Fall Trip to the ODC

Last Wednesday we took our first of three trips to the Outdoor Discovery Center. We will be visiting the ODC in the Fall, Winter and Spring to learn about animal and nature changes throughout the year.  The weather was not the best, but the hard rain held off until the very end of our time there.

We began our trip under the pavilion to meet our guide for the trip.  Our guide was Mr. Tom.  When the other two first grade classes left the area, Mr. Tom showed us a table filled with various items found outside at the ODC.  He told us that he had been out the night before wearing a headband with a light on it, searching for interesting items for us!

Next, Mr. Tom walked us to our first habitat - the Elk pen.  There are four females and one male in the enclosure.  Mr. Tom told us that they expect babies next spring if all goes well!  We learned that elk have antlers, not horns.  They graze almost their entire day!  They also like to eat pumpkins for a treat. The kids had many more questions about the elk for Mr. Tom, and he was patient enough to answer them all.  

Our next habitat to visit was the meadow.  Mr. Tom invited the children to walk around through the meadow area and find something to show him when he called them back.  He taught us about many different types of vegetation found in the meadow and the animals that would also be found living there.  

 Our next stop was a habitat called the Wetlands.  Mr. Tom asked the children what types of animals and plants would be found there. He also discussed animals that migrate, those that stay in Michigan, and explained that very few animals truly hibernate all winter.  Most animals we think of as hibernators actually are considered 'sleepers'.  True hibernators would be frogs, turtles, and other animals that bury themselves underground.  Bears do not hibernate! They do sleep a lot, but will wake up for short periods throughout the winter.

Our next stop was the woods.  Again, Mr. Tom discussed the types of plants and animals that would thrive in that habitat.  He explained why certain plants and animals preferred this habitat over others.  We even got to eat a berry off of a bush that Mr. Tom found!  It was quite tart, but tasty.  We learned that we should never taste things found in nature without an expert to tell us whether it was safe first!

Our final habitat was the pond.  The rain started to come down by this time, so we did not get to spend as much time learning about this particular habitat.  Mr. Tom did ask the kids what types of plants and animals would live in or around the pond.  We also spent a minute or two with our eyes closed to use our ears to listen to the sounds of nature all around us.

We ended our time at the ODC back in the pavilion area to wrap up and review what we learned about plant and animal habitats.  Mr. Tom was a wonderful guide and we look forward to seeing him again this winter!  Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Outdoor Discovery Center.

Back at school, after lunch and recess, the kids took some time to record their findings in a year-long booklet about our ODC Discoveries.  The children wrote about what living things need to survive: food, water, space and a habitat.  They then wrote and drew a picture about their favorite habitat at the Outdoor Discovery Center.  Here they are working on them!

Here are a few samples of their work!

Finally, thank you to the parents who joined us on our trip today!  We appreciated having you along to learn about nature!  We wish the weather had been better, but were happy to get our visit completed! 

Molly and her Dad

Maddy and her Mom

Sierra and her Mom

Tanner and his Dad

Sean and his Mom

Tyler and his Mom