The month leading up to Earth Day was a busy one as we engaged over 300 young learners, both in the classroom and in the Forest! Elementary students from local schools took part in presentations and field trips with Duke Forest staff to learn more about nature in their schools’ backyards.
Forest View Elementary School hosted its annual Week at the Creek along New Hope Creek in the Korstian Division in mid-March. Students from Kindergarten to 5th grade hiked through the Forest, stopping at teacher-led stations to learn about nature journaling, orienteering, leaf printing, predator-prey games, and more. Duke Forest staff led an activity that highlighted the butterfly life cycle and introduced students to Caterpillars Count, a community science project that tracks seasonal variation and arthropod abundance.
Later in March, lower elementary classes from Montessori School of Durham took a field trip to the Shepherd Nature Trail, where they hiked the Forest’s only interpretive footpath, learning about the natural patterns and human activity that have shaped the area’s past and present. Duke Forest staff led students in a Tree Appreciation Minute, building their understanding and appreciation for some common tree species native to the Piedmont region. Students also learned about the Forest’s herpetofauna community science program and participated in a survey for reptiles and amphibians along a nearby research transect.
Over the last two weeks, Morehead Montessori Elementary School’s 1st through 3rd graders enjoyed in-school presentations by Duke Forest Executive Director Sara Childs. Her presentation focused on the ecosystems found in Durham and what children and their families can do to help protect and preserve them. Sara highlighted how pollinators like honeybees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other animals are hard at work providing vital yet often unnoticed ecosystem services. The Duke Forest engages with students at these young ages to share how the community can be involved in furthering our understanding of the natural world and to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards!