On Friday, March 22, the sixth grade kicked off their Intensive Learning week with a day of service at Cambridge Senior Living, which is not far from Moorestown Friends School. The students prepared for the visit by discussing “giving gifts of kindness” and by preparing cards and paper flowers to bring with them to...
Continue readingBelize: Xunantunich Ruins & Waterfall
Today we visited the Xunantunich Maya ruins and learned about the history of the location and the Maya people. Xunantunich is one of the largest Maya sites in the Belize River Valley. The center, which is about a square mile, is composed of several major plazas surrounded by numerous temples and palaces. One of...
Continue readingNorway: Husky Camp and Showshoeing
Monday, March 25By Angelina and Alivia This morning we met at 9:15, which was an early start, but everyone was ready and excited for the day. We walked to the bus station and took about 30 minutes to get to the snowshoeing tour camp. We met some lovely huskies and local guides. On the...
Continue readingDominican Republic: The Pine Tree Nursery
This morning we started the day with breakfast at our hotel. Then, we had our Spanish lesson and learned the words necessary for our service today. Our tour director Brayan taught us a new game called “Stop,” which is similar to Scattergories, to help us increase our Spanish vocabulary. We then were surprised with...
Continue readingSacred Spaces: Visits to Christ Church and Arch Street Meeting House
Today, we had the pleasure of visiting the historic Christ Church in Philadelphia. It is an Episcopal church, located by the Delaware near Market St. The Christ Church tradition welcomes all people, from all walks of life, wherever they are on their journey of faith. In the courtyard at the entrance, there were multiple...
Continue readingHalloween Extravaganza!
Just as we have done for the past two days, we served breakfast at Cafe Clayton at 7:30 in the morning. We split up into our separate shifts and began serving food at 8:00 a.m. Some of us served food at the hot food bar and waffle makers, while others helped clean tables and...
Continue readingFolk Art: Macramé Madness!
The Folk Art Intensive Learning group had a great second day. From learning new skills like macramé and exploring new combinations of mediums, the group had a day full of exploration and experimentation. We started the day off by unloading new materials for the week in preparation for the coming days, which included fire...
Continue readingSeventh Grade Day of Service at Palmyra Cove
By Gemma This past Friday, for their day of service, the seventh graders visited Palmyra Cove, a nature park alongside the Delaware River. The first activity they participated in was a beach cleanup. Since Palmyra Cove is across from Philadelphia, the tides deposit trash from Philly ashore, leaving the beach covered in litter. The...
Continue readingGrowing for Good: Trip to Fernbrook Farms
Today, Growing for Good visited Fernbrook Farms an educational experience located in Chesterfield, New Jersey. To start off the day, our group began with a tour of the various greenhouses located on the property. Here, we observed many different irrigation systems used for growing different types of plants, giving us a better understanding of...
Continue readingYeast, and Bread, and Scones, Oh My!
At the start of the day, the contestants were briefed on what yeast is and how it works. The contestants then moved out to the kitchen and began baking bread from scratch. They made mixtures of salt and flour and of water, molasses, and yeast, and then combined the mixtures into a dough. When...
Continue readingSprucing up Perkins for the Summer – SJS at Perkins Center for the Arts
Today, South Jersey Service went to the Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown. Perkins Center for the Arts is a multi-purpose arts center within walking distance of MFS. It was founded in 1977 and was named after the Perkins family. It was originally built in 1910 as a wedding gift for Alice and...
Continue readingPine Barrens, Day Two: Cranberry B(l)og Post!
Today we went to Rancocas Cranberry Farm. We met up with members of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance & Pinelands Adventure Co., who were our guides. We did a four-and-a-half mile hike through the Barrens, walking around decommissioned cranberry bogs, wetlands, and heavily forested areas. We also did some dip-netting at a reservoir where we...
Continue readingArts and Entertainment, Day Two: Touring the Wells Fargo Center
This morning, we left school at around 9:30 a.m. for a 30-minute bus ride to the Wells Fargo Center. When we arrived we were greeted by our two tour guides. They led us to our first stop on the tour, which was the “hat trick” spot, where we learned what a hat trick was...
Continue readingDay Two of Low and Slow: Ribs + Barbacoa Prep
We arrived at Van Meter this morning to discover that our pit that we dug over the weekend had collapsed due to the rain. All the walls had caved inwards, leaving soil and bricks where the firewood was supposed to go. Not to be disheartened, the crew rushed to the rescue and saved the...
Continue readingHands-on Science: Chemistry lab acid, bases, and titration
We started the day by learning about how acids and bases work and the difference between the two. We then tested the products that we had brought in to see the pH and if they were an acid or a base. We used three different methods of testing: strips, the universal indicator, and phenolphthalein...
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