Sixth Graders Explore North Bay on Outdoor Education Trip

The outdoors became the classroom for the sixth grade class as they spent three days last week at Westminster Camp and Conference Center in Occidental. Surrounded by abundant wildlife and diverse habitat, students participated in activities designed to give them the opportunity to explore and gain an understanding of their connection to one another and the natural world. “We looked at the ecosystem in Dutch Bill Creek,” says teacher and trip chaperone Gin Saepharn. “Students made a hypothesis about how healthy the creek was based on observations, before testing the pH levels and studying the macro-invertebrates.” Students also participated in a number of hikes, including an ecological night hike where some groups mimicked echolocation, while others participated in a blind caterpillar walk (where everyone was blindfolded except for the leader). A highlight was free time spent in the Gaga pit and a giant hammock-like cargo net.

 

Says teacher Jennifer Baumer, “The teacher naturalists really understood our students and talked to them on their level in a way that made learning fun.” MORE PHOTOS