Intensive Learning @ MFS
The World At Your Fingertips
Today was our first day of adventure to the Pine Barrens. We began our journey in Batsto looking at the museum in the visitors center. Batsto was an industrial village in the Pines that centered around a blacksmithing forge and then later became known for making glass. After this we went on the four...
Continue readingOn the final day of our journeys through the Pine Barrens, our group visited the Pine Island Cranberry Company in Washington, NJ. Once there, we learned about the history of cranberry farming in New Jersey. We were welcomed by employees of the company, including Stefanie and Mike Haines, and learned about the beginning of...
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Today was quite the day for the Pine Barrens Intensive Learning group. At the start of the day, we learned a bit about the legend of the Jersey Devil, who is said to be from the Pine Barrens. Then, we left school for Wharton State Forest. At the state forest, we broke off into...
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Today was day 3! We went on a fun hike in the Pine Barrens. When we got to Pineland Adventures in Shamong, our tour guide John Volpa gave us an overview about the Pine Barrens and the history about the bog iron industry that developed there. Then we took a bus to the starting...
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On day #2 our group at the Pine Barrens went to the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge with our tour guide Erin. We took a hike down the white trail and learned about the fauna of the Pine Barrens. We learned about sphagnum moss and teaberry leaves (which tasted like mint). Also, we learned the...
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Today was a very adventurous day hiking in the Pine Barrens. First, we walked around a museum exhibit about pinelands ecology and industry at the Historic Batsto Village. We learned about the history behind the Pine Barrens, like the glass mills and factories. Also, the group learned that iron and glass was produced in...
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Welcome to the Pine Barrens 2016 IL Blog! We met as a group today to discuss our week’s activities, which will include: guided hikes through the Pines with resident ecology experts, a visit to a cranberry bog, a visit to a wildlife refuge, and so much more! We asked our group what they would...
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As we wrap up a great week for our Pine Barrens trip, we are reminded of the many wonderful experiences we had. We are grateful to all of our hosts: John Volpa at the Black Run Preserve, Stefanie and Bill Haines at Pine Island Cranberry Co., and Erin Kiefer at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife...
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Today we stayed on campus to present what we learned throughout the week to the fourth grade classes here at MFS. Since they will be going to Camp Ockanickon in April, we wanted to give them an idea of what their experience would be like. In the process, we also gave the fourth graders a...
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Today was the fourth day of the Pine Barrens Intensive Learning program. This morning, after a short bus ride, we arrived at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, where we were greeted by Erin, our guide. She led us on a trail through the Pine Barrens and pointed out some of the interesting plants along...
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To start off our day we visited the Pine Island Cranberry Co.. We learned a lot about the art of growing and harvesting cranberries. Mr. Haines and his son, daughter, and Christina gave us a lovely tour of the property. We learned about the selective breeding of cranberries, the fungi that can infect them and how...
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Today we took a bus to the Black Run Preserve in Evesham Township. There, we met John Volpa, the chair of Friends of the Black Run Preserve, who taught us a little history about the Pine Barrens and the indigenous species living there. Among the topics he covered were watersheds, coastal plains, and aquifers....
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Today, we went to Historic Batsto Village in Wharton State Forest. We started off the day with a four mile hike on a looping trail around a river. We saw the Batsto lake and examples of controlled fires and learned what they do. After we chowed down on some lunch, we went inside the...
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We are very excited to be exploring the Pine Barrens for another year! We have a great schedule lined up: it will take us to cranberry bogs, nature preserves, animal rehabilitation centers, hiking trails, and fire towers. Looking forward to a wonderful experience!...
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Day Four The first stop on our adventure today was the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. At the Wildlife Refuge we learned about the processes and care that are needed in nursing hurt animals back to health. Some of the animals we saw included: owls, hawks, vultures, squirrels, foxes and deer. We walked around...
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