On Tuesday, May 13th, we had a field trip to LSU AgCenters Botanic Garden at Burden. We participated in the program called “Trees and Trails.” We started with an ice breaker and then split into 3 groups that hiked the short trail. Along the trail we stopped for 3 hands-on/interactive stations: Tree Cookies, Life on the Edge, and Invasive Species.
About the Stations:
Tree Cookies - Students learn about resources that trees need to live, how trees compete for resources, and how to read tree rings.
Life on the Edge - Students learn that habitat loss is the primary reason for the loss of species through a game a game called Habitat Scramble in which each student plays the part of an animal that loses its habitat.
Invasive Species - Students learn how invasive species disrupt life cycles, through the example of the Chinese Privet and the story of the European Starling and the Eastern Bluebird.
After we had our learning time out on the short trail, we took a break for lunch. Then, those who hung around went on a nature walk/scavenger hunt on the long trail (1 1/4 miles).
On our way back, it started raining pretty hard. I caught a ride with one of the tour guides in the golf cart (I was taking Rob to therapy later that day!) but these other great moms endured the rain.
