education

An Enlightening Outdoor Experience 

/ Jason Major / Leave a comment

On June 1st, 2023, 4th- and 5th-graders from St. Peter School walked to Salter Grove accompanied by three teachers and five 8th-grade honor students. 

Students and teachers from St. Peter School

During the 90-minute visit, information from the Guide to Salter Grove was accessed by smartphone to to explore and learn about the ecological assets of the park. 

Talking about what will be seen on the nature trails. 

Science topics discussed in the classroom came to life for students and teachers alike. 

Students recorded observations in journals.

Organized into small groups, they walked along nature trails to observation stations that featured examples of: glacial history and geology of Rhode Island; native versus introduced plants; impact of invasive plants; different kinds of aquatic and terrestrial habitats; tolerance of marsh plants to brackish water; and human impact on the environment. 

Examining glacial striations along Upland Trail. 

And all this, from just six of 23 observation stations! 

Inside the knotweed jungle. 

Dr. Susan Unger, the science teacher who organized this field trip, would like to continue using Salter Grove as an outdoor classroom. Future field trips would focus on fewer topics so students can dive more deeply into the subject matter. Instead of simply noting down observations, they could collect data to answer specific questions formulated during classroom discussion. 

See more photos from the St. Peter School field trip below:

(Photos by FoSG member Jason Major)

To Everything There is a Season

/ Jason Major / Leave a comment

Early on the morning of May 6th, a group of five explorers began an observational journey through the trails of Salter Grove. 

Billy McGovern confers with Anonymous, Stella, Wesley, Gwen, and Michael (L to R, Michael not pictured) about their park exploration. 

The youngsters met at a cozy picnic table along Upland trail. They were shown a series of pictures of the same location at different times of the year. The explorers noted how the features of the pictures changed seasonally.

With the pictures in mind, the explorers next set out to find an interesting location in Salter Grove. Having chosen an appropriate spot, they began the process of documenting the area. Armed with pencils, crayons, and markers they drew their chosen location with great detail.

Back at the picnic table, the explorers displayed great enthusiasm while describing the features in their pictures that they found most interesting.

Gwen
Michael
Stella
Wesley

The explorers will keep their pictures in a safe location for a future adventure. During the summer, they will draw another picture of the same location to see how it has changed over time.

This was the second outing of a program being developed by the Friends of Salter Grove. This program aims to show that outdoor recreation and education with minimum technology is fun.

Like Scandinavian forest schools, the program aims to instill a sense of respect for the environment and the importance of having minimal impact while demonstrating how to use a shared space without impairing others’ enjoyment.

Turn! Turn! Turn! 

St. Peter Pupils Back Again for Field Trips!

/ Jason Major / 1 Comment

The spring field trip to Salter Grove has become an annual event for the science program at St. Peter School. This year the new science teacher, Annie Graham, organized and led field trips for the second and fifth grades. On the morning of May 18, she was joined by the second grade teacher Nancy Dunlap and parents Jonathan Alvarez, Mike Jarvis (FoSG member), and Alicia Oldzewski to guide 25 students through 5 ecosystems. The trip for 25 fifth-graders, who came as fourth-graders in 2017, was in the afternoon of May 21 and included the fifth-grade teacher Christina Desmairis and parent Dawn Jarvis.

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Junior Scientists Study Salter Grove

/ Jason Major / 1 Comment

Students from St. Peter School test the salinity of Salter Grove's waters, May 23, 2016

Students from St. Peter School test the salinity of Salter Grove’s waters, May 23, 2016

On May 23, 2016 the fourth- and fifth-grade students from St. Peter School in Warwick visited Salter Grove with their teachers to learn about interactions of plants and animals with their environment and explore the many different natural ecosystems of the park. It was a great way to learn about nature and how to conduct scientific work “in the field.”  Below are some photos from the day’s events taken by FoSG member Jason Major.

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