Child Protection United States Project #14913

Send 30 Children to Afterschool Nature Program

by Piedmont Wildlife Center

Send 30 Children to Afterschool Nature Program

Project Report | May 15, 2017
Ecology in Your Own Hands

By Morgan Freese | Afterschool Program Lead

Jeffrey dissecting an owl pellet

Our Spring session of Earth Keepers is underway! This session, your continued support has provided enough scholarships for four children to join our group. We are thrilled that our program family has expanded to 18 children who are excited about nature, all because of you!

Working with this program has shown me the true value of hands-on learning. Touching, holding, and getting right in the midst of nature has made it real and important for our Earth Keepers in a way that elementary science classes have not. Over the past few months, Earth Keepers like Ahmad, Cameron, and Jeffrey have made breakthroughs in their understanding of soil, food webs, and animals through hands-on exploration.

During a lesson about soil, the Earth Keepers were confused when we asked them what soil was. “It’s just dirt,” said Cameron, one of the newest members of the group. When Cameron got the chance to see, smell, and touch five different soil samples from around his school, however, his attitude changed. He loved feeling the gritty texture of the sandy soils and compared it to squishy samples full of humus and clay. At the end, he proudly demonstrated his new knowledge for the group. “You can tell which ones have the most clay by squeezing them into ribbons,” he announced, holding up two examples.

The next week, the Earth Keepers dissected owl pellets, bundles like hairballs that the raptors cough up after meals. They searched and sorted the pellet contents to see what the owls had been eating. Ahmad, a new student in kindergarten, said, “I liked that you could find feathers in the owl pellet. I thought you could only find bones.” His newfound discovery reminded him of the food web, which we had discussed weeks before. The owl didn’t only eat mice, like he thought; it relied on lots of different species for survival!

“I saw that my owl pellet had rodent bones!” veteran Earth Keeper Jeffrey added. Even though the word ‘rodent’ wasn’t used in the activity, he remembered from an earlier rodent-themed program and was excited to apply his knowledge. He also mentioned rodents the next week when we learned about mammals, pointing out all the traits that made them similar and different from other animals in the group.

What inspired Jeffrey to maintain his excitement about rodents? A unique encounter in Earth Keepers, where the students had the opportunity to hold our baby mice. The same wonder on Jeffrey’s face while the mouse nestled into his palm is evident in our group every day. With the partnership of donors like you, we make a difference by putting ecology directly in children’s own hands!

Jeffrey and Quincy identify a bone from a pellet

Athena, one of our owls who gave pellets!

An assortment of bones from the pellets

Kevin helps Ahmad examine bones from a pellet

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Jun 2, 2015
A Bittersweet Goodbye

By Jill Fusco | Educator

Thank you from Daniel, on of our students

Throughout this session of Earth Keepers we have forged relationships with sweet, curious and sometimes fidgety children of our area schools. Our experiences with these students are filled with laughter, exploration and shared passion for the outdoors. We thank you on behalf of every child who has ventured outside this spring because of your donations. With the change of seasons we know it is time to give them up to summer break, and hope to see them at one of the many camps we offer.

One of the last sessions, we examined the life of deer. We asked children what deer do every day and what signs these animals would leave on the landscape. When asked this question, hands shot in the air with thoughtful answers “footprints!” “Feathers!” “Poop!!” Giggles waved across the audience of elementary school aged children. After the roar of laughter died down we confirmed all of the answers. And explained that poop, or scat, is a great animal sign and it can tell us a lot about what the animal is, what it eats, and how long ago it was there, among other useful information. After this short discussion about our intention for the afternoon we took to the woods.

It was wonderful to see the different interpretations each child had of the intention. Some pointed out every hole in the ground, fascinated by what could be inside. Others inched along the dirt path determined to see a track. Alex was among the most interested, but mainly on the flowers he was finding on the ground. I am so grateful to be part of a program that encourages children to be led by their own curiosity. We talked for a few minutes about where the flower came from and how to identify it. Thank you all for helping us encourage this type of learning.

This session was a huge hit! We received thank you cards from some students that we want to share with you. Although you cannot see all of the eager faces each time Earth Keepers begins, we hope that these cards expressing unprompted gratitude will warm your heart, as they did ours. Thank you again for your support of our mission! We will check back in when the new school year begins.

Alex and one of his flower wonders

Jackson sparked by the wonder of trees

A thank you from Gigi, another student

Links:

http://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/

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Dec 18, 2014
Wrapping up this project; thank you for supporting these kids!

By Mary Neese and Karen McCall | Nature Mentor and Project Leader

Mentor, Adam, sharing barred owl with students

As winter winds pick up, and days become increasingly shorter, we say good-bye to another semester at Githen’s Middle School and reflect upon the impact we have had on the students, the ways they have taught us, and the ripple effect our program will have on the greater community. We also must pause and take a moment to sincerely and warmly thank you, the donors, for giving us the funds needed to run our program for those that need it most. With all your support, especially this past month, we reached our goal!

Our students at Githen’s Middle are growing up in a time where nature exploration and self-exploration are limited. Many young adults we encounter in our program do not feel comfortable or safe exploring nature in their neighborhoods. Our program provides them with the opportunity to grow and explore in a safe environment surrounded by experienced and kind mentoring. We are so grateful to you for allowing us to witness the incredible growth these young adults exhibit after only a few short weeks in nature. Thank you for giving these young men and women the opportunity to wander in the woods and discover parts of themselves they otherwise may never get to know.

In our closing surveys, we asked the students, What have you learned during Earth Keepers?

- “That there are lots of things I still don’t know about nature or myself. Earth Keepers has introduced me to the wonders of nature and what it has in store for me.” – Jackson, age 12

- “Walking in the woods helps me connect with nature and myself.” – Johnathan, age 11

“I learned how to fell a tree and that I AM nature. – Christian, age 12

The responses we received were remarkable and so touching. These students were genuine in their love of nature and we were thrilled to have engaged, hungry, and passionate mentees to spend time with. It was a true joy to share our passions and afternoons with these incredible young adults.

Thank you for all you have done to help support these amazing people. Since we have reached our financial goal for this project, we have decided to roll it into the other similar afterschool project that will support elementary and middle schools in a few different school systems. You can stay connected
through our website,Piedmont Wildlife Center, or sign up for our newsletters from our site, our follow us on facebook. Of course you may still support us through our other projects on Global Giving: Help 100 students become Earh Keepers.

Best wishes for the Holiday Season!

Adair learning fire skills

Christian with the tree he felled

Links:

Piedmont Wildlife Center website

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