China school to hold eighth forest day

by Anita Smith

On May 29, the entire student body, staff members of China Primary and Middle schools took to the woods for Forest Day 2015. They were joined by many parents and community members for a fun-filled day of activities and lessons by over 30 volunteer presenters. Volunteers represented many different groups including the Maine Forest Service, Project Learning Tree, The Society of American Foresters, Maine Master Naturalists and other friends of the school forest.

The day began around 6:30 a.m., as presenters began arriving at school for the big day. After the various presenters were shown to their activity locations, the students, staff and parent helpers ventured outside to begin the day. Each group of students participated in 5-7 different activities throughout the day. Most activity sessions lasted about 30 minutes, allowing students and staff to participate in a wide variety of lessons. Students returned to the schools for lunch and recess and then headed back into the forest for additional activities before their final dismissal at the end of the day.

Activities at the primary level included learning about the functions of various tree parts by making “edible trees” and identifying wild flowers including lady slippers near the primary school pavilion. Students listened to a story about fairy houses and then tried their hand at building their own fairy houses using small branches, rocks, pinecones and other natural items from the forest. Other activity sessions focused on recycling and worm farming, eating healthy snacks and living an active lifestyle, and discovering plants and animals in the forest near the school. Smokey Bear made an appearance to teach the students about preventing forest fires and caring for our forest lands.

For students in grades 3-6, several groups learned about tick safety and how to protect oneself from tick-borne illness. Another session taught about adaptations as students used various household items to simulate bird beaks while trying to catch different types of “food” items. They learned it’s not easy being a bird!

Students got down on the ground to create “mini-kingdom” sketches of the forest floor and learned to identify some of the plants found in the forest. Students were able to observe some safe tree cutting techniques and climb onto a skidder. Catching pond life with dip nets was a popular station. The kids found dragonfly nymphs, leeches, salamanders and water beetles. Painted turtles watched from a distance while sunning themselves on a floating log and frogs also kept a safe distance from the nets. Other sessions focused on basic camping survival skills, learning about the life of a tree by counting its tree rings and doing comparative field studies of several habitats within the school forest.

Activities for the older students included studying soil samples, searching for soil contamination from the “Acme Lemonade Factory” and practicing their map and compass skills. Several active games had students role play birds searching for “worms” in a camouflage game and others role playing the challenges faced by Atlantic Salmon as they migrate upstream. Students were able to learn about the new alewive initiative for China Lake as well as hear stories about the old logging days as part of Maine’s history. Other sessions included role playing forest management strategies, measuring tree heights and diameters, learning how to do a forest inventory and discuss the benefits and challenges of various types of forest management.

China Schools can be proud of their school forest. It is a model for school forests around our state. In the past, visitors have participated in the forest day activities and have then implemented their own forest days using China school as a model in Litchfield, Belfast, Portland, Gorham and others. Visitors this year from western Maine and Wayne want to start their own forest field days.

In all, over 450 students, plus staff and community members participated in the day. Over 35 people volunteered their time to bring hands-on learning to the students. It was a glorious, sunny day with a mild breeze to keep the bugs away. Based on feedback from the kids, they had a few requests. More of them wanted to build fairy houses and participate in the pond studies. They loved the active games and activities. They wanted more time outside. Many of them commented that they didn’t want to go inside at the end of the day. Staff even commented on how much they learned about our forest. One of the most frequent comments from students was that they wished we held Forest Day every year. Based on the abundant smiles, it was a very good day to take to the woods!

To learn more about summer day camps, family and community walks, maintenance work days and other school forest events, visit our facebook page: China School’s Forest-China, Maine or contact Anita Smith at chinaschoolsforest@gmail.com.