Posts tagged ‘ground water’
Bubble bubble toil and trouble: Dealing with fear
To see this spring in action go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySNSemVYs8. Visit www.pheasantbranch.org to learn more about this amazing place.
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s important to remember that nature can be scary for kids.
The heart of the Pheasant Branch Creek Nature Preserve in Middleton is a huge spring. Water boils up from the ground and looks like a cauldron of boiling water and sand. The spring intrigued the K-5th grade kids we took there on September 25th and even scared some.
“It looks like quick sand.”
“What would happen if I fell in?”
“How is it doing that?”
To Sue, it was all too much.
“I’m scared,” she quietly said to me.
This was her first trip with us. I explained that we were safe on the overlook platform and that the water wasn’t going to hurt us. In fact, the water helps us by feeding the creek and providing water to animals and plants. Still, she wasn’t so sure. We stayed on the platform for a bit longer, ate some snack, and then moved on.
This scene reminded of a trip two years ago where two different girls covered their heads when I pointed out a red-tailed hawk.
“It’s going to eat me,” they cried.
I realized then that kids need teachers to help them understand both the beauty and power of nature. Nature can be scary, but it’s also amazing and awe-inspiring. Yes, hawk talons can kill, but not people. And yes, a person could drown in the spring, but not if you stay on the platform. Teaching kids to respect nature while at the same time enjoying nature is simply part of life. There are risks with everything and too often kids are sheltered from life’s real risks.
That’s why these trips are so important for kids. They may get scared, but then they learn. Fear can be transf0rmed into awe.
Kids who experience fear and overcome it are better equipped to handle what life has to throw at them. And that’s a good thing. Everybody gets scared, but that doesn’t keep us from doing the things we want to do.
What are you doing today to help kids overcome their fears?
Diane Schwartz is the Outdoor Education Specialist at the Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin. You can contact her at getkidsoutside@gmail.com. To get a free 11 page bubble activity guide, just register for this blog on the home page. The guide is full of indoor and outdoor activities that you can do with kids.
Frogs in the Spring House & other Tales from Blue Mound State Park
The view from the picnic area at Blue Mound State Park.
The spring house at Blue Mound State Park is a pre-park relic. All that remains is the 8 x 10 x 4 foot concrete foundation, built by John Minix, the former landowner at the park. The spring once provided water for native people, farmers, and for the swimming pool, located just downstream.
This was a highlight of our adventure to Blue Mound State Park on November 21, 2009. The temperatures were in the 50s, the sun was shining, and the kids were great. We had ten kids in grades Kindergarten to third grade, one parent, and Doug, our Inner City Outings Leader from the Sierra Club. I love those kind of ratios.
When we got near the Spring House, the kids rushed to it and climbed on top. (I’m not sure why, but most kids want to run on the trails. I haven’t figured out how to slow them down. It’s as if they are programmed to run.) Others peered into an opening in the concrete. Of course, they all wanted to look in at the same time which called for a little group management.
I’m happy that these kids now have a pretty good knowledge about springs and ground water. Last month, we pumped water at Parfrey’s Glen and now we’re seeing the water come right out of the ground on its own. A sign nearby, which I wrote when I worked for Wisconsin State Parks, says that the spring is a perched water table. The kids weren’t too interested in that, but they were interested in knowing that the spring once fed the pool that many of them have swam in.
The mood shifted when Dave shouted, ”I see a frog!” ”I do too,” said Joe. Sure enough, there were three or four small frogs swimming around in the spring water at the bottom of the house. I didn’t know the species, but emailed Karl Heil, the park manager, to see if he knew.
After this discovery, all the kids rushed in to see the frogs and again through the opening and we had to do some kid management to ensure that everyone got a change to see them. This was very cool. We always see wildlife on these trips, but we never know what that wildlife will be. Frogs was an expected delight.
This trip also included a climb up the east observation tower and a hike on part of Indian Marker Tree trail. We also got to play under some enormous oak trees in the picnic area. The trees left huge piles of leaves that the kids buried themselves in. This was as much fun for them as it was for me. I love leaf piles, especially huge leave piles.
In close, there is very little I would do differently on the hike. This time, we allowed them to have walking sticks if they just used them for walking. I think this worked pretty well and they listened. Sticks are an ongoing challenge on these hikes. Kids want them so instead of saying no, I said yes to walking sticks.
The hardest part for me is getting back on time. I am notorious for not leaving the park with enough time to get back. This will stop for the next trip to Olbrich Park, hopefully for sledding!
The Wonder of a Water Pump
Water pump, stock photo
I never know what kids will discover while outside. On a recent trip to Parfrey’s Glen State Natural Area, the kids were fascinated by a hand water pump.
The kids liked pumping the handle and then seeing the water come out. They were mystified by how the water could keep coming out even after they stopped pumping. “Why does the water keep coming?” I explained something about the pressure in the pipe and that there was enough pressure left to bring the water to the surface.
Some kids thought there was a tank underground. When I told them that the water was stored between rocks deep in the earth they asked, “How does the water get there?” ”How is it cleaned?” This led to a short explanation of how the rocks and soil act as a filter for pollution. My co-teacher mentioned that this is why we are careful about what we put on the ground.
I could see their little minds turning. Some of the kids were just five years old so I’m not sure they quite understood the whole concept. Heck, many adults don’t fully understand how ground water works.
I was thrilled that something as fun as a water pump brought up the topic. It’s learning at it’s best…hands-on and fun. It was tough getting them away from the pump. Of course, a call for lunch did the trick.
