Barkley Fourth Grade Field Trip
April 23
The fourth grade classes of Barkley Elementary School enjoyed an Outdoor Education Day at Ridley Creek State Park on April 23.  We would like to thank the US Forest Service for offering the grant that funded this project.  Students were divided into "survival tribes".  Each tribe selected a name for themselves and wore matching headbands to identify their tribe.  Each tribe participated in a total of six outdoor learning activities.  These included Tree Identification, Predator and Prey, Web of Life, Nature Hike, Forest Doctor and Water Doctor.  During the Tree Identification activity the students learned how to identify different types of leaves.  They also learned how to measure the circumference of a tree, as well as the height of a tree.  The presenters used a preserved owl to introduce the Predator and Prey program.  After discussing the owl's habits, they displayed skulls of many other animals and talked about which ones were predators and which ones were prey.  They concluded by showing a wolf's skin which the students were allowed to examine and touch. The Web of Life game used simple props - a ball of string and cards with animal names - to show the interdependence of animals and the ultimate dependence of all animals on the sun. The Nature Walk was a .6 of a mile walk from the lunch pavilion to the stream.  Along the way guides pointed out trees, plants and even poison ivy. The Forest Doctor shared a list of 10 questions which, when answered, would determine if a forest was healthy or not. The Stream Doctor tested the water for a variety of factors.  The students used a net to examine fish and other stream life.  They also overturned rocks near the stream to search for salamanders.  A number of students successfully located salamanders, as well as other kinds of insects. Special thanks to all of the presenters.  A special thank you goes out to Mr. & Mrs. Randy Morin, fourth grade parents.  They wrote a grant which paid for this trip at no cost to the students and organized the day's events.