Getting Back to Nature

By Dan Edmiston In My Own Words

The E.A. Harrold APEX and Environmental Club students went on an all-day field trip to Reelfoot Lake on Feb. 17.

The day started by meeting at 6 a.m. at the E. A. Harrold campus and loading a charter bus. The bus was paid for by donations from parents, grandparents and local businesses.

When we arrived at Reelfoot Lake, it began to snow and continued to snow off and on the rest of the day. It made our day even more festive.

The students were met by Kim Crews from the University of Tennessee at Martin. A grant from the state of Tennessee to increase interest in science for elementary school children provided funding for several hands-on activities.

The students began by setting up an experiment on photosynthesis.

A fish identification activity with real fish that had been frozen was made by using a book.

We drove to several lookout areas to see wildlife and hoped to spot some eagles. We did see one eagle in flight while on the bus.

We had a family-style dinner at a local restaurant and returned to the nature center for a presentation of Save Our American Raptors (SOAR) given by Mr. and Mrs. John Stokes. SOAR is a program with live raptors that were trained to fly over the audience. It was an amazing experience for everyone.

We had a total of 45 students and parents who attended this fun, educational field trip. We arrived home safe and sound at 10:15 p.m.

Dan Edmiston is a teacher at E. A. Harrold Elementary.

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