Harrison

Although I was a little nervous about the big group and the long day, I thought these kids were some of the best kids that have visited Merry Lea this year. I had a great time delivering the opening Wetlands Power Point. I hope the kids sensed my enthusiasm for the information they received. The bird hike didn't produce very many birds, but the kids did get to see a Great Blue Heron and some Wood Ducks. More importantly, we found a Blue Spotted Salamander under a log near Cub Lake. I think the kids were pretty tired and wet at that point. Unfortunately, the wagon wheel was busted so half of the kids didn't get to participate in the straw ride. I'm sure some were disappointed, but they got over it pretty quickly as they roasted the hot dogs. The only concern is options for bad weather. I am glad that all the kids got to see the swamp gas demonstration in the barn. Maybe we could come up with more options inside...but of course this is a tough one to deal with.

Friday fun fun fun fun fun!`

I like rock cycle, I even got to do the introduction, the escar demo and light the peat. It was good and the kids seemed to enjoy things.

1. What I did to encourage learning.
These kids were great, they listened most of the time and seemed to follow actions that I did. One thing I did to encourage learning was sing a little song I stole from Fred Penner (Canadian Childrens entertainer) called the bump. Some kids really liked it and wanted to sing it again and again. Maybe Kames will stick in their heads!

2. Concerns. The power point rock cycle intro really needs a lot of work and some creative thinking. It is so long and not very interactive. While watching the Jane do the first presentation it was clear after 12ish min that they were uncomfortable and moving around a lot more. I think that creating a power point that is a little more focused and has opportunities for student involvement would really help move things along. We talk about kettle lakes a lot with little connection to the outdoor activities.

Wet Friday

Kids are fun

Spirits were high

Learning was had with much enthusiasm

It was frigid and wet but that didn't matter to the 5th graders.

Their humor was refreshing in a knee slapping kind of way

A few fell in the wetland and got out like champs with no complaints.

Tractor went down but it was no bother bc they still found a way to have fun

Even though they didn't want to go

I was secretly delighted

because I was cold

kids are fun

Concerns for next wee. I was looking at the biodiversity power point and it looked a little slim. I will need to see that before I can take it on in front of kids. Do we go on an hour and half hike in the morning and then what? Game time in the afternoon?

Thats it for this week.

Red Dragon is out!

Friday

Friday was a really fun teaching experience for me. The walk from the esker to the beach and then the bog provided endless opportunities for teachable moments (as Larry would say!). The kids could easily identify where the lake used to be. They all thought it was fascinating how such a large lake could just disappear! Garlic mustard proved to be a good teaching tool as well- I let them smell it, guess what it was, and then taste it if they wanted to (some couldn't stop eating it!). We talked about native species then and how invasives can take over an ecosystem. We also had fun looking for all the trees with their roots sticking out of the ground- and discussed how we do that with our noses (when we're in water) so we can breathe too! There were skunk cabbage that was growing near the bog- that was a teachable moment too. (and a girl actually knew the name from reading My Side of the Mountain!). No one complained, no one wanted to go back, no one asked when we were eating. Some even asked when they could come back! They were happy, chomping away at garlic mustard, with their sticky, peat covered fingers. I was happy too.
The one thing I do need to improve on is also, as Kati said, that I need to introduce myself better (I sometimes forget). Also, to explain to the kids in more depth about what we are going to be doing and what they are free to do- like on our long walk to look for flowers in the afternoon. I think both of these will come to me- when I decide to slow down and take a breath. :)

Fresh Friday...

Still fresh in my mind is the unlaid hike that unfolded beautifully towards the Thomas Woods. I attempted to reinforce the idea of the trees before us being in relationship to the rest of the plant community around, even if we couldn't positively i.d. each one, there were clues about them. Once we got to the woods, asking about the canopy layers and how this influences habitat for wildlife, things kept getting interesting. I enjoyed the kids as they just naturally started doing things: one girl just collected every snail shell in sight, another girl spotted trees reminiscent of her backyard and the log turnovers found a tiger beetle! It must be the echoes of land management in my head looking out for evidence of hydrology patterns and such that I felt really comfortable asking kids to identify what was happening to the vegetation and soil on a really steep gully of sorts closer to the edge of property ends. Where they thought the soil erosion would end up, trying to link things to the wetland game.
A challenge was being mindful of the flow in the presentation time, worrying doesn't get you anywhere, focusing on finishing in time I think I forgot to introduce myself!

Welcome to our Spring Practicum blog!

This blog is for your teaching reflections for the Spring Practicum. As we did during Sugar Bush, please answer the following questions with each blog post.

1. List one thing you did in your teaching that you think encouraged student learning.

2. List one challenge you faced and a way you think that challenge could be addressed.

Feel free to also add any general comments from reflecting on your teaching experience.