Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
GVNCP: Nature Classes Fall 2023
- Teacher: Zoe Elrick 269-612-8172
- galienvalley@gmail.com
- Galien Valley website
- Format: In-person or Zoom, depending on class
- Ages: 5+
- Please email instructor that you signed up for these classes.***
Habitats and Wildlife
- Locations: Fernwood Botanical Gardens 13988 Range Line Road, Niles, MI 49120 entrance fee covered during class time only
and - Warren Dunes State Park 12032 Red Arrow Hwy, Sawyer, MI 49125 (requires paid admission- not paid for by the partnership)
- Sundays, 1 to 5 PM, Sun, Sept 17 to Oct 8
or - Wednesdays, Noon to 2 PM, Wed, Sept 20 to Nov 8
Description: Class is all outdoors. Dress for weather. Class will not be indoors. This class is both informative and fun! Come enjoy Fernwood, explore its natural habitats - it’s prairies, woodlands, and wetlands. Plus, visit Warren Dunes and its lake and dunes, for 4 hours of class. Learn about nature through a variety of hands-on nature-exploration skills and 4 habitats. Bring the family and a blanket, it’s a family picnic style class. One or two parents (or adult relatives) must attend class with student(s) ages 10 and younger, per family.
One or two parents (or adult relatives) may attend class with student(s) ages 11 and older, per family. The parents / adult relatives are to help guide their kid(s) along nature trails. Along nature trails, there will be designated spots for each family to take turns to stop at, to do a brief nature activity with their kid(s). Unaccompanied students ages 11 and up will be paired up with each other, along the nature trails. Habitats and Wildlife Topics include: Southwest Michigan local habitats; Prairies; Lake and Dunes; Woodlands; and Wetlands; Nature Journal; Deep-Sensing Nature; Tracking and Awareness; Plant Identification; and Local Plants and Animals. Plus, each class day, students get to enjoy the features, plants, animals, and nature at Fernwood. During each class, students will be outdoors, studying nature. Habitats and Wildlife – 4 Habitat Units are Prairies; Lake and Dunes; Wetlands; and Woodlands.
(Required) Required to bring to class (provided by student/family):
- Blanket(s) large enough for whole family.
- Dress for outdoor weather.
- Bring a mask, optional to regularly wear, but we may use it in a nature activity.
- Water Bottle, 3-ring binder, paper, pencil.
- Warren Dunes State Park requires a pass, a “recreation passport” (annual park pass). If you do not already have a pass, it costs about $18 per vehicle, for student/family to pay upon arrival at park.
Optional Materials (provided by student/family) Suggested optional stuff to bring:
- color pencils, pens, markers, hat, snacks, camera.
Backyard Nature Zoom
- Location: virtual on Zoom
- Thursdays, 12:30 to 2:30 PM, Thurs, Sept 21 to Nov 9
Description: Class is mostly outdoors. Dress for weather. This class is both informative and fun! Spend time outdoors. Explore your own backyard. This is an outdoor class, a nature class, and a show-n-tell class. On Zoom, talk with classmates about nature in your backyard. Share natural features of your backyard, including trees, leaves, bugs, worms, sticks, etc. with the teacher and fellow students on Zoom. The teacher will help you to figure out what is in your backyard, and how to learn more about nature in your backyard and beyond. Learn about nature through a variety of hands-on nature-exploration skills.
Recommended: during class, at least for the first few days of class, parents to assist students, that are under age 12.
Backyard Nature Zoom Topics include: Studying your backyard. Nature Journal; 5-Senses; Deep-Sensing Nature; Nature Games; Tracking and Awareness; Michigan Native Local Plants and Animals; Phenology; Maps; Big Scale features, such as trees; Small-Scale creatures, such as ants; Plant Identification; Leaf Collections; Backyard Nature Stewardship; and more.
(Required) Required to bring to class (provided by student/family):
- Smart phone, iPad, and or computer (laptop or desktop) with Zoom software. (Most people find the smart phone the most handy to bring and use outdoors.)
- Dress for outdoor weather in your backyard.
- Water Bottle.
- Digital camera or smart phone to take outdoor photos. Be able to email about 4 photos to instructor, each week. Photos are not necessarily taken every day of class, but it's good to be prepared.
- Printer to print out sheets nature activities.
Every week, print 3 new sheets, before the class period starts on Thursday. - clipboard
- 3-ring binder for nature journal and a hole puncher
- lined paper 8.5 x 11”
- unlined paper 8.5 x 11” (printer paper)
- tracing paper 8.5 x 11” (25 sheets)
- pencils
- colored pencils
- colored pens
- markers
- optional: hat, snacks, picnic blanket, etc.
Michigan Nature
- Locations: Dewey Cannon Park, Behind 14 Maple Street, Three Oaks, MI 49128
and - Watkins Park, 599 W Locust Street, Three Oaks, MI 49128
and - Harbert Community Park, 13411 Red Arrow Highway, Harbert, MI 49115
Tuesdays, 2 to 4 PM, Tues, Sept 19 to Nov 7
Description: Class is all outdoors. Dress for weather. Class will not be indoors. This class is both informative and fun! Come enjoy the Three Oaks area, explore its parks, native plants, and wildlife, and play nature games. Learn about nature through a variety of hands-on nature-exploration skills, nature journaling, games, mapping, and nature crafts. Bring the family and a blanket, it’s a family picnic style class.
One or two parents (or adult relatives) must attend class with student(s) ages 10 and younger, per family. One or two parents (or adult relatives) may attend class with student(s) ages 11 and older, per family. A parent is to help guide his / her kid(s) along nature trails to do nature activities. Also, a parent may be needed to help his / her kid(s) make nature crafts or play nature games. Unaccompanied students ages 11 and up may be paired up with each other to help each other.
Michigan Nature Topics include: Michigan nature, Native Plants, Native Animals, Woods and Water; Nature Journal; Deep-Sensing Nature; Tracking and Awareness; Mapping; and Nature Crafts. During each class, students will be outdoors, playing nature games and studying nature.
(Required) Required to bring to class (provided by student/family):
- Blanket(s) large enough for whole family.
- Dress for outdoor weather.
- Bring a mask, optional to regularly wear, but we may use it in a nature activity.
- Water Bottle, 3-ring binder, paper, pencil.
Optional Materials (provided by student/family) Suggested optional stuff to bring:
- color pencils, pens, markers, hat, snacks, camera.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Tom Hurst
