Third graders at Fairview Elementary School recently explored Fairview’s greatest natural resource, Bowie Nature Park.  Students became “Munchline Monitors” and learned about food chains in a workshop by Melissa Bell, the Park Naturalist.  All students completed the many study activities to earn their Bowie Conservation Patch at the Nature Education Center and JoAnn’s beautiful outdoor classroom.  The took a rigorous hike around Lake Van, observing migrating Canada geese, frogs, turtles, and even a black snake eating a frog for lunch!  All students enjoyed their sack lunch in the shelter house and their recess on Treehouse Playground.  It was a perfect fall day to enjoy and appreciate our community’s greatest treasure.

The field trip was taken to support the grade’s science unit, “Living Things”.  It also coincided perfectly with their National Geographic Magazine about different animal habitats and bodies of water.  In fact, students used Lake Van to compare to Chesapeake Bay in a Venn diagram activity in the magazine.  Seeing the migrating geese was a nice introduction to migration.  Mrs. Bell explained how the flocks come and go in the park as they head south for the winter.  The students will be studying and observing the migration and conservation efforts for Whooping Cranes through the on-line collaborative network of Journey North.