Outdoor School

Level Two students spend last week at beautiful Camp Cedar Ridge, located in Vernonia. During thier visit, the students got to participate in four field studies, assess their personal environmental impact with Captain Conservation, sing campfire songs, and share a night-time adventure with their cabinmates and amazing couselors. I hope you'll enjoy this glimpse into their adventure...

Nori (a.k.a. Gretchen) and her class explored the forest and its inhabitants with the Plants Field Instructor, Lichen. They learned about the parts of a plant, met some native shrubs, and investigated decomposition and the carbon cycle with a F.B.I. hunt - that's fungus, bacteria, and invertebrates. In a final game, students learned the steps of forest succession - only a few had what it took to reach an Old Growth Forest.

The class also got close and personal with some of Cedar Ridge's wildlife. The students learned about predator and prey adaptations by observing preserved birds, antlers, and wings at the "dead zoo," learned a catchy song about insect parts, danced the levels of the food chain, and one lucky student even got to transform into a beaver!

I joined Sunrise (known to others as Veronica) and her class on a water study at the nearby creek, led by enthusiastic Instructor Lakota. Not only did students get to search for water-critters using nets and buckets, they also learned to monitor the health of the water, testing it chemically for Dissolved Oxygen (D.O). The class ended with a discussion of the life cycle of salmon (which students can observe happening right now, in the aquarium outside Charlie's classroom), and a final reprise of "The Water Cycle Boogie."

Crane (sometimes called Charlie), and his class joined Field Instructor Rocky on an exploration of the Earth. By taking a sample of soil, they got a close look at the layers of soil. Students turned a large sandy court into the state of Oregon, within a few minutes building mountains that have taken geologic forces millions of years! Using their model, students acted out the subduction of the tectonic Pacific Plate, and the orographic lifting that makes the Eastern side of our state so dry. Students warmed up at the end in a team game - a mad dash to move their "carbon" from one bucket to the next, experiencing what can happen when the carbon cycle is knocked out of balance by natural and human causes.

At recreation time, there was an epic battle of "Sprout Ball," an every-man-to-himself version of dodge-ball using soft foam balls. As the mist crept over the meadow for the evening, students headed into the cozy dining hall for a final dinner Thursday night, cheeks flushed, minds packed with new knowledge, eager to share the stories the next day with their families...

Thanks for coming along on the journey with Level Two. Visit again soon!

Interested in volunteering on future Out and Abouts? Email me at e.morgan@fgcschool.org

Autumn Greetings!

Hello Forest Grove Community School!

Here in the Out and About world, the year has gotten off to great start, filled with learning and adventure. I will update this blog throughout the year to share the highlights the time we spend, Out and About in the community.

I’m Erin, and as an Americorps member, I will be working with your Level One and Two students as the Out and About Coordinator this school year.

I hail from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I spent many afternoons as a child crafting mudpies and climbing the Buckeye trees in my backyard. I received my Bachelor’s degree UC Berkeley, and have since been working in environmental education. Interning at a school garden in Berkeley, I discovered my passion for watching plants grow, and encouraging children to get their hands dirty. I spent last year working as an Instructor at High Trails Outdoor Science School, in the mountains of Southern California. After enjoying a summer of backpacking through the Sierras, I loaded up my possessions into my little 2-door, and drove northward to Forest Grove!

Since September, I have been busy orienting myself in town, stocking up with winter squash at the farmers' market, watching the flocks of Canadian geese at Fernhill Wetlands, and buying rain gear from the local thrift-store. And, of course, I have been getting acquainted with the Level One and Two classes on their first trips of the year, and trying desperately to remember some 140 new names!

I am looking forward to forming great relationships with all of the classes, and finding new opportunities for them to connect with the community and local environment this year. Our Out and About program is always looking to involve new volunteers, and I welcome all of you, as parents and community members, to join us on a future trip! Feel free to contact me at e.morgan@fgcschool.org.

With that, here are some highlights from the first Out and Abouts of the year:

B Street Permaculture Farm. Sherry and Karen’s class have already visited B Street Farm several times this year. As the leaves have turned bright red and orange, these classes have helped the farm harvest their final summer crops to prepare for the winter. The Barn Swallows tackled a large bed of amaranth, harvesting beautiful red bundles for drying. The Violet Green Swallows helped to collect sunflower seeds from flowers that were almost as large as them! As it turns out, it is hard work being a farmer!

Now that the farm is preparing for a winter’s rest, the students have been exploring B Street to discover what plants and creatures live there. The students will be investigating the farm to understand how these organisms can find everything they need to survive- right in the farm!

Nana Cardoon's. Rachel’s Tree Swallows visited Nana Cardoon’s, a large home garden in Forest Grove. Students collected apples with Charlene, and learned how to use a real-live cider press with Richard. They helped to harvest peppers and eggplant, and pull out weeds. After some hard farm work, there was fire-warmed cider for all, and a toast to a successful harvest!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Last Week, All Level One classes got to bus their way to Portland to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a play based on Roald Dahl’s book, and presented by the Oregon Children’s Theater. We got to sample handmade truffles from Moonstruck Cafe, and practive navigating busy Portland streets. It was a fun and tasty trip!



Hyla Woods. For Level Two, Charlie’s Kestrels had a few visits to the nearby Tom McCall Forest in the month of September, where they practiced the art of tree-sketching and undertook a scavenger hunt. They also reunited with Peter Hayes at Hyla Woods, a sustainable forestry site where they will be doing their second year of water quality analysis using leaf packs. This year, they brought along Gretchen’s Kestrels as well, who got to take the “mystery tour” to discover clues revealing the history of the site.

B Street Permaculture Farm. Veronica’s Peregrine Falcons have joined the other Level 2 classes in a visit to B Street where they have helped the farm set up beds for the winter. Students also got to try out using compasses in order to navigate an orienteering course, imagining what it must have been like for Lewis and Clark to make their journey westward across the United States.

Fort Clatsop. Level Two classes also ventured out to the coast to visit Fort Clatsop, the 1805 winter site of Lewis and Clark. With the resident experts, students toured the Fort replica and nearby museum, debated which kind of whale the expedition encountered on the beach, and took a nearby hike.

In the next months, students can look forward to exploring the signs of the changing season as winter approaches.

Be prepared with good boots and raincoats, and look forward to future updates!