Recently, my brother and I took advantage of the beautiful early fall weather and took a hike through Schmeeckle Reserve here in Stevens Point. We did this on 4 separate evenings last week, going after dinner. This was very beneficial for the both of us, as not only was it great exercise, but it gave us a chance to appreciate the scenery and beauty of the Schmeeckle Reserve. With my brother being in Biology this semester, and myself being in NRES 370, we were able to see some of the terms and concepts discussed in class, in a real-life setting, such as ecosystems, energy, etc.
It seemed that each night we took our walk through the Schmeeckle trails, we witnessed something different, or that we had not noticed before. First of all, I noticed that even though it was sunny and warm outside, this was not the case back in the deeper parts of the reserve. As we hiked further onto the trail, the temperatures were much cooler and it was a little breezier. I also was able to see that the water in Lake Joanis was very calm and clear. In the past when I have walked through Schmeeckle, such as in the early spring, the water has not been quite so clear, looking a little "murky." Perhaps the most interesting I gathered from these evening hikes was the behavior of the animals on the trails. Animals that are generally very timid and docile, such as deer, squirrels and chipmunks, appeared to have a higher tolerance for being around people. For example, there was a group of about four male college students walking ahead of us, when two deer appeared about 50 feet ahead of them on the trail. The deer stood there, staring at the students. A few of the students began to walk toward the deer, coming as close as about 10 feet and the deer stood their ground. Once the students got a little closer than this, the deer ran away. However, I thought this was neat because normally deer would not allow humans to come so close. In another instance, we had a chipmunk run right out in front of us on the trail to cross over to the other side of the forest. In all likelihood, these animals have grown accustomed to frequent humans walking through this reserve. But at the same time, I thought it was interesting that they have a higher tolerance and threshold for dealing with humans.
Documenting an experience like this is definitely something I could use in my future classroom. I also feel I could use it several different subjects, not just a science class. I think sharing life experiences with classmates and teachers is important and beneficial for young students. Being outdoors is a hobby of mine, and as a result I will encourage students to share their outdoor experiences, either verbally or written. Also, as a teacher it is a big priority of mine to promote students to use hobbies and things they enjoy in their school work. With that being said, I want to give students of plenty of opportunities to express their thoughts, such as in a personal journal like this one. The aspect of sharing an experience in nature that I think is very powerful is that it can be shared in a variety of ways, such as in a powerpoint, scrapbook, journal, a verbal story-telling, and much more. It is important to me that allow students many different ways to share their work, not just in environmental education, but in all areas of study.
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