Document text
Art meets science in the woods Photo by Jim Craven Sean Hinchcliffe, 9, and Cody Nelson, 8, use compasses to find their way through an orienteering course Thursday at Camp Latagwa near Lake Creek. Campers learn with hands-on experiences By VICKI GUARINO LAKE CREEK -- Central Point teachers and students have moved the classroom to the woods for a week of art and science projects that mix camp life and school life. Since Monday, the open-air classroom has been the scene of nature studies and projects that are simply too complicated and time-consuming for school. Lessons on buoyancy and velocity, for instance, took shape as time trials pacing small, hand-made rafts and sailboats created from pine cones, twigs and leaves. Nearby South Fork Little Butte Creek was the testing ground. Scenic Middle School seventh-grader Devin Swanson's modest but sturdy raft of sticks and twine turned in a respectable 28-second run. "But the good part was in the rapids it dug in and got tons of air," Devin said. The boat building is the sort of lesson that's perfect for a summer morning, but impossible within the confines of the school day. "We can't have a sailboat race in class," said Central Point teacher Robin Savage. During the school year, Savage teaches art at Scenic Middle School. She's one of a handful of teachers leading instruction at the camp. The residential camp in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains is a first for the Central Point School District. It was designed to challenge, intrigue and entertain the brightest of the district's middle-grade students. Youngsters enrolled in talented and gifted programs were invited to apply for the enrichment camp. The offer drew 29 students in grades four through eight from six middle and elementary schools. Another 12 students from Crater High School are counselors, aiding a staff of Central Point teachers. Crater students design the recreation programs; teachers work up lesson plans. The program is being funded almost entirely by grants. Campers pay little or nothing to attend. Savage and other teachers fashioned a set of outdoor activities and projects that put math and science lessons to practical -- and fun -- use. Hanby Middle School science teacher Stacey Fernandez remade a walk in the wood into an orienteering session. Students learned about compass and map reading, direction and distance. The pastime of soaring paper airplanes evolved into a lesson on aerodynamics and experiments in design efficiency. Teachers say the camp helps break down some of the isolation kids feel during the summer. "This age group gets bored a lot," Fernandez said. They often spend vacation away from friends, and wind up spending hours in front of the television or with video games. Devin Swanson said that if not for camp, he too would be watching television. To avoid that fate, he has been going from one camp to another all summer long. Others, like Patrick fifth-grader Tori Finlayson, were first-time campers who didn't know what to expect. "I like science and I like art," Tori said. "This is fun." Teachers and students have found that the camp also is a welcome break from the structure and the role-playing of school. "In school, you're in your own little bubble, and here you just step out," said Scenic seventh-grader Nicomi Turner. "I feel like I get more respect here." Teachers found themselves easing bouts of homesickness and enforcing bedtime hours. The job has been something more than teaching, Fernandez said. "You've got to be a friend, too." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA