One exception would be the woods, where the spring ephemerals are just starting to make an appearance. Last Monday morning, a few of us walked the trails to see what was poking through the new fallen snow (yes, snow), and we saw the beginnings of, among other things, bloodroot, columbine, prairie trillium, hepatica, garlic mustard (our favorite invasive weed), stinging nettles, dutchmen's breeches, Virginia bluebells and trout lily. (Aren't those some great names for plants?)
Greetings, all and happy Earth Day!! Crestwood Elementary will celebrate Earth Week with a fun assembly tomorrow (Wednesday) featuring a sing-along with music teacher Shawn McMahon, a performance of the Maple Syrup clapping song, and a tree-climbing demonstration by Joe House (a.k.a Superman!), plus we'll find out just what happened to that stuff Mr. Basseuner buried in the turkey vulture plot at the Lantern Walk last November. Members of your friendly Outdoor Ed committee met over spring break last week to put together some activities for a walking tour of the woods, gardens, and orchard, but most of our plants are having a hard time waking up after such a long, cold winter, so there isn't much to see out there just yet. For that reason we're recommending that teachers wait a week or two to do any walking tours of the gardens and orchard. One exception would be the woods, where the spring ephemerals are just starting to make an appearance. Last Monday morning, a few of us walked the trails to see what was poking through the new fallen snow (yes, snow), and we saw the beginnings of, among other things, bloodroot, columbine, prairie trillium, hepatica, garlic mustard (our favorite invasive weed), stinging nettles, dutchmen's breeches, Virginia bluebells and trout lily. (Aren't those some great names for plants?) I also want to update on THE GREAT PEA PROJECT OF 2014. First of all, many thanks to Barb Handa, Andy Waity, and Paul Shea (4th grade teachers) and Anna Jalensky (5th grade teacher), as well as their practicum students and aides who so willingly participated in this project by having their students take measurements, make calculations, and finally get all those peas in the ground. Thanks to the parent and community volunteers who helped out and didn't complain about getting dirty. And thanks to the weather, it turned out to be a beautiful week for being outdoors in the first place! All told, the kids planted approximately 1200 peas, volunteers put up more than 200 feet of fencing (to keep the hungry bunnies away), and now we're just waiting for nature to do its thing. Just this morning I found about a half dozen sprouts pushing their way through the soil. How fitting that they would make an appearance on Earth Day! On a final note, now that spring has arrived (however reluctantly), there will be many more outdoor activities. Please keep checking back here and on the volunteer page for frequent updates!
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AuthorCrestwood's OE committee is dedicated to outdoor learning for all students. Archives
August 2017
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