Day 5 - Our planet: ecology matters, and history, too

The focus of Day 5 was ecology matters.  When asked by our guest yesterday about issues facing the world, the students all ranked climate change as one of the most pressing, so it was an important day for all.

We spent the morning discussing the impact humans have on the planet.  We watched a video and make a sound story that chronicled the effects of human civilization.  This was followed by a recycling relay race. The students had to get the items into the correct recycling receptacles which was challenging as some options were new for some students.  We learned about the reverse recycling centers in Lithuania where shoppers can return some bottles and cans for a rebate.

UNESCO, which operates a program to help to protect and preserve special natural places around the world was our next topic of discussion.  The students learned about the many UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world, and particularly in the four represented countries. We learned that places such as Vilnius Old Town, the Parthenon, and Yellowstone National Park are protected places in our own countries.

 

 

The afternoon was a field trip to Merkinė, a small town about half an hour from the camp.  There we climbed the tower, a modern structure of interesting architecture to get a view of the area including the Nemunas River.  Next, we took a short nature walk to get to the site of a former castle from the 14th century. All along the way the student groups were taking photos to submit to the contest.  The rules required that all students appear in one of the group’s photos and fit a particular theme. We had some very artistic and creative students who captured the field trip well. 

We finished our excursion with a short stop in the Merkinė town square where ice cream was enjoyed by all!

Once back at camp we shared the photos of our trip and voted on the winners of the photo competition.  The winners for each group were Dominykas, Maciek, Izzie, and Jaden. Their prizes were metal reusable straws and reusable lunch boxes to wrap up the theme of the day.

The weather at camp was lovely all afternoon and the students enjoyed the beautiful campus with lots of basketball and swimming in the lake.  We are both excited for our last day and sad about leaving, but we have big things ahead tomorrow.