*Figuring it out for yourself rather than being told leads to much deeper learning...but you have to be plugged in
*Clethra blossoms rubbed with water create sweet smelling "soap"
*multiple animals/insects use one tree and the remains of the activities of the other critters: White pine host tree for carpenter ants (which taste lemony because of <formic> acid, bite their heads off so they don't bite you on the way down!). The carpenter ants hollow out the tree and attract woodpeckers. Woodpecker activity allow other cavity nesters like flying squirrels in. Then, scarab beetles lay eggs in the decaying dung of the other critters.
GOLD THREAD
I learned to ID and uses for more forest plants today. My two favorites were the clethra flower 'soap' and using gold thread roots as a tea or just chewing them numbs the mouth if you have canker sores etc. Dan, our forest guide for the day, reminded me of the wintergreen/birch beer flavor of the black birch twigs. Tom Lee told me he makes a tea from the branches. I'll have to collect some at BHW to give it a try. I'm going to start taking plant samples and IDing them. Saw some stuff that looked like burdet growing. Does burdet grow wild here?
Came to class today dehydrated and headachy. Big learning morning: No fun, won't do that again.
The KWL (Know/Wonder/Learned) exercise was an eyeopener...I need to review the carbon cycle! I've forgotten so much! The range of knowledge and holes in knowledge throughout the class was incredible. Powerful lesson in understanding where everyone is coming from and with different levels of understanding.
KWL charts are effective pre-assessments which help the teacher modify the learning experience for the students so that the material is appropriate for them. I found it very useful for our carbon cycle diagram analysis activity.
ReplyDeleteI too found the pine tree lesson one of the most interesting that day. The progression over time was really interesting because each succeeding animal wouldn't have been able to utilize the tree had the previous animal not been there. It really showed how interconnected everything is. I was also surprised by the wide range of knowledge about Carbon in class, it just reinforced the need to not to assume that everyone knows the background knowledge already (an important lesson as a teacher for sure!)
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