Four Winds

Cornwall students are fortunate to participate in an enviromental program called Four Winds. Four Winds Nature Institute is a non-profit organization advancing the understanding, appreciation and protection of the environment through community-based natural science education and research. Four Winds staff members are educators and scientists dedicated to helping children and adults gain the background knowledge and science skills needed to understand the world around them and the creative problem-solving and citizenship skills needed to protect it.  Five times a year a staff member meets for an afternoon with Cornwall's finest parent volunteers for a training for that year's focus and theme. The parent volunteer for each grade then makes a date with the classroom teacher for our own workshop. Four Winds programs encourage children to learn about and explore nearby nature, connecting people to the natural world where they live, work and play.  On Thursday our two volunteers introduced us to a "Blanket of Air." The air we breathe is part of the earth's atmosphere, a layer of gases that surrounds the planet protecting us from harmful radiation and keeping us warm. Although air is invisible, children discovered that it takes up space, exerts pressure and has weight. Through the following activities; a puppet show, Paper Flip, Pump Action, and Egg in a Bottle, the children had opportunities to understand the concept of "air takes up space."