Tuesday, May 13, 2014

LSU AgCenter Botanic Garden at Burden

On Tuesday, May 13th we had a field trip to LSU AgCenters Botanic Garden at Burden.  We participated in the program called “Trees and Trails.”  We started with an ice breaker and then split into 3 groups that hiked the short trail.  Along the trail we stopped for 3 hands-on/interactive stations:  Tree Cookies, Life on the Edge, and Invasive Species.  After the short hike/learning stations, we broke for lunch.  Then, those of us who wanted to stay went on a guided hike on the long trail (1 1/4 mile).  As we were coming back from the hike, we had an afternoon shower that caught us.   

About the Stations:

Tree Cookies - Students learn about resources that trees need to live, how trees compete for resources, and how to read tree rings.

Life on the Edge - Students learn that habitat loss is the primary reason for the loss of species through a game a game called Habitat Scramble in which each student plays the part of an animal that loses its habitat.

Invasive Species - Students learn how invasive species disrupt life cycles, through the example of the Chinese Privet and the story of the European Starling and the Eastern Bluebird.

No comments: