The fourth and fifth grades ventured to Stevens Point, WI last week for their first class trip together!

They lodged in a simple county park structure complete with a toasty wood stove. The beautiful, wooded surroundings provided a lovely backdrop to hike, play and explore. Fifth grade especially enjoyed our nature hikes as the woods were the perfect place to hunt and discover many of the plants we studied in our Botany block, including ferns, lichen, moss, and many species of trees. From one hiking spot we could look out and count 8 different species of trees!

The fourth graders were able to use the wealth of information learned in our Human and Animal block to enjoy the highlight of our trip: visiting a raptor research center which nets, bands, and studies saw-whet owls. Mrs. Westlund was proud of the students as they interacted with the director of the center, Gene Jacobs, answering many of his questions about owls. *Do you know how far an owl can turn its head? **How many times more vertebrae does an owl have in its neck, compared to a human? Each student was able to hold a tiny owl for an up-close experience of this beautiful animal. The evening concluded with our class accompanying Mr. Jacobs outside to the woodland edge where together, we released an owl back to its habitat. It was a very memorable experience for all!

Many thanks to our parent chaperones, Rob and Nicole Sherman and Jen Nichols for joining us on the trip, and to Rob and Nicole Sherman, Jen Nichols and Luisa Turnbull for the many wonderful photos!

*270 degrees!
**Owls have twice as many vertebrae as humans!