We started the day bright and early with a delicious breakfast in the cafeteria. We enjoyed quite the spread of scrambled eggs, baked French toast, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, and orange juice!
We received our instructions for the day from Ranger Alexa for Day 2 and got to work!
Before we dive in, another moment for the scenery! The backdrop of our trip could not be more glorious.
Our first activity of the day was the Marine Investigations and Chemistry program. This program combines the core principles of marine investigations and basic chemistry data collection. Students participated in a population survey of shoreline organisms.
We found many crab, worm, mollusk, and snail species. Even a couple of crabs with egg clutches!
We conducted chemistry tests for salinity, clarity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and assorted nutrient loading while investigating the properties of water.
We also tested the temperature of a bigger vs a smaller tide pool. It was an amazing expansion of our study on water and climate in the classroom!
We experimented with salinity and density to determine how these factors affect the currents in the Gulf of Maine.
One student said joyfully, “Wow! I had no idea so many things live in tide pools.”
Another commented “I loved searching for crabs and then getting a chance to observe them up close.”
We broke for lunch (mac and cheese, pulled pork, and salad!) and had time to talk about our work so far.
Pictured: Acadia 2026 Chaperone Team Kelsey, Cindy, Hannah, Corie, Chris, and Tara
We rolled up our sleeves and headed over to our next experiential learning adventure: Soil Science. During this project, we got to go out in the field to examine soil layers and take soil cores temperature. We took soil samples from three different sites.
We learned about physical and chemical weathering as we studied layering in a soil pit. We used scientific tools to collect data on localized percolation rates, soil pH, and core depths and constructed soil maps of the campus area.
We also talked about why soil is important to the health of an ecological community and its connections to humans.
We were fascinated to learn that in a teaspoon of soil, there are 10 billion organisms!
One student commented, “Sixty percent of life on earth lives in the soil! That’s amazing!”
A highlight of the day was time spent with teachers and advisors exploring the Anvil Trail on a hike led by Tara Jennings, former CRS science teacher and current member of the development office.
The weather was absolutely perfect for outside learning and fun together.
And the hike offered views of Cadillac Mountain!
We had some free time to unwind and explore and then headed to dinner.
On the menu tonight, pasta, garlic breadsticks, broccoli,
and cupcakes!
After dinner, we learned about nocturnal animals and their adaptations and played a related cooperative relay game.
We had fun cheering each other on!
The finale to day 2 was an evening campfire!
We enjoyed s’mores, stories, and time together.
Winner of the best toasted marshmallow award goes to Henry!
We also learned about constellations—ask your student about the Cassiopeia story!
And about the importance of responsible fire building.
We are looking forward to our final day tomorrow!
