The Nixon County Park Project

I have witnessed first-hand the same excitement that I had as a child in the children that I encounter while teaching at environmental centers. I continue to learn about sciences in order to

“The developed world deprives children of a basic and inalienable right: unstructured outdoor play. Children today have substantially less access to nature, less free range, and less time for independent play than previous generations had.” This quote is from the research based paper titled, “Where the Wild Things Should Be: Healing Nature Deficit Disorder through the Schoolyard." This article touches many aspects of how children now a days need more exposure to nature like it was on the older days. Currently, there are many playgrounds around the United States and even more the world. This article is trying to bring awareness to the problem of if playgrounds do not have enough nature or is too safe then it is

Lick Creek Park is made up of 500 acres of a variety of plant and animal species native to the College Station, TX area. It is located on the southeastern corner of College Station, TX in the Post Oak savanna vegetation zone. The park covers a section of the flood plain and is a primary tributary for the Navasota River. The soil in the area consist primarily of sandy loam, sandy, and sandy clay loam. According to a report by the city of College Station, “College Station has a temperate climate with warm summers and mild winters. The mean average annual temperature over the past 30 years (between 1981 and 2010) was 69°F. The average high and average low during the same time frame was 79.2°F and 58.8°F respectively. The hottest month on average is August, with an average maximum temperature of 96.2°F (1981 to 2010). The coolest month is typically January with an average low temperature of 41.2°F. Annual occurring precipitation averages over 40 inches a year, with the most rainfall occurring during June and October, which have average 4.45 inches and 4.91 inches, respectively”(City of College Station). Lick Creek Park has two distinct microclimates: the upland Savanna and Bottomland forest.

Third graders will become zoologists, understanding the various habitats where animals live. They will research a specific habitat and identify necessary environmental factors for the survival of a chosen animal. Analyzing and synthesizing information from multiple sources, students will create a triorama that represents the animal's habitat and perform a public service announcement advocating for the habitat's preservation.

In the past, I spent a summer researching the effects of climate change on small mammals under the mentorship of a college professor, and greatly enjoyed the experience. However, participation at the National Wildlife Refuge will foster a myriad of different skills. For instance, I will learn how to identify and handle different species like reptiles and amphibians, control the growth of invasive plants, test water quality, build fences or other structures, and interact with visiting groups. These activities, none of which I hold experience with, will provide me with insight into my consideration of working at a national wildlife refuge after graduating from Notre

The first presentation by Alexander Bischer and Emma Johnson, was called the Peace Chapel Bioblitz. A bioblitz is a 24 rapid survey of the flora and fauna in the designated area, which in this case is the Peace Chapel and it’s surroundings. The objective of their bioblitz is to establish baseline data and tohelp educate the public about the environment. The area containing the Peace Chapel is the Baker-Henry Nature Preserve which is mostly tree canopy with a little shrubland. The actuall bioblitz will be occurring next year. This is a great opportunity to get the Huntingdon community involved as well as the elementary, middle, and high school. There will be an educational tent for the younger grades. There is an app called iNaturalist also, where anyone can report observations about the land and animals that they see.

The WebQuery, the 5E lesson plan, and the field trip guide, are examples of through which students engage in investigations that enhance learning and that helps them meet the NGSS. These artifacts also indicate my ability to develop lesson plans that promote the learning of science; that align content to the NGSS; that demonstrate the use of assessment to ensure that the students are meeting the standards; and that showcase the use of literature to support grouping strategies and lesson rationale

Today, Liberty State Park serves an important role in the New York Harbor area. As the railroads and industry started to drop the land was abandoned and became an empty dump site. Land with decaying buildings, tracks and piles of debris was transformed into a modern urban state park. The park was formally opened on Flag Day, June 14, 1976, as New Jersey's bicentennial gift to the nation. Most of the 1,122 acre park is open space with about 300 acres made for public recreation.

I whole-heartedly agree with Sammy Caiola’s article. I particularly enjoyed how Caiola portrayed the guides at the nature center, her interviews with the parents, and how she put such a good spin on bird-watching. Caiola’s article was quite refreshing, in that it gave a certain perspective on outdoor activities with children. Who would think bird-watching would be a good idea for kids? I certainly did not and I am glad to be wrong. In Caiola’s article, she mentions a quote by one of the nature center guides that I felt was one of the more important aspects of the article; that during these monthly walking tours, the kids were implicitly learning through the not so apparent structure that the guides where providing, but at the same time it was

My students will create their own Natures Notebook out of donated notebooks given to the school or I will provide them given the income status and if the student’s families can afford one. I will start the Natures Notebook with a PowerPoint describing what the project is, how it will be graded weekly and why it is important. For the observations, we will take 20 minutes at the beginning of class to go outside and observe, write what we observe and in the class that will lead us into our unique lesson plan for the day. At the end of the lesson, students will have 5 minutes to make a prediction for the next day.

On June 9, 1972, one of the most devastating floods in the nation's history swept through Rapid City, South Dakota, and nearby communities. More than 10 inches of rain fell in just over six hours, producing flooding on Rapid Creek and several other Black Hills streams. The swollen streams rushing toward Rapid City and the failure of Canyon Lake Dam combined to send a wall of water through the community.

Botanicals are an appealing way to introduce science to children while pleasing and engaging the senses. At all ages, it is important to orientate children towards native plants and wildlife. Learning about the importance, function, and preservation of native species not only teaches science concepts, but also encourages environmental stewardship. The Botanical Gardens walking and hiking trails are an opportunity to exercise while studying diverse flora and fauna. In addition to nature education opprotunities, Chicago Botanical Gardens has model train exhibit.

Christy Llanes is an AP Biology, Biology, and AP Environmental Science teacher that educates students at Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy; she works with 8th-12th graders. Christy is also the head of the SECME Club, as well as the Head Chair of the Science Department. She believes her Science department offers an innovative and cutting edge program. Students learn to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and decision making citizens about the science and technology issues that encounter our society. Her 21st century teaching enables students to become future leaders who are able to overcome past scientific difficulties. Technology is utilized for a myriad of applications such as interpreting real-time data and using simulation software.

Cerrillos Hills Park is situated on the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM. It is 1125 acres large. There are 5 miles of hiking trails and historic mining sites. The Cerrillos Hills Park is owned by the Santa Fe County and managed by Santa Fe County’s Open Space Program, NM State Parks and the Cerrillos Hills Park Coalition. It is closely linked to the colonialization and ancient civilizations in this region. It has a tricultural antiquity that goes back to the 900 AD. It is a volcanic chain of elevations because of the movements to tectonic plates in the bed of Rio Grande. It is one of the oldest mining districts in South America.

As part of the science curriculum, it is mandatory to introduce the concept of enquiry through experiments and investigations. The practical element of science promotes the idea that children need to develop a certain level of scientific enquiry through a wide range of activities suggests, Cross and Bowden (2014). Some examples of scientific enquiry can range from; nature walks in order to observe the numerous mini beasts amongst the school