Laurel Run Hiking Trip: Field Trip Day

Stephanie Tuttle
Fairfield Elementary School

Rockbridge County, VA

The day of the field trip came and all of my planning and preparation was about to be tested. The students were excited for the trip and we were able to load the busses and be on our way.

Boxerwood, The Department of Wildlife and Inland Fisheries, the STEM teacher, and parents all meet us at Laurel Run. The site was a great place for 120 students and their parents to explore and learn. Laurel Run had a huge pavilion with tables and picnic tables were scattered around the site. The students got off the buses and I divided the students into 4 groups. We then started the activities. The 5th grade teacher and I planned a variety of activities which cover all content areas. The students participated in a hike, water testing, nature journaling, an antonym search activity, and a STEM survival activity.

A member of the Boxerwood staff and myself led the hiking activity. The students came to us and we divided them into two groups, so the students could better experience nature. I took my groups first and the Boxerwood staff member started her hike 5 minutes after my group. We started the hike. The students were give cameras and directed to take a “selfie” of themselves and 3 “WOW” moment pictures. A “WOW” moment is a moment during the hike the students were amazed by what they were experiencing. As we hiked the students took pictures of the waterfall, rock formations, leaves, mushrooms and anything else amazing. Part way through the hike the students were given crayons and ask to match the crayon color to something they saw in nature. Overall the students enjoyed the hike expect for the gnats.

Another activity the students participated in was water testing. Boxerwood lead this activity and brought all of the materials needed. The students worked in small groups to test the healthiness of the water. They tested the pH, oxygenation, and the amount of pollution in the water. The students enjoyed this activity because it allowed them to compare the cleanliness of this water to other location they have tested with Boxerwood.

Students participated in a journaling and an antonyms search activity. The students were asked to journal about their experience throughout the day, the weather, and wrote a haiku about what they heard in nature. The students then worked with a partner to find objects in nature they described the antonyms they were given. The students were given egg cartons with two antonyms written on them like smooth and rough. They then had to find objects in nature to match their words. These were great language arts activities because the students were able to reflect on their experience and explore nature up close.
The final activities the students participated in was a STEM survival activity. The students had to figure out how long their stride was and do the math to determine the distance they could walk in a given amount of time as well as how many steps they take during each mile they walk. The students were then given a survival situation and asked to figure out how they would survive. The students came up with a variety of creative ways to survive.

This field trip was a success. The students experienced nature in their community. Overall, the students enjoyed the variety of activities. The 4th and 5th grade students enjoyed going on the trip together and getting to learn from each other. This trip was a success and I have many ideas on how to improve and make this trip better for next year.

Laurel Run Hiking Trip: Planning and Preparation

Stephanie Tuttle
Fairfield Elementary School

Rockbridge County, VA

This field trip started with the idea to take 4th and 5th grade students on a hike in their community. I wanted the students to better understand the beauty of the nature that surrounds them. To many students going to Walmart is the highlight of their week and I wanted them to see that their community offers so much more.

This trip would not have been possible without the help from Boxerwood. Boxerwood is an organization in Rockbridge County whose goal is to teach students how to care for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Boxerwood offered up a variety of sites to choose from located across the county. I choose the Laurel Run site at Goshen pass because most of the students live close to this area, but have never stopped and explored.

At first this location seemed to be the best and easiest choice. As the field trip approached I learned we needed an access pass from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Each adult who went on the trip would have to buy a pass to come. I was worried our trip would not run smoothly if parents had to buy passes to come. Luckily one of the students’ parents is a game warden and was able to waive the fee for the pass. He also came out and went on the trip with us, a pleasant addition I did not originally plan for.

I wanted the activities provided to cover all content areas. Selecting the activities was the easy part. The activities the students would do were Nature Journaling, Egg Carton Antonyms, Water Testing, Survival Scenarios, Hiking Math, and Crayon Color matching. The 5th grade teacher and I had to design and created all of the activities the students participated in. This took more time than I originally expected. Planning for a field trip where you have to pack everything but the bathroom took organization and time. Working with the 5th grade science teacher was helpful because I was able to use her experience and knowledge of creating field trips to help plan our trip.

Overall planning the Laurel Run hiking trip would not have been possible without knowledgeable and experienced teachers to help guide me through the process.

Workshop in Rockbridge County, VA, August 2017

Rockbridge County, Virginia is home to two designated A.T. Communities--Glasgow and Buena Vista--as well as a wealth of natural resources. Thanks to a fundraiser by the A.T. Communities, ATC, and the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club, the Rockbridge Public Schools Foundation has a special fund set aside to support outdoor education for local students.

August 1-2, 2017 ATC partnered with the Foundation to host a TTEC workshop designed to arm teachers with tools and inspiration to make the most of this grant opportunity. The workshop was based at Natural Bridge State Park, and included hands-on outdoor learning with a STEAM focus each morning and curriculum development in the afternoons.

The first morning was spent on the main trail at Natural Bridge State Park, passing under the famous bridge itself and cycling in small groups through activity stations for hands-on experience of activities teachers could use with their students. NBSP Lead Park Naturalist Katie Charles led a creekside station on macroinvertebrate sampling, with supplies on loan from Boxerwood Gardens. ATC's Kathryn Herndon-Powell led a series of Leave No Trace activities, and ATC Natural Resource Specialist Conner McBane led a station that explored a number of citizen science programs and nature identification apps using ipads generously on loan from Rockbridge County Public Schools.

Day 2, everyone hopped in the vehicles for a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway to the A.T. at Thunder Ridge Overlook. Progress was slowed down by a road maintenance project on the Parkway, but eventually the group got to get out of the vehicles and walk on the Trail. 

Carol Caswell greeted the group on behalf of the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club and gave a short presentation about what the Club does and ways they can work with and support teachers, and she tagged along with a group for the hike. ATC's Molly Hagan led a trailside series of Hip Pocket Activities, and Kathryn led an A.T. Math exercise and an exploration of fibonacci numbers at Thunder Hill Shelter. 

TTEC alumni Betty Gatewood and Lisa Connors--illustrator and author of the book Milkweed Matters--led a nature journaling station. On returning to the State Park, several local organizations introduced themselves over lunch. Katie Charles spoke about the State Park's education programs, Kathy Hall gave an intro to the Glenwood Pedlar Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, and Hannah West outlined the robust outdoor education programs at Boxerwood Gardens.

The 11 educators who attended the workshop brought great energy and enthusiasm that reflects their passion and talent for teaching. Several exciting curriculum ideas were hatched and connections made across grade levels and disciplines. Many thanks to all the partners who helped make this workshop possible, especially Kathy Burant of the Rockbridge County Public Schools Foundation! We hope to be hearing about some Rockbridge County students exploring their public lands--maybe even the A.T.--this fall and next spring.