On a brisk fall morning with the sun just rising over the horizon, Education and Events Manager, Laura Rodriguez, walked with Mrs. Duhamel and her 7th grade science class over to Tontogany Creek–the stream that runs through the Fox-Shank Living Laboratory. Excited to be outdoors, the students eagerly made their way ahead, with some pulling on waders, readying themselves to get in the water to perform water quality tests. Laura was excited too, and glad to assist with the outdoor learning portion of their water unit.
Over the next several days, Laura helped the students with collecting macroinvertebrates and testing the creek for dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH value, and nutrient levels. Laura noted that “All the students–even those who normally don’t engage–really enjoyed separating, identifying, and counting the macroinvertebrates living in the creek.” These tiny critters, often no bigger than the tip of a pinky finger, can tell us a lot about the long term quality of the water.
Underlying the buzz of excitement, the students maintained a serious demeanor while collecting data in the field utilizing the scientific methods they learned and practiced in class. With this data, they would soon make connections between Lake Erie’s health and the health of the creeks, rivers, and land in its watershed.
As they worked, the students found trash along the creek bed and in the water. With an air of protectiveness, they picked up what they could, some quite disgruntled about it being there. This experience sparked a class conversation about how humans impact water quality and about the actions we can take to improve it, an important aspect of why we test for water quality. As the students made their way back to their classroom, the walk was just as chatty as the walk there, but the desire to learn more and to do more for their little plot of nature moved through the group like wind through the prairie grass.
This is the goal of the Conservancy’s Learning Landscapes program: getting kids outside to learn from the land; to increase their understanding of the relational nature of our world; and to give them opportunities to care for our shared landscape. All of this combines to foster a sense of place; a sense of this place.
The Conservancy achieves this goal by conserving land within a short walk of schools and by supporting teachers, like Mrs. Duhamel, to use these sites as part of their regular instruction. “Through our workshops and retreats, we work to increase teachers’ outdoor learning skill set, confidence, and community resource connections,” Laura explains. “Additionally, I offer professional support to teachers by providing outdoor lesson plans linked to state educational standards, leading classes and programs, and being a sounding board or an extra pair of hands in the field.”
Next, having collected their data, each of Mrs. Duhamel’s seven class periods worked to analyze and report their findings. The class scoring the highest on their final report was selected to attend the day-long Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Government’s (TMACOG) Student Watershed Watch Summit at the Toledo Zoo.
“I joined Mrs. Duhamel and 24 of her students, alongside 20 other Toledo-area classrooms, as they gave their presentations and participated in fun activities,” Laura recalls. “Watching Otsego effectively report their findings and share meaningful connections felt like a real full circle moment for me – made only better by them earning the best overall presentation award for their age group!”
With the creation of Fox-Shank Living Laboratory and outreach support from the Conservancy, Mrs. Duhamel has enriched her approach to teaching. By incorporating outdoor learning into the unit, her 114 students were able to gain hands-on scientific experience, valuable reporting and presenting skills, and increased insight into the importance of protecting our natural resources. As her 7th grade science classes wrapped up their study of water for the year, Mrs. Duhamel offered her gratitude to Laura, “Thank you so much for all of the ways in which you helped to transform our water unit!”
Interested in learning more about Learning Landscapes? Visit our page to learn more!
Know a graduating high school senior? We’re excited to announce to the Dr. Donald R. Knepper Memorial Scholarship! Learn more and how to apply by visiting our education page.
