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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 27, 2004 Students learn from nature By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings Students at Walker Elementary School are expanding their horizons by studying in the great outdoors. Walker Elementary School second grader Aubrie Georgeritch (center) plays a role of a stamen to demonstrate pollination during a recent class at Lithia Park. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings Each Friday, students from Tim Brandy and Pat Scalos' continuous learning community class spend the day at Lithia Park and learn and practice skills in science, art and writing. The children range from first through fifth grade. "It's wonderful to watch them grow," Brandy said. "You have to have hands-on experiences to connect learning. If you learn from a book you might grow bored and forget, but being out here, it's sensory and it lasts longer." Being at the park is a perfect place to observe plants and animals. Brandy said. They get to see nature in action and watch plants bloom in the spring, or trees losing their leaves in the fall, he said. They also explore deep into the park and get to see sights such as deer resting with their babies, a heron catching a fish or tracking a group of squirrels. Students also learn the names of the plants and wildlife they're studying and how everything they see is connected to the park's ecosystem. They also take scientific observations, draw art and write poetry as they sit next to the creek or other parts of the park. "They are learning the importance of nature and how to be good stewards," Brandy said. "It's hands-on without being intrusive of nature. ... They have learned so much. I can't imagine knowing that much at that age. I certainty didn't." On a recent morning, students were out in the middle of the park surrounded by trees and chirping birds while writing observations in their journals. A student became excited when he said he saw a rabbit dart into some bushes, the first time he had observed one in the park. Eleven-year-old Kathryn Reynolds said learning comes alive by being outdoors. "I'm a nature person so I feel really good out here," she said. "I like learning about the different birds and plants. This makes learning fun. It feels more alive being out here instead of reading about it in a textbook." It's also nice to pass on the knowledge she has learned to others, Reynolds said. "I like being able to go home and point stuff out to my family," she said. "It's nice to teach my parents something." Parent Mary Rogan noticed her children, a daughter in fourth grade and a son in second grade, using what they learned at Lithia Park when they went to Costa Rica last summer. She and her husband were impressed that their children could identify birds and wanted to spend time observing them. "When my husband would want to quickly move on they were like, 'No Dad, we have to stop and watch,''' Rogan recalled. "They took all they learned at Lithia Park and applied it in Costa Rica. What they are learning is so concrete. They see it, touch it and can apply it." Zachary Hartman, 11, loves being able to take hikes and identifying the plants and wildlife he sees. "I like being able to go out and identify birds like a blue heron or a king fisher and recording them on my hikes," he said. "It's just a different learning environment. It's so much fun. I could keep coming here forever and still learn new things. There's always something new to discover in nature." Mila Fridl, 6, has enjoyed her experiences at Lithia Park, especially when she learns about flowers. "I like that we get to go on walks and study flowers," she said. "I like the colors. I really like the spring because all the pretty flowers come back." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams