Wetlands Outdoor Education

What I learnt during the quick wetland tour: - there are turtles living in the wetland - skunks are the main predator for goose eggs - insects get plants to grow a home that the insects can live in the growth -we saw a decomposing muskrat. We could tell it was a muskrat because of it’s long teeth that are used to chew cattails. - lady slipper flowers are related to orchids

Today our grade 10 class went canoeing. I saw that you have to hold on to the gunwales and keep low while getting on the canoe, otherwise you will be unstable. We practiced j-strokes. J-strokes help keep your canoe go in a straight line without having to switch sides to paddle on. We also learnt to brake by holding the paddle still vertically in the water. We then learnt to raft up, which means that all the canoes come together and hold on to the canoes beside you. For the first part I started to paddle in the stern then we switched and I paddled in the bow of the canoe. We also learnt about hyperventilating and the rule 1-10-1, which stands for you will hyperventilate for 1 minutes, you have 10 minutes to get to shore, and 1 hour to stay conscious. I enjoyed the canoeing and me and my partner did pretty well. For our moving water canoeing next time Mr. Coulson said to bring a windbreaker jacket, extra clothes in a waterproof bag, something to get the water out of the canoe.

May 4th 2018, the Grade 10 Outdoor Ed class tested the water from the Wetland Centre of Excellence. We tested/recorded: -water depth -water temperature  -oxygen in the water by adding chemicals -pH level by using a sonde machine pH=7.2 -calibration by using a sonde machine -ammonia in the water by adding certain chemicals -phosphate in the water by adding certain chemicals -transparency by using a transparency tube Overall the water tests brought good results, although there was some 

Freeman Tilden made some principles to help others do their best to interpret successfully. These principles can be summarized to relate to audience, reveal information about the topic, be a combination of many arts, provoke interest in the topic, and be a part of a greater whole. When interpreting you should: 1. Try to relate to your audience. Consider the age, group make-up, and if they are local or not . By knowing this you can determine how you can relate what you are teaching to their personal experiences. Answer questions that are most commonly asked or questions that may be about the general area, such as what trees are common to that area because you will be seeing a lot of them throughout your interpretation. 2. Next you should reveal information about the topic. Try to do this in an interesting way that your audience will remember, such as using a metaphor or a simile. For example you could compare a ducks feet to swimming flippers and ask you audience how the flippers ma...

Here are some projects I made about wetlands: Importance of Wetlands Presentation-  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14sx-z3V6nwi8IDf2dbV6tkNLcedHiMK8BqL8HTMPeP0 Wetland Infographic-  https://create.piktochart.com/output/29644324-wetlands

Yesterday during a presentation given by the Oak Hammock Marsh I learnt about the four main parts of a wetland. The four main parts are water, soil, forestry, and wildlife. I learnt that a wetland is usually around 2 meters deep, and if it is deeper than that, it is concidered a lake. I learnt that cutting down trees, draining wetlands, and letting cattle near water can lead to unhealthy watersheds.  There are three layers of soil including topsoil, subsoil, and a layer of parent material. We heard bird sounds and matched them with the bird they belong to. I learnt that unlike other birds the Mourning Dove sounds sad, which is how it got it’s name. We also counted the rings of a tree to find out how many years old it was and we measured the diameter of a tree. We also identified water bugs and learned how to count the rings of a fish structure. Other activities also included scat identification, fur identification, track identification, deciduous twig identification, and coniferous...

What is interpretation? Interpretation is a way of teaching people about something, but not just so they remember, so that they understand and care about what you are teaching them about. Through interpretation people should get first hand experience with objects they can see. It is important for your audience to see, hear, and most importantly do what you are teaching. Freeman Tilden wrote a book called “Interpreting Our Heritage”, which is a book about interpretation. The most important outcome that you should be looking for while interpreting is a respect, interest, and love of nature from your audience.