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Elementary School Programs
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Our 30-acre “classroom” includes meadows, wetlands, and
woodlands.
For the past eight years we have offered hands-on learning
experiences for public schools throughout the Rockbridge area.
Below are programs for
3rd
Grade and
4th
Grade and a
sample second grade activity. Please contact us for further opportunities.
Basic
Information
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3rd Grade Overview
Three half-day visits guide students through
a sequence of progressively complex experiences in the natural world.
During each visit, students rotate through three small-group activities led by
our paid staff and adult volunteers. Activities are multi-modal and
integrate cognitive and affective learning.
HABITATS
“Home Sweet Home” (Visit 1 - Fall)
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Busy explores create tiny shelters in a woodland
habitat, map a wetland community of plants and animals, and
participate in a habitat restoration project.
Language
Arts: 3.1, 3.3, 3.10
Science: 3.1(a, g, j), 3.4 (a, b), 3.5, 3.6 (a, c), 3.9 (c, d), 3.10 (a-d) |
DIRT, SOIL and DECOMPOSERS :
Your choice of one of two programs:
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“The Good Earth”
(Visit 2 - Fall or Spring)
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Young “soil
scientists” analyze soil layers in a carefully dug hole, hunt for decomposers in
the woods and in the compost pile, and participate in a soil conservation
project.
Language Arts: 3.1, 3.3
Science: 3.1 (a, b, c, e, f, g), 3.5 (a, b), 3.7 (a-d), 3.8(b),
3.10(c, d)
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“Rotten Poetry”
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Young poets
unearth discoveries from compost piles then publish their sensory rich poems
with a genuine hand-operated printing press. An exciting interdisciplinary
program in science and language arts that culminates in a class booklet
for every child.
Language
Arts: 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11
Science: 3.1 (a, b), 3.5 (a, b), 3.6, 3.7 (a,
d), 3.8(b), 3.10(a-d)
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WATER “Go With The Flow”
(Visit 3 - Spring)
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Students embark on an exciting water
cycle adventure, monitor the aquatic life in our wetlands, and participate in a
watershed protection project.
Language Arts: 3.1 (a-c), 3.3, 3.4, 3.10
Science: 3.4(a, b), 3.5(c), 3.6(a, c), 3.9 (a, b, c, d), 3.10
(a-d)
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4th Grade Overview
WATER JOURNEYS (fall or spring)
-- This program introduces students to watershed
concepts through hands-on investigations and role plays in the following three
activities
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“Water Detectives”
Following the watershed, young scientists measure temperature and nitrate levels
at our springs and wetlands as part of broader discussion about watershed health
and the Chesapeake Bay.
Language Arts: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Science 4.1(a, b, d, f, h), 4.5 (d, f), 4.8(a)
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“From Dirty to Clean: A Waterdrop Adventure”
Students tour Boxerwood’s Nature-Emulating Waste Treatment System, with special
attention to the constructed wetlands and plant roles in filtering and cleaning
contaminated water.
Language Arts:
4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.7
Science 4.5 (f), 4.4 (a, c), 4.8(a)
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“Save the Bay!”
4th grade problem-solvers participate in a
“Save the Bay” role play involving a 6-foot contour map of the Rockbridge County
watershed. Includes map work and Virginia geography.
Language Arts: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.7
Science 4.5 (f), 4.6 (b), 4.8 (a, b, d)
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RIVER BUDDIES
(fall or spring)
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Bring learning experiences closer to home via an
“in-the-field” program near your school. In this pilot
program, Boxerwood comes to you, providing instruction,
support, and equipment for an unforgettable experience beside a
nearby creek or river. Prerequisite:
participating class(es) must have completed a Water Journeys program
at Boxerwood. Includes biological testing and science/language arts
rotations tailored to your needs and interests.
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More information?
Contact Elise Sheffield (463-2697), Education Steward,
education@boxerwood.org
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Second graders wrote stories about
our unusual trees |
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