NORTH WEBSTER - Students from Claypool, North Webster, Leesburg and Syracuse spent much of their Thursday enjoying what Camp Crosley had to offer and learning some important environmental lessons.
It was all a part of the Kosciusko Lakes and Streams' Field Day.
KLAS is a countywide environmental initiative that works out of Grace College.
Thursday's field day was designed for fourth-graders to help them meet the state's requirement of learning about Indiana's natural history.
Other field days held by KLAS are geared toward high school students.
The purpose of the field day goes deeper than helping students earn some school credit however. The students learn about water resources and quality, habitats and conservancy.
The idea of creating awareness of environmental stewardship is something that excites KLAS Director Dr. Nathan Bosch.
"We hope to be doing this program for the next 20 years," said Bosch. "It can bring up an entire generation of young people who, as they grow up and begin to influence policy, will protect and promote our natural resources."
Bosch's goal is more of a reality now thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Dekko Foundation.
The field day is also made possible with help from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation.
Thursday's event saw the students learn about things like the habitat of blue herons and water quality. The children even had a chance to test water.
Delila Mumma, a fourth-grader at Syracuse, said her favorite part of the day was drawing waves with classmates.
At one table of kids from North Webster, they all loudly agreed in unison that the best part of the day was being outside.
While the kids enjoyed the coloring and fresh air, they were also learning about important environmental issues.
There were signs posted throughout the different stations that said things like "We treasure lakes because they provide valuable habitat for wildlife."
Another aspect of the field day is to strengthen the relationship Grace College students have with the community.
The 15 different stations at Thursday's event were run by 56 Grace College education majors.
Anna Burke, program manager for KLAS, said many of the teachers on hand Thursday were effusive in their praise of the Grace College students.
"They were really excited about (the students)," said Burke. "They wanted to know if any of them had a place to student teach yet."
This was Burke's first field day as she is taking over for Eileen Boekestein.
Boekestein developed the curriculum for the events and used national programs like Project WET and focused on ways to best convey the information to fourth-grade kids.
More information on Project WET can be found at www.projectwet.org
While previous field days had been held at Pike Lake, the choice of Camp Crosley was a strategic one.
Not only does it provide a scenic lake venue, according to Burke, it allows KLAS to spread its message to students in the northern part of Kosciusko County.
Thursday was the fifth field day run by KLAS since October 2008.
KLAS is continuing to look for businesses to help present field days in the future.
Interest continues to grow and, according to Bosch, there are already 175 fourth-grade students signed up for the next field day.
For more information on KLAS or for ways to help the organization, visit water.grace.edu/ or call Bosch at 574-372-5100, Ext. 6447
