A Week of Discovery
Thirteen kids joined BRDC at Matthews State Forest Pavilion for Discovery Day Camp.
Geology, birds, butterflies, cartography, stream ecology, primitive pottery interspersed with arts, crafts and hands-on activities filled our week. Thirteen kids joined BRDC at Matthews State Forest Pavilion for Discovery Day Camp.
On Monday, we learned about types of rocks and the rock cycle, minerals and crystals. Using play-dogh and sugar, the kids created examples of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and crystals from sugar. Later in the day, they examined a local map and then created a treasure map and found the hidden treasure from their maps.
The interns from Matthews State Forest took the kids on a hike around the property on Tuesday finding leaves to create a "Book of Trees". They put their hands into the Mystery Box and tried to identify the objects found inside. We later found seeds, nuts and fruits of trees and played games.
Wednesday was primitive cultures and tracks and signs. They created pinch, coil and slab pots out of clay and later expressed their artistic talents painting these creations. We played a game focused around information gathered from tracks and then created tracks of animals of the Blue Ridge. In the afternoon, we hiked to find tracks of animals and made casts of these tracks.
Thursday continued our adventures with birds and butterflies. After basic binocular use, we explored the Forest for as many species of birds as we could find. They found fifteen species of birds! After collecting materials that would be used for nests, the kids built nests and played games such as Migration, Bird Beak and had paper airplane contests. These games emphasized adaptations, basic needs, and physics of bird flight. During the afternoon, we caught Silver-spotted skippers and Common buckeye butterflies.
Friday was a day of playing and exploring in a creek. After scouring the bottom and rocks for aquatic insects, crawfish and fishes, they spent the remainder of the day splashing around. What a great week of discovery and sharing. A special thank you goes out to Matthews State Forest for allowing us to utilize this great property to explore, discover and share the wonders of the Blue Ridge!
Fun Times
BRDC got to spend the afternoon with the 2nd and 3rd graders at Hillsville Elementary School during their intersession.
What a great bunch of enthusiastic kids full of stories and questions! BRDC got to spend the afternoon with the 2nd and 3rd graders at Hillsville Elementary School during their intersession. We presented our Tracks and Signs program to tie in with their animal theme.
The class began with the distinction between animal tracks and animals signs. We quickly moved on to choosing a mold of an animal track and mixed up our messy Plaster of Paris and poured it into the mold to create a cast of that print. The students eagerly participated in the continued activities and patiently waited for their casts to harden. At the end of the program, they all removed their casts from the mold and left with their own animal track!
Toes in the Sand
The K-2 Program presented the book "Whose Tracks are These? A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals" by Jim Nail.
Kids are always intrigued by animal tracks and they are quick to identify our most common tracks of deer and dogs, but can they determine the other critters that travel through our area leaving only a track behind?
The K-2 Program presented the book "Whose Tracks are These? A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals" by Jim Nail. In this story, the reader is given clues to the description of an animal and its tracks. The clues lead you to guess "who am I?" with the answer given on the following page. The students in Grayson County Public Schools loved this book and loudly expressed Whose tracks these were!
After the completion of the story, the students were asked to take off a sock and shoe and step into the tray of sand. They observed and described the characteristics of their tracks as a "hands-on" (using their feet) tool to aid in understanding the parts of a track. Afterward, track casts of animals found in the Blue Ridge were pressed into the sand and the students tried to guess which animal they belonged to. They were finally asked to do a homework assignment for BRDC; to go on a hike with their family and see how many animal tracks they could discover and identify. They are to report back to us in March.
We want to thank the teachers and staff at all the schools for allowing us to come into their classrooms.....and apologize for leaving behind sandy tracks on the carpet circles all over the county!
Animal Tracks & Signs in Grayson County Schools
This month, Grayson County students learned all about Animal Tracks and Signs.
BRDC Program Director, Lisa Benish, showed fourth grade students examples of tracks made by animals found here in the Blue Ridge. Students were asked to reenact the walking patterns of species such as white-tail deer, black bear, and eastern cottontails.
This month, Grayson County students learned all about Animal Tracks and Signs.
BRDC Program Director, Lisa Benish, showed fourth grade students examples of tracks made by animals found here in the Blue Ridge. Students were asked to reenact the walking patterns of species such as white-tail deer, black bear, and eastern cottontails.
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Fifth grade students learned about the different types of animal signs -- trails, beds, rubs, and scat. The students tried to identify signs shown in a slideshow. One of the program's goals is to open the students' eyes to the evidence left by wildlife.
After the slideshow, students had fun exploring antlers, feathers, scat, and skulls that are often left as signs. Lisa Benish and education assistant, Cassidy Williams, worked with small groups of students to engage them in the exploration of the natural world, asking the students questions about the different items.
