After-school program will re-visit Floodplain this autumn for fun and learning
- Tags:
- Education,
- Conservation Center
Students in an after-school program dubbed themselves "Explorers" and did just that along Mill Brook and Merrimack River Floodplain recently.
Meet the "Explorers!"
Local students from Mill Brook Elementary School in Concord recently began a new after-school program to visit the Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area, affectionately called "The Floodplain," over several weeks this autumn. The goal of this curriculum is to foster student-driven exploration and inquiry about Mill Brook (namesake of their school) and the Merrimack River.
Over the coming weeks, students will practice measuring water temperature and pH in Mill Brook and the Merrimack River. They will also explore wildlife habitats and wetlands, learn about the river’s history, and discover how it interacts with the floodplain to create oxbow ponds, wide meanders, sandbars, and eroding riverbanks over time.
Teacher Wendy Harrison, retired teacher and school volunteer Ellen Kenny, and I (Forest Society Senior Director of Education) will facilitate the "Explorers" as they do just that: learn about the land and forests where the Mill Brook joins the Merrimack River.
Wading in the shallows of the sandbar at the mouth of Mill Brook gives students the chance to find freshwater mussel shells, observe insects, look for frogs, fish, or animal tracks in the muddy riverbank, and visit the Silver Maple Floodplain Forest on a sandy bench overlooking the river. On the first visit, a bald eagle even flew overhead as students explored the sandbar with nets and buckets.
Students will have opportunities for inquiry and to deepen their understanding of local natural and cultural history. In-school follow-up could include art projects, such as drawing or painting mussel shells or creating a portrait of the river itself.