Last week was our last UnSchool class for the year. Now that we have spent so much time exploring and learning at the Green Mountain Audubon Center, we closed out the season by learning how to protect the outdoor spaces we love by practicing Leave No Trace.
To start our day, we pulled out the phenology bingo cards that the kids started last month. They looked at what they saw last month and crossed off more things based on what they have been seeing now that it is May. They mentioned flowers, birdsong, and leaves. We also did a sit spot where we invited them to draw and think about their favorite outdoor spaces. Everyone shared out their answers during Morning Meeting. We talked about forested backyards, local towns, swim spots, and favorite places to travel with family. Some kids even listed the Green Mountain Audubon Center as one of their favorite places.
It is important to protect the outdoor spaces we love not only for us and our enjoyment, but also for the plants and animals that need those ecosystems to thrive. We started the discussion by reading The Lorax by Dr. Suess. After reading the book we discussed what the Once-ler and the Lorax could have done differently to reach their goals while also protecting the land. We brainstormed that the Once-ler could have planted more trees as he cut some down, cleaned up the water and the air, and used renewable energy. The Lorax could have been kinder in how he talked to the Once-ler because no one wants to do what they are told when the teller is yelling or being unkind.
Leave No Trace is an initiative started in the 1960s and 70s as outdoor recreation in public lands became more popular. The Leave No Trace Principles are as follows:
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Others
© Leave No Trace: www.LNT.org
These are guidelines for how we can best care for our outdoor places from national parks to our own backyard. At UnSchool we leave no trace by wearing appropriate clothing for the weather, walking on trails and being careful of plants when walking off trail, picking up our trash, leaving rocks and sticks in the woods, building fires in a fire pit or a tin, being gentle with the animals we catch, and giving space to other visitors who may walk by.
All year long we have been learning about the ecosystem at the Green Mountain Audubon Center. The kids decided that a great way to give back to the land and explore a new space would be to pick up trash along the River Trail across the street. This is a space that was impacted by last summer's flooding. We grabbed gloves and a giant trash bag and started on our adventure. Everyone was determined to pick up all the trash and I was impressed at how much they got. Even when we stopped by a rocky beach to free play, kids kept coming back over with more trash. We also practiced Leave No Trace during free play by making a rock museum of all the coolest rocks we found instead of taking them with us.
After lunch, some families arrived and joined us to look for critters by the pond, one of the kids’ favorite activities. We found a garter snake, leeches, pickerel frogs, green frogs, minnows, dragonfly larvae, and eastern newts.
This year of UnSchool has been so fun and the kids have all been wonderful. I can’t wait to see what we do next year!
