School
Kids in the Woods
On a cold and windy day this fall, 35 or so enthusiastic fifth
graders from Lincoln School gathered at Muir Knoll, accompanied
by their teachers and student volunteers from the University of
Wisconsin. All was motion and noise.
Gathering on Muir Knoll
They split into small groups. Each group comprised "little
buddies" with one or two "big buddies." The motion
and noise level gradually subsided. While some groups carefully
followed the trails, helping "The Wood Fairy" (the author)
find signs of life in the cold woods, others energetically spread
woodchips on a trail to prevent erosion. Still others collected
soil samples for later analysis.
Afterwards, the kids all walked to Chadbourne Hall to warm up
with hot cocoa while they sat with their University student mentors
and school teachers, discussing and then writing about what they
learned in the woods.
Planting Woodland Ferns and Wildflowers
Earlier in the season, this same group sampled lake water for microorganisms
and enjoyed a scavenger hunt along the trails. They collected and
examined insects in small lens boxes and planted native wildflowers
and ferns in Muir Woods.
The Outreach Project
The outreach program began with an idea of Beth Rollman, a University
of Wisconsin student, who developed it as an independent study project.
Much of the motivation for the project stemmed from Beth's desire
to work with kids. She got funding for it through the Leadership
Trust Award, a Letters and Sciences Honors Program grant.
Beth's enthusiasm was contagious. She and her faculty director,
Margaret Nellis, first involved CNA manager Cathie Bruner. Cathie's
need for more volunteers to help restore Muir Woods and Margaret's
desire to somehow connect the University of Wisconsin with the South
Madison community made a good fit. They joined forces with fifth
grade Lincoln School teachers, Becky Rosenberg and Marc Kornblatt.
University student mentors, most of them members of an "Environmental
Interest" group at Chadbourne Hall, were then recruited. Others
heard about the project and joined in the fun.
A Scavenger Hunt in Muir Woods
Learning about the Environment
The project has now been expanded and has even become international
in scope. Recently, the Lincoln School children, teachers and UW
mentors shared much of what they learned in Muir Woods with students
in Japan via a video conferencing session (one of a series that Becky
had set up). The Japanese students, in turn, talked about environmental
issues, including water use, in their own land. More field trips
are planned for the spring semester and a final video will be made
as a keepsake. In Beth's words, "Hopefully, it will be a reminder
to the students to be lifelong caretakers of their surroundings!”
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