Going WILD in 2022

 September 24th.

Last year, school didn't start until midway through October, leaving us little time to spend outside before weather stopped us.

This year, we started in early September. The theme for each group is Citizen Science. Students are learning how they can help scientists gather data that will be used to study the impacts of climate change. Here's a brief overview of activities planned for the year.

Second Grade

Second grade is focusing on the fauna found in the WILD Lab. They are studying ways to identify the many critters making use of the space and currently learning about Monarch fall migration patterns. They are counting...and hoping to tag...migrating monarchs for Journey North and Monarch Watch. They will also do a monthly litter pick up, weighing and collecting data about the trash that makes its way into the Lab habitat. In the spring, they will participate in the Citizen Science project  iGlobe, documenting habitat types in the WILD Lab for scientists who are studying land cover.

Here second graders are searching for and photographing signs of wildlife in and around the Lab.

Third Grade

Third grade is focusing on flora. They have learned to use an app called iSeek to identify what plants they are seeing . They will be documenting the phenology of the Lab in the spring and submitting the data to Project Budburst. They are also going to be doing a monthly collection and documentation of food wasted in the school cafeteria. The goal is to reduce the waste and educate their friends about the importance of being good stewards of our food supply.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade is responsible for submitting rainfall data to the National CoCoRaHS network (Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow). They installed the rain gauge at the school this past week. In addition they will be submitting data to iGlobe about cloud coverage to help with correlating satellite photos with actual cloud conditions. 

They are studying the properties of water, the water cycle, and how to keep water clean. In the spring they will collect macro-invertebrates from a local river to asses the health of the water.

Fifth Grade

Fifth graders have started their study of the critters that use the air space in the WILD Lab. They are continuing the Bluebird Box project that they started as fourth graders and also helping second grade with collection and tagging of Monarch butterflies as they pass through on their way to Mexico.

This winter they will set up bird feeding stations and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

How Can You Help?

In late spring we will be organizing a clean up of the WILD Lab. It is quickly being overgrown with Autumn Olives and we need some community help to remove them. We will also be improving trails and perhaps building some structures that will allow teachers to have spaces to bring their classes to the Lab. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on what the kids are doing as the year progresses.

Going WILD in 2021

This school year marked a return to in person learning, but with masks still required, we spent much of of our time learning outside in the WILD Lab. All  lessons reflected the year's theme of  investigating properties of materials.

Fourth grade students worked on building tee-pees in the WILD Lab. 

Fifth graders made string and rope with the natural materials found in the WILD Lab.

All students kept journals documenting their wondering, investigating, learning and doing.

In addition to their investigations into the properties of materials the two classes also participated in Citizen Science activities. Fourth graders replaced all the bluebird boxes in the WILD Lab and then monitored them for the Bluebird Society.

Fifth graders documented the phenology of the lab...each adopting and recording weekly leaf out of an Autumn Olive tree. Their data was submitted to Project Budburst.

The lower school spent the year investigating the properties of materials used in fairy tales such as the straw, sticks and bricks used by the three little pigs. Whenever possible, their investigations and engineering projects were done outside. The teacher/photographer neglected to get any pictures of their structures..

Survival in the Wild

Students in Mrs. Moats'  English class read MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, a book by Jean Craighead George, in which twelve year old Sam Gribley runs away from home to live in the mountains. In order to survive, Sam constructs a shelter, finds and stores food  and water, and even trains a wild falcon to hunt for him.

After finishing the book, the sixth graders "ran away" in the school's Outdoor Learning Lab. They were divided into four groups, given a few tools, and challenged to build a shelter, find edible food,  carry water and create a fish hook from sticks and string.

Daisy works on building a cup from Skunk Cabbage.

Tessa and Hannah show off the fish hook they made and the string they twisted out of grass to catch a fish.

Zachariah works on constructing a shelter that is rainproof.

Tessa shows off her meal of dandelion blossoms.

Monarch Season

(Photo credits: Zalea)

This year our STEM class tagged monarch butterflies in the Outdoor Learning Lab. We tagged males and females. We also grew milkweed in the OLL. To tag a butterfly you catch it. Then you take it out of the net very gently. After that, you press the tag on the back side of the wing. You have to be careful that you don’t touch the inside of the wing. Then you record all of the data.  After you complete all of those steps you have successfully tagged a butterfly.

Late July

The WILD Trail is full of life in July.

The bluebirds hatched and will be flying in another week.  How many do you see here?

The Monarch butterflies have discovered our milkweed and laid their eggs. It's possible that this is the generation that will begin migrating south to Mexico. 

July has been a rainy month and lots of animals have been trecking through the wetland parts of the WILD Trail.  What tracks can you spot here?

And, someone's been playing with the bones in the bone pile.

Flowers in bloom right now include:

Blue vervain

goldenrod

unknown 

Monkey flower

New York iron weed

Teasel

coreospis

Also noted but not photographed were Culver's root and Northern bugleweed.

Flowers in July

The WILD Trail is full bloom.

The trail leading into the WILD Meadow

While all the flowers are beautiful, some are invasive, especially Canada thistle and wild parsnip, which are both visible in this picture. The parsnip is the yellow flower and the thistle is the one with downy tops.

Other flowers blooming right now include;

Common St. John's Wort

purple clover

chicory

Virginia rose

Joe Pye Weed

Blazing Star Liatris

Swamp milkweed

yarrow

Queen Anne's Lace

Deptford pink

Ox-eye daisy

purple milkweed

 In addition to flowers, some creatures are enjoying the WILD Meadow including

White tail deer

American bluebird

an unknown snail

Late June, early July is also the time for invasive control. We are spraying Autumn Olive right now and expect to have to do it again next year.

The method

The result