By Ian Palkovitz, Associate Director of Education, NorthBay Adventure.
Last week I had the joy of facilitating a pollinators lesson with Pottstown fifth graders at Natural Lands’ Crow’s Nest Preserve. Seeing students running through a meadow laughing with joy as they caught butterflies was a moment of pure childhood. It was a moment where students got to build core memories in nature.
Photo courtesy NorthBay
Powered by Nature is a collaboration between Natural Lands, Pottstown School District, and NorthBay Education to expand students’ knowledge, experience, and connection with their local outdoor environment. Major funding has been provided by PECO. Students in Pottstown middle school experience Natural Lands preserves, local parks, and an extended experience at NorthBay on the Chesapeake Bay.
Photo courtesy NorthBay
Every fifth and sixth grader from Pottstown middle school gets to visit Crow’s Nest Preserve. While at Crow’s Nest they explore French Creek and do a full stream assessment ranging from using chemistry to test the water quality to searching under stones for benthic macroinvertebrates. Adventurous students are welcome to explore the shallow creek with a mask and snorkel to see fish and amphibians.
Photo courtesy NorthBay
Seeing nature at Crow’s Nest gives students an example of what our ecosystem can look like if it’s cared for and protected. It gives students something to work towards in their schoolyard and local environments. It gives them a positive experience outside with friends, learning and experiencing nature together.
Students take the results of the stream study and then compare it to Manatawny Creek closer to home. They take the results of the pollinators survey in Crows Nest’s beautiful native meadows and compare these findings to what they can observe in their own school yard. Students work together to take action by planting milkweed and other native wildflowers to support pollinators around their school.
Students in Powered by Nature achieve academic standards in Language Arts, Math, and Science while engaging in inquiry based authentic scientific investigations of environmental issues. The program is rooted in the Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions (IEEIA) curriculum. The program integrates social emotional learning through the focus on our three guiding questions: How do your choices affect your environment? How do your choices affect your community? How do your choices affect your future?
Photo courtesy NorthBay
Together we are helping students to build core memories in nature. People protect what they love and they love what they know. Natural Lands offers a space where kids can enjoy the beauty and wonder of nature. These experiences are critical to students learning about our shared ecosystem and to building an emotional connection to nature.
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