Friday, July 5, 2013

Adventures All Around

AELP students faced challenges big and small today and made us all proud!


After an exciting week filled with new vocabulary and activities centered around the week’s carnival theme, the AELP students and Adventure staff headed off to Canobie Lake Park, an amusement park located just outside of Salem, New Hampshire.  From carnival games to cotton candy to crazy coasters, the kids were presented with plenty of opportunities to have the all-American carnival experience.  
Max, Rudolf, and Cameron blasting off!

To add to that, the AELP staff gave the kids a challenge in line with the concept discussed often here as a means for improving language skills:  risk-taking.  The students' objective was to employ their language skills and knowledge of the culture to make an American friend at Canobie Lake Park!  Cameron, part of the Adventure Team, says, “It was incredible to watch as each student stepped up to the plate, and knocked the challenge right out of the park.  One example is Minori, from Japan, who after being apprehensive to approach a new friend, found herself in a conversation with a staff member of the amusement park before realizing she was in the process of making an American friend. After we encouraged her to continue, she dove in, and had a several minute conversation!  She walked away with calm confidence and a picture to remember the achievement.”  
Minori and her new American friend!
The students continued to impress the AELP staff by extending the concept of taking risks through challenging themselves and each other.  As Cameron says, “For some it was their first time on rides, for some it was conquering their fears of roller coasters, and for some it was challenging their idea of fun and expanding their horizons.”  Adam, from China, expanded his horizons by allowing himself to utilize the supportive environment of AELP to try something he’d never tried before: roller coasters.  “It’s a different feeling,” Adam said of letting go of his fear of roller coasters and facing a fear, in general, “I discovered I like that feeling.”

The AELP staff couldn’t be prouder of all of the kids today for accepting the challenge presented to them by the staff and for opening themselves up to conquering individual fears of their own.  Keep learning and adventure on, AELP students!



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