5th Grade - 1st Day of Nature Class - September 8, 2011

http://oakcircle.org/program/field-study/
At the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve Visitor Center in Murrieta
In this unique field study program, students will keep nature journals documenting their immersion into the unique and beautiful local natural setting of the Santa Rosa Plateau. This interdisciplinary class will combine science, art, and poetry as we practice the scientific and artistic skills of observation, pattern recognition, problem solving, experimentation, and thinking by analogy in our writing and observational drawing. Students will practice naturalist skills as they learn to identify plants and animals and gain an understanding of the interconnections of species within ecological communities.  We will immerse ourselves in an appreciation of natural surroundings and of poetic language and creative self-expression, and gain insights into the natural history of the Plateau. As artists and writers, students will develop creative expression along with a deep sense of personal connection to the natural resources and setting.