I was wondering what I could find out about Nature Preserves in our area. On the web there is only one listed for our area, however I know more exist. The one listed on the web is the Heckrod Wetland Preserve in Menasha, WI. This is relatively close to the Oshkosh area and features hiking trails, a small pond and a prairie. The site is small enough that it can be covered in a few hours. I know in Oshkosh we visited the nature preserve behind Oakwood Elementary for class and this was a cool area too. It had a pond, creek, prairie and a lot of woods as well as over a mile of hiking trails. I also know of the nature preserve on Lake Butte des Morts that we visited for UW Oshkosh Science class. That was more of a wetland than anything else, but it gave insight into the many birds and other animals that inhabit this area.
I'm sure if you do some more research and ask around, there are a few more areas near Oshkosh that are within field trip distance and could be covered in a day. I also believe the parks in a city could be used to study wildlife as most have some body of water in them and areas of trees and other outdoor things. I caution parks if they have playgorund type areas because that could be very distracting to younger students.
I think taking students to a nature preserve would be a great idea if it fit into a content area of science. I remember going to Regional Parks and such when I was in Elementary school, but most times there wasn't really a purpose other then to get out of the school.
ReplyDeleteI think getting out of school, as long as you are promoting getting outside and investigating and exploring, is essential for students! Her in Iowa, we have the Red Rock Conservancy, Saylorville Lake, Jester Park, Whiterock conservancy, and a national park, the Neil Smith Wildlife Prairie. All of these programs have Rangers that do educational programs for the schools. But should kids have to study hard all day long? What about just a little playing in the world around us?
ReplyDeleteI think now with technology you could do so many virtual field trips exploring wild life and the outdoors. The only down fall is that the students would not get the hands on experience through a virtual field trip, but none the less they are still learning. Just imagine of all the cool places you could tour like Yellowstone National Park. You could than do an activity with your students to compare and contrast local area national parks with out of area national parks.
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of great nature preserves/centers in or near the Fox Valley. Mosquito Hill is a nature center that my son has gone to for school science field trips. They offer school age programs year round. Another new nature preserve is the Bruce B. Purdy Nature Preserve which is part of the Apple Creek YMCA. They offer great environmental education programs, which I help with when they have large school age groups coming in. I was also an employer of Schmeekle Reserve in Stevens Point, WI when I was a college student in another life. I feel it is definitely worth a trip there. This is only a few of many opportunities to expose our young science students to nature. We are very lucky in the state of WI.
ReplyDeletewww.mosquitohill.com/
www.ymcafoxcities.org/ymca/acy/acyfacilityfeatures.asp
http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/schmeeckle/
I'm surprised that there is only one preserve, there is a lot of beautiful land in the area. I am not a huge fan of virtual field trip in nature, yes they are better than nothing but in my experience nature is something that you have to use all your senses to fully understand. Watching something on a computer is a empty shell of the real thing. Where ever I/anyone ends up teaching there is bound to be nature close by, a short field trip is extremely more important in my book.
ReplyDeleteSo many kids today do not get the opportunity to experience nature. What a great way to get students out and moving with a great purpose. Taking students out of the classroom allows students to learn in a new way and gain valuable hands on experiences. While virtual fieldtrips are nice for far away places I feel that it is important to take advantage of the great environment around us in person.
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