Challenging Young Minds at Green Chimneys School

Rescuing animals, helping children with special needs

Student and Rescued Mule Help Each Other

November 8, 2018

Which foods are most susceptible to mold? What structure has the greatest stability? How does a fog chiller work?

These are just a few of the questions answered by young scientists at Green Chimneys School’s Clearpool Campus Science Fair. Curious middle schoolers selected a wide range of experiments to explain – and sometimes disprove – the how and why of everyday products and scientific processes.

Green Chimneys Challenges Young Minds at Clearpool Science Fair

Students tested hypotheses through trial and error and reported on carefully measured results. Project foci included:

studying the growth of crystals

building a means for safe egg transport

getting battery power from a lemon

Even the experiments that didn’t bring predicted results became a valuable learning experience, allowing students to analyze the process and what caused the outcome.

The month-long projects were part of the inquiry-based science curriculum at Green Chimneys School where age-appropriate lab experiments are incorporated into all science classes. Middle school grades 4-8 use Green Chimneys’ environmentally-rich campus to investigate all living things, both plant and animal, as they become familiar with the scientific method. Students are also encouraged to explore the physical sciences as they discover the characteristics, properties and chemical composition of all forms of matter.

A Student’s Right of Passage, but Sweeter

Green Chimneys School is designed for students who have been unsuccessful in a traditional educational setting and who require a highly structured and supportive program. The therapeutic program incorporates academic, behavioral and emotional support in an enriched school setting. Experiential learning is a core component of an array of innovative programming, including life skills, music and art, animal-assisted activities, and outdoor education.

Completing an in-depth project and presenting it is an especially sweet accomplishment for many of our students. We are so proud of the growth they are achieving as young scientists and as young people.

Peacock

Peacocks were the royal birds of Maharajas in India for centuries. Their beauty and impressive tail feathers make them an eye-catching addition to any landscape. At Green Chimneys, peacocks have roamed the campus freely for many years and the birds are a familiar and calming sight to students, staff and visitors. In late summer, the males shed their long tail feathers, an event eagerly anticipated by students who collect the feathers to decorate their dormitory rooms.