School Nature Walks

4th Grade School Nature Walks
Since 1988, the Friends have worked with local schools to bring students to Madera Canyon where they can experience the nature of the canyon. The Friends Education Director coordinates the 4th Grade School Nature Walks program, contacting participating 4th grade teachers to schedule walks in the spring and fall. Friends docent volunteers,  lead students around the Proctor Accessible Nature Loop Trail in small groups. Facilitated by the docents, students use their own powers of observation to become “field naturalists” exploring along the trail through the four plant communities that flank intermittently-flowing Madera Creek. There are two presentation stations on the trail. At the White House Station, students learn about the historic White House ruin and relevant canyon history. At the Matate Station, students learn about the Native American presence in Madera Canyon, grind mesquite beans in a real bedrock mortar with a stone mano, and taste mesquite flour cookies. Every student receives a compass to take home and receives instruction on how to use it.  In just over twenty years, our program has introduced Madera Canyon to more than 6,000 local students.

Many of the students participating in the 4th Grade Nature Walk Program have limited or no opportunity to spend time “in the woods.” This program provides an important opportunity for these children to actually experience nature first-hand. All participating teachers are provided with the award-winning teaching manual, Madera Canyon: Web of Life, which contains chapters on canyon natural history with student activities. Pre-walk activities help prepare students for their nature walk; post–walk activities reinforce information and concepts learned on the nature walk. Classroom preparation beforehand, using trained docents to encourage and facilitate field exploration and post-walk reinforcement make the nature walks a valuable learning experience for these children.