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 Two young Madrona scientists sample water temperature on the shoreline of Lake Washington. Photo by Tim Stetter In October, more than 120 middle school students from three Seattle Public Schools participated in field programs at Magnuson Park. Whether in pouring rain, balmy sunshine, or chilling wind, the MOLL students and instructors stayed focused, contributed valuable work to the park, and had a blast.
Each program featured new innovations in both Science and Restoration.
A new science activity guided students in quantifying the differences in number of invertebrates on native versus non-native plants. Students made hypotheses, identified plants, performed consistent trials, recorded data, analyzed results, and described their conclusions. Along the way, they also observed tiny spiders, shiny metallic beetles, moths, ants, and leafhoppers of all colors.
Restoration featured a new team challenge. Guided by six EarthCorps interns, teams of five to seven students worked together to first construct the tallest pile of clipped blackberry and then to pull the most blackberry roots. One intern acted as referee, and he kept time, measured the results, and tallied the total points. The friendly excitement of this team challenge not only warmed up cold hands and promoted cooperation, but also resulted in a lot of work!
One new school for this year is Alternative School #1. Led by teacher Maggie Staveley, the students enjoyed a sunny and productive day in the field. "We had a great time," says Maggie. "I was impressed with the organization, quick pace of the day and the easy way the Earth Corps folks connected with my students. The students were really jazzed about the day - and we all look forward to follow up visits."
Check out these great photos from our fall programs at Magnuson, and stay tuned for a winter update!
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With workgloves and tools, a restoration team from Madrona poses after removing invasive plants. Photo by Tim Stetter |
A young scientist from AS#1 performs an invertebrate count by swishing a native plant and watching for insects falling onto his clipboard. Photo by Tim Stetter |
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After sampling for invertebrates, an AS#1 student records data on her collection sheet. Photo by Tim Stetter |
A view from Kite Hill in Magnuson Park shows Lake Washington and the North Cascade Mountains. Photo by Tim Stetter |
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