Recently,
Dayton Avenue School’s Sixth Grade went to Sunken Meadow State Park to
participate in an Outdoor Environmental Educational Program. The Program consisted of a Team Building
Challenge Course, Groundwater Lab, and a Landforms and Soils Study.
1) Challenge Course
The
program was led by 2 instructor/facilitators that presented the group with
increasingly challenging “low ropes” tasks in a supportive environment that helped
develop teamwork and group cooperation skills.
The Challenge Course entailed students being divided into 2 groups of
approximately 13 students, each led by an instructor. They undertook increasing challenging
problems they had to solve through communication, cooperation and team
work.
2) Groundwater Connection
Through
use of a groundwater model (demonstration) and then an interactive, hands-on
water pollution model students gained an understanding of the LI aquifer system
and groundwater flow, our dependence upon this resource, and the effects of
pollution on groundwater. They also
examined LI drill core samples from over several hundred feet and saw the
various layers (sand/clay) and learned how they function to store and retain
groundwater.
3) Landforms and Soil Studies
After an introduction to glacial landforms on Long Island,
comparing the outwash plains of Manorville to the moraines of Sunken Meadow,
students took a short hike to examine a glacial erratic and a kettle hole. There they conducted several hands-on soil
experiments. They examined the soils for
properties including porosity and organic matter and use augers to create a
soil profile (topsoil/parent material).
Students were able to see the effects of erosion and deposition. The post-activity discussion made the
connection between soils (the physical environment) and the resultant plant
community (biological environment). Upon return to the Outdoor Learning Lab
students worked in groups to perform a porosity column experiment.
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