Bombardier – (Large Group Activity only) This activity is another great end to your Clearpool trip that is designed for the whole group. Students will have to answer various questions on the classes taught during their trip at Clearpool. Seems easy, but beware of the bombardier! If you are tagged by the bombardier be prepared to "perform" a task to get back in the game. This is a fun way to review!

Candle making – students will be able to make their own hand-dipped candles using some of the methods from our colonial past. This is a great activity to take back to school with you.

Discovery Hike – This program explores most of Clearpool's 367 acres of property. Students will go on various trails with a Clearpool staff member, and make stops along the way to discuss local plant and animal species and behavior, history of the woods, and reading the landscape for natural history. 

Forest Ecology/Tree Study – Clearpool has the best "classroom' to study the forest closely, our classroom is our 350 acres of property. This interactive class allows students to understand the relationship between the forest and humans, and the importance to our wildlife in many ways. Tree and leaf Identification will be included to have students understand the differences between deciduous and coniferous trees and their respective roles in the forest.

Geology – Clearpool's campus is the ideal place to study the difference between sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks because they are all around us. Students can receive the hands-on ability to enhance their learning and perform some of the tests used to determine rocks from minerals right in the field.

High Adventure Program – with our recently added high ropes course students can take the ultimate adventure and challenge. Not only will they bond as a group but all participants will be able to challenge themselves personally. Our course has various elements for students to use!

Introduction to Compass – This program focuses on the basics of how to use and interpret an orienteering compass. Students are guided how to use a compass, take and follow a bearing, and practice their skills with a fun compass activity. 

Jacobs Ladders – This colonial craft is hand-made by participants. It relates to the way colonists made their own toys. This is a great craft for students to take home with them.

Leaf Packs/Stream Study – Historically, most small streams in the eastern United States were forested. Leaf fall from the canopy was the dominant food resource for small streams. The leaves that fall into headwater streams accumulate in packs behind branches, rocks and other obstructions. On the leaf surfaces, there is a diverse assemblage of microbes and macroinvertebrate that "process" leaves and facilitates the flow of energy through the system. Macroinvertibrates are often referred to as "canaries of the stream" because they function as barometers or bio indicators that indicate changes in water quality.

Low Ropes/Challenge Course – This program is one of our cornerstone programs that Clearpool has to offer. Using 13 different low rope elements students will be put through different mental and physical challenges that they must solve as a group. Groups must utilize skills such as effective communication, creative problem solving, acceptance of other group members, and physical and emotional support in order to achieve their goals. This program is ideal for any setting and meets many character education objectives.

Pond Study – Students observe a pond and the creatures that live in it. They explore relationships between creatures both in the pond and beyond. Topics include life stages, camouflage, food chains, primary and secondary consumers. Students calculate the biotic index of the pond based on the number of indicator species they find.

Map and Compass – This program is designed for groups who have previous compass and map reading skills or has taken Clearpool's introduction to compass and orienteering. In this program students will be placed in the woods of Clearpool and must find their way back to main campus. This program is a great wrap up that puts all map reading skills to the test.

Ornithology/Bird ID – This class looks at the observation aspect of birds common to the Northeast. Students discuss habitats, ranges and field markings of various local and migratory birds. They learn how to effectively use binoculars, field guides, and the basic how-to of bird identification, includes bird observations (birding).

Orienteering – This program uses multiple skills to "find your way." This program focuses on the next level of compass work and is for students with previous compass work. Clearpool has multiple orienteering trails that students will use to navigate the terrain. Participants will not only know their directions but also the distance they have to travel.

Outdoor Cooking – This program incorporates a few different program topics into one class. Students can learn the history of fire making and how it was important throughout the years and through using some pre-prepared foods students can actually cook and hopefully eat their food.

Outdoor Survival – How long can you survive without water? How about food? This program discusses the science behind survival by almost exclusively our forest at Clearpool. Students can understand what some of their limiting factors are and how important finding their basic needs really are. Students will even construct a survival shelter worthy of protecting them from the elements and help them survive. 

* As an extension to Outdoor Survival – Winter Survival can be taught during the snowy months depending on the time of year you come up *

Overnight Adventure Course – In this course, groups of students ages 13 and over will challenge their limits physically and mentally as they experience first hand the basics of backpacking, hiking in the woods, setting up a camp, preparing meals and breaking camp. The course helps develop important life skills such as logical decision-making, effective problem solving and working as a group. It also addresses principles of preservation and ecology as the students learn "leave no trace" outdoor ethics. Undoubtedly, this course will leave a lasting impression!

Predator/Prey – (Large Group Activity only) This highly active program uses the entire group of students to "role-play" natural members of a forest. Students will become bugs, frogs, snakes, and hawks who have to not only gain their basic needs but also survive becoming prey to other animals in our food chain. This is a great culminating activity to your trip which covers various topics relating to environmental science. (This activity is for groups of 40 or more) 

Raft Building – (Fall and Spring Only) This program is a great class for teambuilding, creative thinking, even problem solving. Students are given materials by Clearpool to construct a raft that floats and can be powered a certain distance across Clearpool lake. 

Resource Conservation – What would be considered our most precious natural resource? Well, the answer is all of them! Students will learn the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources and sustainable land use practices. Through specific activities and Clearpool's own natural resources students can gain insight as to how we all have to help in making a sustainable future for our planet's resources.

Sensory Awareness – Students navigate the Clearpool Sensory Awareness Trail and may embark upon a scavenger hunt as they investigate how living things use all of their senses to understand and live in the world around them.

Sledding – We have sleds and hills and when we have snow, why not!

Snowshoein g – If snow is deep enough Clearpool has 30 pairs of snowshoes to explore our 350 acres.

Soil Science – This program focuses on the components of soil both biotic and abiotic. Through a series of tests and experiments students can determine soil composition, general forested location, and even health of the forest.

Swimming – Our water front has a great and safe area for students to enjoy a swim. (early Fall or Late spring Only)

Team Building/Initiative Games – a program that is typically a warm up to our low ropes program or a program that can stand alone. Clearpool staff will use a series of activities along with discussions to stimulate the creative thinking process and group dynamics. The activities are geared towards group participation and making sure everyone is involved.

Town Meeting – (Large group Activity only) This role-playing activity has students "playing" the part of a town member or town special interest group. The program allows students time to evaluate the problem or task, develop a debating point depending on their position, and then actually having a mock-debate over the environmental issue. This is a great activity to raise environmental and community awareness and the steps needed to have their voice heard.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour/ Dirty Water – Clearpool Education Center is very unique in that we have our own wastewater treatment facility right on our property. Due to our proximity to the NYC watershed system our wastewater needs to be treated on-site and not released into the surrounding bodies of water. This class offers an in-depth tour of the facility from start to finish. Students can also learn about the different methods used to clean water, and also gain an understanding of how difficult it is to keep water clean.

Watersheds – This program helps students understand that since we all live in a watershed we all have a responsibility to keep it clean. By the use of watershed models and Clearpool's own topography students will understand where their water comes from and their impact on the environment.

Wildlife Adaptations – Students will explore various skins and skulls, learning how different animals have different methods and means to help them adapt to the environment they live in. At the end of this class, students will make connections by inventing an animal with assigned adaptations.

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STATE AID
If you are in a public school in Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Ulster or Greene Counties, you may be eligible for state aid through PNW Boces to offest the costs of attending CEC. Please contact Patti Pfister at ppfister@pnwboces.org to see if your school is eligible. If you are eligible, please find the state aid froms at the link below:
http://www.pnwboces.org/Environmental/State_Aid.htm.

"Our partnership with Clearpool provides an opportunity to create hands-on curriculum that supports students as they work to meet Regents standards, and recognizes that the whole person must be engaged for real learning to take root."

  Shael S.,
  Former Principal
  Bronx International
  High School

Clearpool Lake

Class Descriptions - Click here to download a copy of these class descriptions.

Boating- Clearpool has canoes and rowboats available along with certified lifeguards.

Classes