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Environmental Education ClassesFish Planting: Students will have the opportunity to release salmon fry into Star Creek a salmon spawning stream, where they will learn about the salmon life cycle and the importance of a healthy stream habitat. This is included during our springtime four-day program. Grade level: 4-8, Spring only Five “Cents” Hike: Students will become aware of the environment around them by employing their senses-seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. The students will explore and discover the environment of Cedar Springs Camp (accompanied and supervised by an adult). Grade level: K-4, Fall/Winter/Spring In Cold Blood: Amphibians and reptiles including garden snakes, frogs, salamanders and turtles are used to demonstrate the unique characteristics of cold-blooded animals. Grade level: K-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Owl Prowl: Students will dissect an owl pellet to determine the diet of an owl. Students will also learn unique features that make owls great predators of the night. Grade level: 4-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Plant ID: On a guided hike students identify up to 20 species of plants that are native to the Northwest. They discover how these plants are a vital part of the ecosystem and learn some of their traditional uses. Grade level: 1-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Salmon Run: Come back as the salmon do this in the fall for a half day field trip to explore the life of a salmon. Discover how salmon have impacted life for centuries in the Pacific Northwest including Cedar Springs Camp which is located on Star Creek. Skin and Bones: Students will use their senses to gain knowledge of animals that inhabit the Northwest. Students will classify animals by size, shape, and bone structure. Students will also examine skulls and pelts of animals native to the Pacific Northwest. Tracks and Facts: Students will learn how to identify animal tracks by size, shape, tail marking, position, and claw marks. Students will also discover other ways to identify the presence of various animals. Students will make a plaster cast replica of an animal track to take home. Grade level: K-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Soil: Students will take soil samples to identify the different layers of soil and test the nutrients in the soil to determine the plant productivity of a given area. Grade level: 1-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Stream Life: During a visit to Star Creek (a salmon spawning stream) students will investigate and identify aquatic invertebrates, determine the temperature, the amount of oxygen in the water and the pH of the stream. Grade level: 1-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Treasures of the Earth (Basic Geology): Students will discover natural treasures such as geodes, floating rocks, natural magnets, optical calcite, peacock ore, and more. Grade level: 1-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Third Rock (Advanced Geology): Through demonstrations students will learn how volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis are formed. They will also examine what is below the surface of earth by learning about plate tectonics and continental drift. Grade level: 4-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Tree ID: On a journey through the forest floor students will learn how to use a dichotomous key and identify broadleaf and evergreen trees indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Grade level: 4-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Water: Students will examine the water cycle and how it impacts all of life. Through demonstration students will gain an understanding of how water flows throughout the earth. Grade level: 1-8, Fall/Winter/Spring Weather: Through hands on activities students will differentiate between cloud type and the importance of barometric pressure, humidity, and wind velocity. They will learn how high and low pressure systems affect the weather around us. As a challenge, students will have a chance to predict the weather for the remainder of the week. Wetlands: Students will observe different types of wetland habitat at camp; learn how these ecosystems play a vital role in the lives of plants, animals, and humans. If lucky, students may see one of our friends the beaver or the river otter. Student Forester: Take a step back in time to the late 1800’s; learn the life and history of a logger. Students can test their skills by using hand tools of an old time logger: crosscut saw, bark peeler, mallet, log lifter, cant hook, and a peavey to name a few. Students also learn current practices used in forestry today. |
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