Laurentian Environmental Center The Laurentian Environmental Center (LEC) is a public residential facility that combines environmental education, leadership training, and outdoor recreation programs. LEC is owned and operated by the Mounds View School District. Since opening its doors in 1978, LEC has served thousands of students from around the state of Minnesota. The facility is located approximately 200 miles north of the Twin Cities, in Britt, MN on the shores of Arrowhead Lake. The city if Virginia is 14 miles away. Educational Purpose At LEC, students learn in the largest laboratory of all the great outdoors! They experience what they are studying through hands on activities. The camp staff is committed to: 1. Providing opportunities for students to develop awareness and interest in natural resources, conservation ethics, ecology, and other environmental studies. 2. Promoting an understanding of environmental stewardship. 3. Encouraging an understanding of ways in which all living things are interrelated. 4. Providing opportunities for development, socially and personally. 5. Integrating environmental education with subject areas such as social studies, science, and math. 1
Laurentian Environmental Center General Trip Information * Please note, this year, we will be taking two separate groups to LEC in order to accommodate the large number of students attending. For reasons including cabin assignment logistics, students will be split by gender. When: Girls Trip Sept. 12th Sept. 14th Boys Trip Sept. 14th Sept. 16th Female Students should arrive promptly at 7:30 a.m. Buses will leave Turtle Lake no later than 8:00. Buses should arrive home at approximately 4:30 pm. Students will need to be picked up by a parent no later than 4:30 pm. Male Students should arrive promptly at 7:30 a.m. Buses will leave Turtle Lake no later than 8:00. Buses should arrive home at approximately 4:30 pm. Students will need to be picked up by a parent no later than 4:30 pm. Cost: The total cost of the trip is $100.00. This total includes the following items: LEC (Lodging, meals, equipment, program support) Charter bussing to and from LEC Any family needing to make financial arrangements or apply for financial scholarship should check the box on the front cover or contact Darin Johnson or Kristi Abbott. *Checks should be made payable to : Turtle Lake Elementary MAIL: Please Write!! Write a letter to your child. Mail call is always fun at LEC. Letters are delivered at mealtime. Mail your letter the Wednesday before we leave (September 7) in order to be sure it will arrive while we are at camp. Please add Turtle Lake on the outside of the envelope. Due to limited phone lines, students will only be allowed to call home in emergency situations. Emergency Calls Only (218)749 1288 Laurentian Environmental Center 8590 Peppard Rd. Britt, MN 55710 2
General Trip Information (continued) Registration Packet: The packet which includes the Parent Consent (permission) Form, Health and Medical Release Form, and Behavior Contract should be completed and returned to the office by May 23, 2016. These must be completed for any student to participate. Medication Forms: Health and Medical Release Form All students attending LEC must have this form completed. You may also identify any OTC (Over the Counter) medications that your child has permission to take while at LEC. Authorization of Medication Form (optional). This is a written permission form signed by BOTH the parent and the licensed prescriber. This form gives a trained professional permission to administer medications to the student while at LEC. This is only required for prescription medication to be dispensed. All medications must be in original containers and placed in a clear zip loc bag with the student s name written in permanent marker on the outside of bag. All medications must be turned into the school health office on Back to School Night September 1st. For Over the Counter medications, please consider sending a travel size container of the medication. Student Behavior: The teachers and chaperones attending this year s LEC trip hope it will be a memorable learning experience for all students. In order for this to happen, it will require a high degree of cooperation and responsibility on the part of all students. Any student who endangers another student, or seriously infringes on the rights of another student, will be asked to return home. Parents will be called to provide transportation home from Laurentian if required. Student Behavior Contract: All students must review and sign the contract. Dietary Issues: Special dietary requests cannot be guaranteed during the LEC trip, but every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate particular dietary needs of students if sufficient notice is given by a parent. Please fill out the Dietary Accommodations form to indicate any of the following: dairy, meat, gluten, nut, or other. Health and Safety: In case of an emergency, the naturalists at the camp have first aid training. There is a hospital in Virginia, MN and ambulance service is provided directly to the camp. 3
Potential Laurentian Classes & Recreation Activities CLASSES: 1. Bog Stomping: The bag is often called a wet desert since only a small number of plants and animals have adapted to living there. Students will learn firsthand the fragility and complexity of a bog and the king of plants that can inhabit a bog including a few carnivores! In just two and a half hours you will travel through 10,000 years from the time of the glacier to the present! 2. Outdoor Survival: What exactly is survival? What should one do if lost in the wilderness? This class explores these and many more questions dealing with wilderness survival. Students learn the practical skills of fire building, lean to shelter construction, basic first aid, teamwork, and much more. 3. Ojibwa Lifestyle: The Ojibwa Indians are one of the original inhabitants of Northern Minnesota. Their culture and lifestyle was one of seasonal change and self sufficiency. Students will learn about these early Minnesotan inhabitants by actually working, playing, and cooking at a reconstructed Ojibwa site. Students will be introduced to the story telling style of Ojibwa learning through, The Legend. 4. Geocaching Lifestyle: Learn the fundamentals of a GPS (Global Positioning System) and then go through the woods around LEC on a treasure hunt. Geocaching is a worldwide sport with cache sites in over 180 countries. Minnesota alone has over 1,000 sites. This class builds on basic map and compass concepts. RECREATION ACTIVITIES: 5. Challenge Course: The challenge course focuses on team building and communications. Challenges to be encountered include the Nuclear Reactor, Zig Zag, the Acid River and much more. 6. Archery: See what pulling the string and hitting the target is all about. LEC s archery range has a variety of bows and multiple targets. 7. Meteorite Hike: Did a meteorite create a large depression or hole in superior National Forest near LEC? Hike with a naturalist to the site, look for clues and decide for yourself. 8. Climbing Wall: Basic climbing skills and techniques are learned on the LEC outdoor wall which measures 35 feet high. The climbing is easy, the hardest part is overcoming fear and putting trust in the equipment and yourself as you return safely to the ground. 4
Packing Guidelines *Each personal item should be labeled with your child s name in INK.* *No snacks or electronic devices or appliances are allowed.* Cloth, nylon, or other durable suitcases (small/medium) or duffel bag, tagged with the student s name on the outside. (This suitcase or bag will be stored in the bus luggage compartment and will NOT be accessible during the trip to and from LEC.) Small backpack or shoulder bag with reading material, travel games, sweatshirt, etc. on the bus. Please do not bring any snacks or electronics on the bus or to the camp. Pack layers to be prepared for any kind of weather. It can be hot during the day and cold at night. Shower & Bathroom Toiletries Towel 1 2 disposable cameras (disposable only). Ensure the camera is labeled with your child s name! Two or three pairs of shoes (one waterproof) Sleeping bag and pillow Other items should include: underclothes two shirts two or three pairs of jeans or pants many pairs of socks, (two per day) flashlight cap pajamas jacket/vest sweater bug spray chapstick water bottle (labeled) sunscreen rain gear Please include an entire set of old clothing for Bog Stomping. This clothing should be worn only for this purpose as it may be ruined. Be aware that children will become wet, extremely dirty, and very smelly! Students must bring bog clothing home, so please include a plastic bag. Do not wear anything in the bog you wouldn t throw away. Your child will not need any cash or spending money on the trip. There is a camp store for LEC gear. You can order on line and items will be available upon arrival. See website for cost of items: http://laurentian.moundsviewschools.net/pages/laurentian_environmentalcenter 5
LEC Guest Guidelines Since the environmental education experience is a special and unusual learning situation, special rules need to be followed to ensure the health and safety of all LEC guests. The key word is RESPECT for the environment, the camp, and all of the guests (adults and children) at LEC. GENERAL GUIDELINES: 1. Behavior which threatens the safety, health, or happiness of others will be tolerated. 2. Students must participate in all activities, and must be on time for these activities. 3. Students may NOT leave the building area of the camp without adult supervision. 4. While in camp, your cabin is your home, and your bunk and gear is your own private area. Students may NOT enter another cabin without adult supervision. 5. An environmental camp should not be polluted by littering or excess noise. 6. Because woodland critters fill the woods around the camp, food and drink is not permitted in the cabins. This includes junk food like candy and chips. 7. Always consider the environment when it comes to cabin lights and proper handling of food and garbage. 6
Day 1 7:30 am Arrive at Turtle Lake School 8:00 Buses depart for LEC 11:45 Arrive at LEC 12:00 Lunch 12:30 pm Tour 1:00 Group Activity 3:00 5:00 Class 1 5:30 Dinner 7:00 Evening Activities 9:00 Lights Out! Typical Daily Schedule Day 2 7:00 am Wake up 8:00 Breakfast 9:00 11:00 Class #2 12:00 pm Lunch 12:45 2:45 Class #3 3:00 5:00 Class #4 5:30 Dinner 7:00 Evening Activities 9:00 Lights Out Day 3 7:00 am Wake up 7:30 Pack gear 8:00 Breakfast 9:15 12:00 Recreational Activity/Cabin Cleaning 12:00 pm Lunch 12:30 Load buses 1:00 Buses depart for Turtle Lake 4:30 Arrive at Turtle Lake School 7