WILD Ideas From Our Guests

Try out these learning activities submitted by visitors to our Web site:

Submitted by Grade 3 teacher Marcia Zaboysky of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba

Whether or not your school is blessed with acres of wild space, there are tremendous opportunities for outdoor learning. To make up for the lack of natural space in our schoolyard, we go to various local parks two or three times a month. For example, there's a "wilderness" park in our town with access to river banks, nature trails, and a big, open meadow. Recently, the children began bringing "Nature Notebooks" whenever we took our class outdoors. Nature notebooks are sketchbooks in which students draw or describe objects seen in the wild.

Last spring, we visited the wilderness park twice a month and kept track of changes observed as the season progressed. We discussed the difference between deciduous and coniferous trees and watched a large colony of mushrooms spring up and overrun the meadow. The students had great fun sketching and describing the trees and the odd-looking mushrooms with their funny caps. They would sit entranced watching birds and small mammals dart about in the underbrush, rarely keeping still to pose for their portraits. One time, they were horrified to see a sharp-shinned hawk snatch a chickadee off a feeder. Often, field guides were required to identify species.

I encourage those of you with access to forests and fields to take advantage of outdoor learning opportunities. I can't stress enough how valuable I've found nature notebooks to be and recommend taking them on any kind of outdoor adventure. Keep in mind that notebooks should include only sketches and descriptions of objects seen first-hand.