The third grade classes from Webutuck Elementary School spent the morning of Wednesday, October 19 at the Etkin Enviromental Center on Maplebrook’s west campus.  Students interning in child care from the Institute for Collegiate and Career Studies helped the Webutuck students complete their Color Walk project which included tallying the different colors they saw in the outdoor classroom in order to graph them for math.  After exploring all the outdoor classroom had to offer, students took turns reading a piece explaining why leaves change color in the fall.

On Tuesday, October 25, the Etkin Environmental Center hosted the morning and afternoon pre-K for a similar Color Walk, seed sorting and reading to them about the environment.  Finally, on October 26, sixty students from the first grade enjoyed a color walk, seed sorting and reading about gardening.

For each group, upon arrival, ICCS educational director, Scott Miller toured the students and teachers though the environmental center, explained the gardening program, walked them through the hiking trails and ending up in the outdoor classroom.  After the lessons, each student from each group took home dried sunflower seeds to plant in the spring.

The Institute’s focus is on experiential learning and this was ever present for the young students visiting.  The Webutuck classes plan to return in the spring to kick off more projects such as studying the frogs at the environmental center’s pond.