Red Oak Community School goes to Highbanks Metropolitan Park!

We are incredibly fortunate to have an amazing metropolitan park system here in Columbus, Ohio. On November 8th, we opted to escape the election poll chaos at our building and head for the woods on our very first school field trip.

The weather was gorgeous and the kids had a great time exploring different play spaces from the natural play ground to the more traditional play equipment.

During the morning, we had a program put on by a naturalist, Craig.  The students learned about reptiles and amphibians, and even got to pet a black rat snake!  

It was a very different sort of learning than we typically do at school, and everyone sat very still and was very attentive for the whole 45 minute presentation.  Luckily the weather held, and we had lunch and an extended playtime.  

The big pile of dirt in the natural play area was a hit, and there were musings about how to get one at Red Oak! The kids climbed it, some slid down, some rolled down and all had a grand time.

Over at the traditional play equipment, a group of three determined girls cheered each other on as they attempted, and finally succeeded at, crossing the monkey bars. It was inspiring to see attempt after attempt, tumble after tumble, until finally, with great celebration from their schoolmates, they each made it across. 

The afternoon held a Discovery Hike, led by Craig.  He shared about the different types of fossils fossils found in Ohio, as well as concretions. 

We went down to the creek to see some of the concretions there. I think we really surprised Craig when all the kids (and most of the grownups!) went into the creek! 

There were some slips and splashes, a few wet behinds, but mostly exclamations of discovery and fun.  That's what happens when you take a nature school on a field trip!