Grade 4 Explores Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Shore's fourth graders donned waterproof boots for a day-long exploration of the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, the Massachusetts Audubon Society's largest such area.
Covering 2,000 acres formed by glacier some 15,000 years ago, the sanctuary offers more than 12 miles of trails through forests, meadows, and wetlands. Eight miles of the Ipswich River meander through the property, creating a diverse terrain that serves as an important place for many organisms year-round. Residents include American toads and pickerel frogs in spring; river otters, beavers, painted turtles, and great blue herons in the wetlands; eastern bluebirds, red-wing blackbirds, hawks, and tree swallows in the fields.
During their excursion on the sanctuary's trails, rock paths, and boardwalks, fourth graders examined upland and wetland soil samples, studied the impact of beavers on the ecosystem, searched pond water samples for countless tiny creatures such as damselfly nymphs, spotted red-wing blackbirds and nuthatches in the trees, and sketched everything from highbush blueberry and horsetail plants to deciduous and coniferous tree leaf shapes in their field journals.
Mass Audubon's educational mission aligns perfectly with Louv's call to action. The organization is one of the largest statewide providers of environmental education programming for youth, families, and adults. Its statewide network of wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers, and museums serves as the base for work in education and community outreach.
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Covering 2,000 acres formed by glacier some 15,000 years ago, the sanctuary offers more than 12 miles of trails through forests, meadows, and wetlands. Eight miles of the Ipswich River meander through the property, creating a diverse terrain that serves as an important place for many organisms year-round. Residents include American toads and pickerel frogs in spring; river otters, beavers, painted turtles, and great blue herons in the wetlands; eastern bluebirds, red-wing blackbirds, hawks, and tree swallows in the fields.
During their excursion on the sanctuary's trails, rock paths, and boardwalks, fourth graders examined upland and wetland soil samples, studied the impact of beavers on the ecosystem, searched pond water samples for countless tiny creatures such as damselfly nymphs, spotted red-wing blackbirds and nuthatches in the trees, and sketched everything from highbush blueberry and horsetail plants to deciduous and coniferous tree leaf shapes in their field journals.
Learning through field experience and exploration is increasingly part of the fourth grade's' science curriculum under new teacher Whitney Morris, a 1996 Shore alumna who returned to the school in 2015 to bring new focus on environmental and sustainability issues to the fourth and fifth grade programs.
With a background rich in ecology and environmental science, Morris has said she loves getting students out in the field. “In other settings where I've taught, there's always been a disconnect between hands-on experience and the classroom. I love that at Shore I can fuse the two experiences as both a classroom teacher and environmental education instructor.”
The child advocacy expert Richard Louv would probably approve. In his influential work Last Child in the Woods, Louv writes about a staggering divide between children and the outdoors. He directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. His important book brings together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
With a background rich in ecology and environmental science, Morris has said she loves getting students out in the field. “In other settings where I've taught, there's always been a disconnect between hands-on experience and the classroom. I love that at Shore I can fuse the two experiences as both a classroom teacher and environmental education instructor.”
The child advocacy expert Richard Louv would probably approve. In his influential work Last Child in the Woods, Louv writes about a staggering divide between children and the outdoors. He directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. His important book brings together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
Mass Audubon's educational mission aligns perfectly with Louv's call to action. The organization is one of the largest statewide providers of environmental education programming for youth, families, and adults. Its statewide network of wildlife sanctuaries, nature centers, and museums serves as the base for work in education and community outreach.
Almost half a million visitors of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds visit Mass Audubon's sanctuaries each year, and 235,000 youth, families, and adults attend educational programs, camps, and events. This wide-ranging impact makes the organization a leader and catalyst for conservation, inspiring and stimulating individual and institutional action that leads to understanding, respecting, and valuing complex ecological systems.
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