First Field Trip

Today we took our first field trip to Litzsinger Road Ecology Center in Ladue. This was a great experience, partially because we got to plan the trip ourselves based on what we have been learning in class. The students were divided into five groups of four, and each group was led by a volunteer. Each student had science booklet to complete, and each group was given a gardening bag containing a shovel and an empty container. We had four main objectives:

1. Collect soil from a specific location (prairie, woodland, near the road, upper creek bank, lower creek bank) in their container, and draw and describe their dig site
2. Find five different bug boards located at the center, and pick them up to count and draw what they see
3. Find examples of weathering and erosion
4. Turn over a log and look for signs of decomposition. 

Because we had such great volunteers and I knew my students would be on their best behavior, I was able to float back and forth between all of the groups. I loved hearing the students' inquisitive questions and seeing the joy of learning on their faces. The students had the opportunity to explore with their volunteers for about an hour and a half, and each group traveled all over the center's grounds. Students found lots of worms, insects, fungi, new plants, and even a deer skeleton. At least one group saw live deer. We all learned lots of new things (including me) and got to put our classroom learning to the test. There was even time for some groups to skip rocks in the creek.

The time went very quickly and nobody was ready to leave. It was awesome to hear the students so excited about learning, and just to see them explore nature. Several of the volunteers told me how impressed they were with our students' behavior and said they were one of the best groups they had ever had. The volunteers were also impressed with the kids' understanding of erosion, weathering, soil, and decomposition.

We brought back our soil samples and other great nature finds to explore further in the classroom. This was a wonderful experience and such an extension of our classroom learning. The best part is that we get to go back at least once more this year (maybe two!)

Unfortunately, I was not able to get pictures of every group (they got really spread out), but I took a lot. 

The bus ride

Writing in their science journals

They found cool seed pods.

Sydney, Olivia P., Max, and Wyatt stopped to check under a log.

Gus stops to look at the cup plants.

Olivia, Audrey, and Sarah explore the prairie.

Kira, Marin, Pete, and Eddie listen to their volunteer.

Finding the remains of a dead deer.

Looking under a log

Kira and Eddie show off a worm they found.

Wyatt, Zack and Eddie share ideas during our debriefing afterwards.