The third floor of Middlesex becomes deathly quiet on the three days before Thanksgiving break. The silence is all thanks to the Expo trip that almost all 6th graders take to Nature's Classroom. As two Nature's Classroom veterans, we decided to help out this year's 6th graders by getting to the heart of this fantastic trip and providing as much important information as possible, with the help of trip organizer and 7th grade math teacher, Ms. Valentine.

Question: What do you think the students will enjoy most about Colebrook?

Ms. Valentine: I think the students will enjoy getting to know their peers and teachers outside of the classroom. They will also enjoy learning new activities they never knew they could do. For example, making candles or making a shelter outside out of sticks.

Q: What are the top 5 major things students should bring?

Ms. Valentine: The top 5 things students should bring are:

• a winter coat
• gloves
• a winter hat
• rain gear
• a sleeping bag

Q: What are some big rules students should follow, while at Colebrook?

Ms. Valentine: Students should know not to mess around because it is dark most of the time, so we don't want you to get lost. You should also be careful of the sticks and logs on the ground, so you don't fall down. You should also stay with your leader at all times unless you tell them where you are going.

Q: How many activities will the students be able to choose from?

Ms. Valentine: Students may choose from many different choices, but the choices and how many you choose are not set up yet by the teachers and counselors. In past years, they have had many activities such as building roller coasters, parachute making, & ice cream making.

Q: How do you decide what cabin the students will be in?

Ms. Valentine: We decide basically out of numbers. The cabins hold approximately 24 students. So we figure out who goes in what cabin by seeing how many people are on your team. To find out how many cabins they need for the whole team depends on the numbers of boys and girls.

Q: Are any food, electronics, or medicine allowed in the cabins?

Ms. Valentine: No one is allowed to bring any food or electronics because the wild animals could get hold of any of those items. You also may not bring electronics on the bus ride there and back. If you need medicine for any reason there is a nurse at Colebrook and one at Ivoryton, so there is really no need to carry your own medicine.

Q: Who is going where? What teams to what sites?

Ms. Valentine: Orange team is going to Ivoryton, and Bronze, Red, and Silver are going to Colebrook. The four key elements for determining which teams went where were how many kids are on a team, how many buses are needed, how many cabins, and how many chaperones. Some other important stats that have an affect on our decision are the field groups and number of students each site can feed. On average, 12 people make up a field group, 8 people fit at a table for food in Ivoryton, and 10 people at a table for Colebrook.

In conclusion, we have a few extra reminders for those students going to Colebrook and Ivoryton. These helpful hints come directly from students who have experienced this amazing trip:

• Dress warmly because both locations can be quite cold.
• Eat healthy and have enough food to last you until the next meal, because their is no snack time. You should also eat healthy because you will need a lot of engery for the activites you choose.
• Follow the cabin rules because if you do what the teachers tell you to do, you always end up having a blast.
• Make sure you get enough rest at night so you are all pumped up for the next day. Sleep  as much as you can at night, and don't keep you and your friends up late!
• Bring a camera to take memorable pictures.
• The food is awesome so there is no need to bring your own. If you do, it will get taken away and you'll get in big trouble.
• Always listen to everything your counselor says so you don't get in trouble or get hurt by not listening to the rules.
• Finally, the #1 rule is to HAVE FUN! If you go on the trip with an open mind, it won't be that hard!