By: Patrick Troyer, Paulding SWCD
The final bells for summer vacation may have rung way back in May, but for many Paulding County students, the learning has not stopped. Visitors and students at the Paulding County Fair, Ann’s Bright Beginnings preschool, Paulding County Libraries, and Paulding County Board of DD Summer Enrichment Program have enjoyed learning about many great things about the outdoors all summer long. Some topics covered included fossils, rocks, weather, frogs, composting, pollinators, and even a scavenger hunt at the Black Swamp Nature Center! Here are some of our summertime highlights.
Let us first start with the Paulding County Library’s “Libraries Rock” summer program. Visitors to the Paulding, Payne, and Antwerp locations enjoyed learning all about rocks. Visitors learned that there are three types of rocks that we discuss that are igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock. Rocks have “ingredients” or building blocks that make them up known as minerals. Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic materials made up of only one material, which gives them the appearance of only one color. Several minerals come together to make rocks and giving rocks the multi-color appearance that they have. The different minerals make rocks up is one of the things we can use in the process of identifying them.
Rocks are identified by four different means. They are identified by their texture or how they feel as some will be smooth or some will be rough. Color is also used as each rock will have a different color based on the minerals that came together to make it up. Each rock is going to have its own unique weight and hardness that helps in identification. Hardness describes the fact of how easily the surface can be scratched; some will easily scratch which indicates a low hardness while some will not scratch indicating a high hardness. Lastly, the size of the rock particles are used to identify rocks. These skills were put to the test as everyone took on the job of a geologist, the scientist who studies rocks, to identify “rock candy”. Even though it was candy, everyone was able to analyze their sample by looking at the picture and description provided to identify the “candy bar” or rock being described.
Students in the Paulding County Board of DD summer program enjoyed a nice morning at the Black Swamp Nature Center where they took part in a scavenger hunt through the trails. There were many items for everyone to find on their list as they ventured through the trails! Some items for everyone to identify included: simple/compound leaves, birdhouse, squirrel nest, creek dam, deer tracks, two types of tree bark, and a buckeye tree just to name a few. Other items, they could not find but had to utilize their senses such as listening for one minute and describing the sounds they hear and observing the water to see if they find anything living in it such as frogs or macroinvertebrates. There is a lot to see when we venture outdoors and everyone had a great time!
Once again this summer, the summer program students at Ann’s Bright Beginnings Preschool enjoyed learning about a variety of topics that included owl pellets, weather, frogs, pollinators, vermicomposting, and water pollution to name a few. One favorite of the students is learning all bout owls and owl pellets! Did you know that owls could produce up to two pellets per day based on the amount of food that they consume? Everyone was amazed to learn this fact and so many other cool ones about our owls! Owl pellets are the non-digestible portions of the owl’s meal such as bones and feathers that are collected and formed into pellets. The owls were very hungry as there was many skulls found of various rodents, hipbones, ribs, along with many more!
Another favorite among the kids is the frog program. This program centers itself around the four important habitat components that all living things need in order to survive which are food, water, shelter, and space. Did you know that frogs get 50% of the oxygen they need to survive through their nose but rely on the other half of their oxygen by soaking up water through their skin? This is one of many interesting facts that students learn participating in this program. As part of this program, each student is transformed into a frog and is given a party blowout with a Velcro end to represent the frog’s tongue in an activity called “Don’t Croak”. Students are instructed that frogs do not use their legs to capture food and other needs, so students cannot use their hands only their tongue (party blowout) to capture their prey along with their water, shelter, and space. Will all the frogs get what they need to survive?
As you can see, the learning continues throughout the summer even though school was not in session. Do any of these programs or perhaps another sound good to you? Give the Paulding SWCD a call at 419-399-4771 or email patrick.troyer@pauldingswcd.org and see what we can do for you!
