Nature Connect Outdoor School
Submitted By Kathryn Waple
Nature Connect North Carolina
Nature Connect Outdoor School held their first homeschool class at the Coastal Land Trust’s Everett Creek Preserve last fall! Students, who range in age from 5 – 11 years old, tracked animals, learned about acorns, made friends, and discovered a wonderful new place, right in our own backyard! Between October and December of 2022, they met once a week to explore the beautiful longleaf pine and mixed hardwood forest along Everett Creek Preserve near Sneads Ferry.
Developing a connection to a place is one of the best ways to learn about it. With the abundant plant and animal life at this beautiful preserve, there was no lack of inspiration!
The class discovered wild carnivorous plants and learned how the smallest differences in habitat can mean the difference between lush abundance and withering.
Our students fell in love with every stage of the fire adapted longleaf pine. They even made up their own longleaf song as they hiked through restored longleaf stands.
We discovered that while tasty and edible, a lot of work goes into processing acorns for human consumption. From this study, students also learned just how much biodiversity one single mature oak tree supports.
Nature Connect is grateful for the partnership with the Coastal Land Trust to provide the opportunity for our students to connect with nature. It is amazing the perspective, wonder, joy, and learning that can happen spending just five hours outdoors. If you haven’t experienced this for yourself, we highly recommend it!
Learn more about Nature Connect at www.NatureConnectnc.org
Photo Credit: Nature Connect
Nature Connect students “Sit Spot” to practice pretending to be different animals and exploring the world from the points of view of deer, squirrels, anoles and other creatures.
