Youngsters bond with nature at state park

guided students through a wide range of topics, from monarch butterfly life cycles and native trees to bird iden- tification, vertebrates, and aquatic life. Using discovery trunks created specifically for elemen tary-aged learners, each lesson blended science with movement and imagination.

In the aquatics station, students gathered around to observe and even gently touch fish, bringing fresh water ecosystems to life.

At the monarch station, learning took on a playful twist as children acted out Students from elementary schools stepped outside the classroom and into the natural world April 14 and 15, as they traveled to Inks Lake State Park for the annual Great Outdoor Program (GOP).