Pine Grove had a visitor today that came and spoke wisdom to the kids and helped them make real-life connections to what we've been learning in class.
Our classes have started a unit on Ecology and this goes along well with what Mr. Grant spoke about. He shared about his experiences and his wisdom that he's gained from living in this area all of his life.
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| Coyote Attacking Doe and Fawn |
Because his family depended on wildlife and gardening for food, he is very familiar with fishing, hunting, foraging and working. He grew up with his grandparents nearby so he was able to learn from them as well as his own experiences.
The deer population in our area has had few predators since humans displaced them. We've been the predator for a while but now coyotes are starting to move in more heavily. Mr. Cliff said that species like coyotes and armadillos were no where to be seen when he was growing up but that they've 1.) moved into this area over time and/or 2.) been introduced as a new animal to be hunted.
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| Controlled fires limit damage of forest fires |
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| Okefenokee fire causing damage |
Another connection to our curriculum that Mr. Cliff spoke about was abiotic factors that affect animals in this area. He specifically spoke about fires and what he's learned fighting and observing forest fires. Depending on certain factors, wild fires can be a force for good that rejuvenates an area or a destroyer that destroys both natural and man-made assets. Mr. Cliff explained that they do controlled burning so that, when a wildfire sparks, it will not have very far to go until it runs out of fuel like fallen limbs and leaves.
Thanks to Mr. Cliff and the Langdale Company, our kids were able to see even more clearly outside our school into a place where learning has a benefit. If students can't understand why they need to learn something, then it is difficult to spend the time to learn it. This is true whether you are 6 or 60. Mr. Cliff made Ecology a little bit better to understand and also share some non-curricular wisdom alongside it.
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| 2nd Academic Science Students |
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| 1st Academic Science Students |
