Field Trip to the River

Dear Friends,
Today, 
Tuesday, October 10,
2nd Grade, Room 203, takes its first off-campus
field ecology trip to 
the River at Berteau Street, 
site of a long-time collaboration between Riverbank Neighbors 
and Waters School.
The trip has a number of goals:
to familiarize our students with the geography of our neighborhood,
the space between Waters and the Riverbank,
and the restored riverbank and its ecology.

This is done by having the students fill in the names of streets on their 
trip journal (extra pencil and volunteers are essential here) as we walk to the river.
Once at the site, 
we break into three groups to experience three activities:
leaf rubbings from a group of riverbank trees;
weather station, where students take readings of the temperature of 
the air, ground and water,
the wind direction and speed, 
and describe the cloud coverage;
and,
take a long quiet moment to observe and listen 
to the sights and sounds of the prairie at Berteau Street.
In class, Ms. Frieswyck read the picture book "Play With Me" by Marie Hallets,
that talks about a little girl who goes to the meadow and pond to "play",
but is rebuffed by the butterflies, and turtles and frogs and birds because she is too ... eager.
When she finally sits down, very quietly, to listen and hear, 
the animals come back,
they show themselves.
A fawn even comes close enough to kiss her cheek!

Because the students rotate through these three stations,
 it is helpful to have volunteers at each,
guiding the work. 
The teacher will lead the prairie listening / sketching station,
I will do the weather station, 
and hopefully another person will do the leaf rubbings.

Volunteer gather at 12:45 by the fish tank,
and we leave with the kids at 1:00,
back at 3:00.
Hope to see you there, 

Thanks, 
Mr. Leki