After a week of pandemic-style schooling, what would you want to do on a Saturday morning? For a few hardy families, the answer is not R&R at home, but instead: get up, feed everyone, drive to Boxerwood, and embark on an outdoor learning adventure. This spring Boxerwood hosted a series of four Saturday morning programs for families whose children attend Natural Bridge Elementary School or Maury River Middle School. Supported by grant funds, the spring series engages families in hands-on adventures outdoors, while also providing academic enrichment in math, literacy, and science.
“We’ve really enjoyed this pilot,” said Elise Sheffield, BEA Education Director. “What I really like about it is that it’s a lively pod-by-pod happening: the family groups share together in the activity and sometimes the adults are their group’s leaders and sometimes the children.” The role of the Boxerwood staff, she notes, is to set up and facilitate the experience, and to encourage that collaborative learning. The ultimate goal, she says, is to inspire families to continue nature investigations and recreation on their own. Each session lasts two hours, and has involved three to seven families.
As kick-off, families completed a mini-bioblitz (census) at Boxerwood for frogs and turtles. The following session they relaxed with earth art and mindfulness and “forest bathing” activities. Last week, the families met at Jordan’s Park to explore the stream ecology with boots, nets, and expert guide (and author) Lisa Connors.
“Our friend Lisa not only is a macro-invertebrate monitor from way back,” says Elise, “she’s also a children’s author. Thanks to this grant we were able to give each family a personally signed copy of her children’s book, The Hidden Life of Streams. The kids loved meeting Lisa, hearing about how she researched and wrote the book and the whole learning/sharing process. It was inspiring!” The series concludes this week with hope for more opportunities next fall.
