Preschoolers in North Cove had their eyes on the skies – as well as the ground -- during a recent visit from the North Carolina Arboretum.
Educators from the Arboretum visited the school for three days, letting kids from all grade levels participate in fun activities that got them outdoors and thinking about nature.
Arboretum workers had a special nature walk planned for students in Mindy Hughes’ NCPK class. Students were each given a pair of red binoculars and were taken on a walk to explore the land around the school.
“Does anyone see any tracks?” asked Arboretum Educator Michelle Pierce.
Students immediately responded.
“I think I see a bear print,” said Mason Ward. “It’s right there, see!”
Ward’s classmates quickly gathered around him, looking at a print that was remarkably small for a track.
“Well I don’t think that’s a bear print, but let’s keep looking,” said Pierce.
The small group of students stopped several times during their journey outdoors to watch birds flying around the school’s grounds.
“Everyone look up at the sky and see if you can see any birds,” said Arboretum Educator Jonathon Marchal. “You guys are lucky to have so many great parts of nature around you all the time.”
Pierce and Marchal both work for the Arboretum in Asheville and are happy to visit areas such as North Cove where nature is abundant.
“There are so many schools around the area that have great resources,” said Marchal. “We figure instead of having schools come all the way out to the Arboretum we can come here and save them fuel money.”
Every year, approximately 13,000 students go to the Arboretum to see different aspects of nature. Through the outreach program, kids can get to know the environment around them.
“This week, we’ve done things like study plots, where you measure all the trees in the area, and we’ve looked at insects from the area,” said Marchal. “This afternoon, we’ll test the water quality of the creek and look at the insects that live in and around it.”
Hughes said the visit was exciting for the kids in her class.
“The kids have really enjoyed today and seeing all the things that are in natures,” stated Hughes. “This is a great learning experience.”
As Hughes’ class came to the end of their walk, many kids were reluctant to hand back their binoculars, but did so when Pierce and Marchal promised to return in the near future.
This is the second year that the outreach program from the Arboretum has visited North Cove. They hope that next year they can expand the outreach program to more schools.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement