence building through the use of our low and high ropes course, and improved pupil-teacher relations resulting from a twenty-four hour group-living experience. At Nature's Classroom Institute our twelve to one (or smaller) pupil-teacher ratio creates a highly individualized teacher approach. This in itself provides for differences among students, particularly for those students with learning disabilities who often out-perform "normal" students given a different learning environment -- such as non-competitive programs not requiring written material. By living, learning, and playing with each other in an unfamiliar environment, both the student and classroom teacher become better able to understand each other's needs, respect their differences, and work together more effectively both throughout the academic year and during the residential experience at Naturešs Classroom Institute.

Students may therefore gain:

*an increased awareness of environmental processes and human interactions with them, as well as the problems and conflicting viewpoints involved with both understanding and wisely using environmental processes and resources;

* increased understanding of the relationships of academic subjects to practical skills in an outdoor environment and vice versa;

*better interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, cooperation with others, effective processes including valuing and self-confidence; and

*an enjoyable experience resulting in a positive attitude toward both the cognitive and effective learning mentioned.

Nature's Classroom Institute offers a three or five day residential experience during the academic year at one of our sites in Wisconsin. Schools from Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa can choose a site in either Mukwonago or Lake Delton. Both sites can accommodate up to one hundred students in modern winterized facilities and have access to hundreds of acres of woodlands, wetlands, and prairies.