Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
TIPPECANOE — Triton Elementary third-graders traded their classrooms for trails, ponds and pavilions Monday as they spent the day learning through hands-on experiences at Potawatomi Wildlife Park.
Students kayaked and canoed on Pond 5, used binoculars during a bird scavenger hunt, explored Indiana leaves and nuts, learned about pollination, met a local beekeeper and participated in a wildlife recycling race, according to a provided news release.
At the leaf and nut station, students held chestnuts both inside and outside their spiky burrs while learning about the park’s chestnut research station and partnership with the Indiana chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. It gave students a chance to see the conservation work that is happening, stated the release.
At the pollinator station, students created pollinators with pipe-cleaner legs and moved them between “flowers” containing cocoa powder, powdered sugar and powdered drink mixes. As the powders traveled from flower to flower, students could visibly see how pollen is transferred.
Students ended their experiences by writing a letter to a parent, teacher or someone else in their life about what they saw, learned and did that day.
“We want kids to do more than hear about nature in a classroom. We want them to experience it,” said Park Manager Lacey Pfeiffer. “These kids are the next generation who will care for this land. We have to spark their interest now and inspire them to want to protect and care for it in the future.”
In just the past 10 months, more than 2,000 students have visited Potawatomi Wildlife Park for field trips and educational experiences. Each visit is an opportunity to plant that seed of curiosity and connect another child with the natural world.
Field trips are just one part of the work happening across the park’s more than 300 acres. Potawatomi Wildlife Park also provides approximately five miles of trails, conservation projects, community events and outdoor experiences for people of all ages, while remaining free for the public to visit.
Annual Banquet & Trivia Night Oct. 10
Continuing this work takes community support. Potawatomi Wildlife Park will host its Annual Banquet & Trivia Night on Oct. 10, with proceeds supporting educational programming, conservation projects, community events and the ongoing care of the park.
“This banquet is for everyone,” Pfeiffer said. “You don’t have to be a longtime supporter, a business owner or someone who visits the park every week. We need our community to show up, buy a ticket and be part of what makes this work possible. Every ticket matters.”
There are still plenty of tickets available, and they need your help filling the room on Oct. 10. Buy a ticket, bring your family, friends or coworkers, enjoy a meal and a night of trivia, and know that your ticket is making a difference right here in the community.
Because a banquet ticket is about much more than one evening of fun. It helps put a child in a kayak, binoculars in their hands and a chestnut in their palm. It helps welcome the next classroom, care for the land and create experiences that may inspire a child to care for the natural world for years to come, the release states.
For tickets, go to https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/potawatomi-wildlife-park-annual-banquet-and-trivia-night
