Environmental Education for TCS Middle School Students

The following story is submitted by Mr. Will Hudson, our TCS K-8 Science and Outdoor/Environmental Education Teacher. Mr. Hudson provides class lessons and project support in the physical and biological sciences, trips to the woods, and STEAM activities.

Forest Stewardship: Caring for What We Value

While The Children's School has always sponsored frequent field trips to the woods for all classrooms, our middle-level students enjoy an even deeper level of immersion in their woods experience. 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders participate in a stewardship workday at Bemis Woods.

Seeing Lasting Results for Our Efforts

At the beginning of each workday, regional ecologist Craig Billington provides an overview of the impact of the various invasive plant species we will be removing, how they got here, and their impact on the forest ecology. With loppers and saws in hand, students then head into the woods and get to work.

When we first started learning about the extent to which invasive plants like buckthorn and honeysuckle had taken root in our forest preserves, it was hard to believe much could be done to mitigate their impact. They were everywhere!

However, over the years, sustained and focused stewardship DOES make a difference. By returning season by season, students see first-hand how their work to remove invasive species gradually unveils more native spring flowers.

Learning How Human Activity Affects the Forest

Additionally, Middle Level students have been collecting data at Evans Field for the Illinois Riverwatch Network. The data they collect is part of a citizen science project monitoring the impacts of chloride (road salt) runoff on water quality and stream habitats.

Our samples are taken from a point source of runoff into a small stream that passes through a sedge meadow and empties into the DesPlaines River. Students record weather conditions and collect water samples, which are taken back to school for testing, the results which are then entered into the Riverwatch website.

Sharing Experiences in a Multi-Age Group

Another Middle Level activity in our outdoor education program is kayaking. Our older students, in addition to kayaking themselves, share their experience with our youngest students. Every year, each of our K-1 students buddies up with a middle school student in a kayak, so they feel safe and can learn kayaking skills from an older student. This gives older students leadership skills and confidence in what they've learned, as well as an experience in sharing skills and knowledge with others.

What's Our Goal?

Taken together, these experiences provide a foundation for considering and understanding the physical, biological, and human dimensions that compose our landscapes. The relationship between the students and the forest becomes personally valuable - and, hopefully, creates a lifelong respect and sense of responsibility for our natural environment.