Embedded Files
It's Planting Time!
It's Planting Time!
May 15, 2025
May 15, 2025
THANK YOU for a wonderful year!
THANK YOU for a wonderful year!
We hope everyone enjoyed the variety of nature-related experiences! Our goal is for each student to find a topic or interest area that they could continue to explore and develop in their own backyard and community spaces.
Students planted their own vegetable seeds and flowers to take home.
We then provided support to the school's garden by pulling all the maple saplings that were growing in the garden beds. There was a friendly competition held to find the most intact saplings, the tallest sapling, and the sapling with the longest roots!
Too much fun to handle!
Milkweed Soup
Milkweed Soup
April 17, 2025
April 17, 2025
Mrs. Murphy treated the class to a tasting of homemade milkweed soup, made from pods she had gathered in the spring and a variety of herbs found in our very own Habitat Discovery Garden. Many students enjoyed the soup, even asking for seconds!
Students also received a small bag of milkweed seeds to plant to start or enhance their own gardens and natural spaces at home.
We finished our meeting by revisiting the bulbs we had planted in the fall and taking a moment to enjoy the sunshine and green grass around the school.
FREE BACKYARD WILDLIFE GUIDEBOOKS from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
FREE BACKYARD WILDLIFE GUIDEBOOKS from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
CLICK HERE to download the PDF field guides
Maple Syrup: From Tapping to Tasting
Maple Syrup: From Tapping to Tasting
March 20, 2025
March 20, 2025
The club looks forward to our annual visit by guest speaker, Mrs. Irene Workman of SugarBridge Farms. She taught us all about the process of maple syrup making, from knowing when to tap and how to collect the sap, all the way to the boiling and bottling stages. Of course we had to sample some of the finished product too!
Tapping earlier in season creates a lighter syrup, while a later collection results in a darker amber color. Students did a taste test to see which they preferred (the vote determined that they enjoy any and all colors of syrup!)
Mrs. Workman also talked about the different things you can use and make with maple syrup. Students took turns stirring a pot of maple fudge candy!
Connecting to Nature... Indoors!
Connecting to Nature... Indoors!
February 20, 2025
February 20, 2025
Even though the weather outside is frightful, the indoors can still be delightful!
Students experimented with natural dyes made from blueberries, cherries, and turmeric on a variety of fabrics.
While our dyes dried, our guest yoga instructor-in-training, Miss Ballinger, lead us through a series of poses to relax and focus on our bodies and breathing.
Who Made Those Tracks?
Who Made Those Tracks?
**January 16th meeting has been RESCHEDULED for January 23rd due to the snow day**
Winter is the perfect time to observe who may be walking through your yard and discover the habits or patterns of those animals!
How can you tell if the animal is predator or prey?
Where might they be going?
Borrowing materials from the Wayne SWCD, students were also able to make casts of various Ohio wildlife. Then, they put their knowledge to the test by identifying animal tracks with a partner.
ODNR Footprints Guide.pdf
Winter Bird Feeders
Winter Bird Feeders
December 19, 2024
December 19, 2024
After testing their Ohio bird call knowledge, students created simple bird feeders to feed the birds that overwinter in Ohio.
One method involves stringing Cheerios on a pipe cleaner that can be hung on a branch or shepherd's hook (be sure to refill or throw away the wire when it is empty).
Another method uses pine cones covered with peanut butter and rolled in bird seed.
Bird watching/identification apps: Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab , Audubon Bird Guide
OSU/ATI Bug Zoo
OSU/ATI Bug Zoo
November 21, 2024
November 21, 2024
A "BUG" THANK YOU to Jeni and Carrie from the United Titanium Bug Zoo for their fun and informative presentation!
The UTBZ is housed on the OSU ATI campus next to the Shisler Center. Check out their site for more information and hours to schedule your own visit! ---> BUG ZOO
Students conducted a "taste preference" experiment with the cockroaches.
Everyone was having a great time, facing their fears and even making some new friends!
Getting familiar with a giant millipede
Blue Death Feigning Beetles were an interesting study in defense mechanisms.
Various species of walking sticks were a crowd favorite!
Planting Fall Bulbs and Exploring Fall Leaves
Planting Fall Bulbs and Exploring Fall Leaves
October 17, 2024
October 17, 2024
The NES Habitat Discovery Garden got quite a makeover over the summer months, thinning out and even removing some plants from areas where they were no longer beneficial. (Thank you Terri Hall, Jackie Leatherman, and all volunteers!) This means that the Conservation Club and all the NES classrooms have the opportunity to grow some new things in the garden!
Club members spent this afternoon planting white narcissus (daffodils) and red tulips in various areas around the garden space. We are excited to see them grow in the spring!
We also took advantage of the beautiful weather to explore more of our surroundings. Students worked with partners to find and identify different trees (and fallen leaves) around the school campus.
Catch Basin Stenciling
Catch Basin Stenciling
October 9, 2024
October 9, 2024
Employees from the Wayne Soil & Water Conservation District called on the assistance of our group to stencil "Dump No Waste - Drains to Stream" notices around the gutters [catch basins] in the elementary parking lot. Students learned where these drains end up and were challenged to help educate others about being mindful of waste and trash near storms drains, including things like grass, leaves, and sticks.
Report abuse