MIFFLINBURG -- It couldn't have been a better day for six-year-old Evan Welliver to see how nature produces a collage of shapes and colors.
With near-perfect weather, the Liberty-Valley Elementary School pupil recently took advantage of the picturesque landscape at R.B. Winter State Park in Union County to explore how plants grow and animals live in their forest habitat.
He, and his fellow first-grade classmates, spent a day recently learning about nature and expanding on what they had learned in class so far this year.
"My favorite thing has been finding as many leaves as I can," Evan said. "It's fun seeing all the different types of leaves."
While at the park, the pupils had lessons on flowers and leaves, visited the nature center and played games testing their what they had learned.
"We learned how seeds find food and grow into plants," said Nicholas Markle, 6, as he prepared for a lesson on flowers. "I like how we can find all kinds of leaves in the woods and see all different shapes and sizes. I didn't know there were this many leaves."
Pupils also went on a nature walk around the lake and down a stream, where they discovered a water spring, trout feeding in the creek and several species of plants growing in the forest.
"We do a big plant (educational) unit in school during the fall," said Mary Levitski, first-grade teacher. "We cover leaves, seeds, and include lessons on apples and pumpkins.
"Coming out here is a great way to see nature. The students see how the real world relates to things we learn in the classroom."
One of the fun activities pupils enjoyed was competing in a leaf relay, where they raced in teams matching as many types of leaves as they could.
Such leaves included sugar maple, witch hazel and red oak. Other examples were compound leaves like those found on a mountain ash tree, leaves with smooth edges and leaves with toothed edges.
"I like when we learn stuff in a fun way," said Alana Urban, 6, who was studying the different rubber casts of animal paws at the nature center. "This is fun, because you get to see and touch things, and see things move."
Angie Lankford, first-grade teacher, said pupils learn more effectively when they can apply what they see in the classroom to the outside world.
"You can have students learn about things with pictures, books, and by bringing examples into the classroom," Mrs. Lankford said. "But when they go outside and explore, they get a better handle on things you talk about."
Getting an opportunity to have class out in the warm sun and seeing nature come alive was the highlight of the trip for many of the pupils.
"I liked it when we were just walking around trying to find all that we could in nature," said Izabella Hanna, 6. "It was neat to learn about all the of the stuff outside. It was great that we just didn't sit around."
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First-graders study science from the outside
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