How long has it been since you’ve dug your hands into the dirt or looked deep into the cavity of a rotten tree? At the Project Learning Tree Educators Workshop, hosted by NorthWoods and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation this October, adults explored these childhood pastimes from a new vantage point. We dug far enough into the dirt that a story unfolded about the geologic history and the land use patterns throughout the NorthWoods property. It made sense that a forest tour would begin with an investigation into the soil beneath. PLT participants read the soil horizons in the Red Pine plantation, one that reflected the agriculture history of the late 1800s and early 1900s in distinctive layers.
The trees had their own story to tell. Using an increment borer to get a core sample from several different trees throughout the property, patterns of fast and slow growth was marked in the tree rings, aligning with the land use history of this property. The Forest Stewardship Institute (FSI) has been hard at work making this story more accessible to visitors at NorthWoods, and FSI staff Jayson Benoit and Sam Perron shared the intricacies of not just the past history but the current and future management practices that will shape the NorthWoods of tomorrow.
This time in the woods was complemented with time in the NorthWoods lodge, to discover, discuss and apply lessons from the PLT Curriculum. PLT has been providing resources in environmental education for 30 years, and Facilitator Rebecca Phelps provided the link to these resources – with age specific curriculum that provides a wealth of background information and interactive lessons. During the workshop, participants teamed up to share lessons from the curriculum. Decomposition, life cycles of trees, forest succession and the water cycle were topics explored. In school programs and summer camps, Anika and I have found this curriculum to be an incredible resource. If you are wondering how to remember the phloem from the xylem, or how to make the anatomy of tree intriguing for kids of all ages, join us at a program, or discover this curriculum for yourself.
In just two days, PLT participants and staff leaders covered a broad spectrum of timely environmental education topics, with a wide range of perspectives fueling the discussion. Public school teachers were delighted to find that the curriculum was aligned with standards; seasoned foresters found that taking a step back from the forests they work in provided greater perspective on the learning potential in the woods, and educators were inspired to share challenges and celebrations of making the outdoor classroom more accessible to kids of all ages. As Director of Education here at NorthWoods, I left the workshop inspired to find more ways to continue to build from the momentum created as educators came together to find new ways to pass on a passion for the environment and for learning to the students we work with. So much was explored in just two days – in the woods and at the table. Look for more educators workshops with community partners in the coming season, and contact us if you are interested in setting up one of these workshops in your school or community.