Explorer Club Update
by Kim Jones
February 09, 2012
Winter has not slowed down Explorer’s Club students. The Explorer’s Club students do much more than homework each day after school. December and January were filled with exciting activities and events that are all included within the daily program and are provided at no additional cost.
New learning adventures occur daily within the Explorer Club classrooms after school. The 2nd-6th grade students studied crystals with Mrs. Mary Ann Meives and Mrs. Diane Dietrich. They researched crystals, made crystal Christmas tree ornaments and made rock candy during their learning adventures. Making real clay pots with Mrs. Stephanie Morris was a highlight for all Explorer’s Club students. The pinch pots took a lot of kneading and pinching to get the pot ready for firing. After the pots were fired, students got to paint their pots. We bounced into the New Year making messy, gooey, and amazing super bouncy balls as a science experiment.
Local partnerships provide new opportunities for Explorer’s Club students outside of the classroom. Partnering with the Elsberry FFA for the PALS program has been a rewarding experience for the Explorer’s Club kids as well as the FFA students. Activities are planned each month by the FFA students and advisors for the Explorer’s Club students to learn more about agriculture. At the end of November, students participated in a pedal tractor pull that had agricultural trivia at the finish line. They also made natural bird feeders out of pine cones and peanut butter. The students learned about different types of plants and enjoyed a scavenger hunt in the greenhouse with Mr. Jason Vandivort. Sitting in a skid loader and learning about safety around farm equipment was the another activity during the November visit. The December visit included decorating sugar cookies and learning what ingredients in the cookies come from agriculture. The students also played pin the tail on the reindeer and farm animal Simon Says. The FFA even let each child pick a piece of fruit to take home with them.
Field trips are another enriching experience included in Explorer’s Club. The students in grades 2-6 went Christmas caroling with Mrs. Summer Hagemeier and Mrs. Jessica Marshall in Elsberry on December 8. Nathan Miller played his guitar while the other students sang. The students truly enjoyed caroling, which was a first for most of the students. When the students returned to school, they were greeted with hot cocoa. On December 13, the Explorer’s Club students headed to Brunswick Zone to go bowling. The bowling field trip included a lot of fun and laughs. In January, students went to the Lincoln County Medical Center classroom to learn about healthy and safe choices. They also had a tour of the emergency room department. On early dismissal days, the Explorer’s Club students may stay at the program from 1-6 p.m. Field trips and guest speakers are a great way for the kids to have new experiences on these teacher professional development days.
We would love to partner with more community organization to provide additional opportunities to our students. If you are interested in having Explorer’s Club present to your group or organization, have a field trip idea, or would like more information about Explorer’s Club, please contact Amanda Seeley or Jocelyn Kreuger at 898-5554 x 267. We are continuing to enroll new students in our program. All students at Elsberry in grades preK-6 are eligible to enroll for full 20 day sessions or partial week attendance. Tuition is based on income and bus transportation is also available after Explorer’s Club.
