Nature's classroom

Published May 6, 2008, The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.
http://www.enterprisenews.com/homepage/x295983759/Kids-learn-nature-at-Sheep-Pasture

By Jenny Gardynski
SPECIAL TO THE ENTERPRISE
EASTON — Fifteen kindergartners at the Moreau Hall Elementary School sat attentively on a multicolored rug as the two teachers began the program.
Monique Melcher asked the class if they knew what Sheep Pasture was.
“I love that place!” one boy shouted.The teachers at Sheep Pasture, a nature camp and program run through the nonprofit Natural Resources Trust of Easton, are busy all year teaching Easton students and students from surrounding communities about local ecology, such as habitats, farm products, geology and local watersheds.
Recently, the teachers were at Moreau Hall Elementary School to teach four kindergarten classes about butterflies.
Melcher put on her butterfly wings, feet and eyes to help explain the senses of the butterfly.
“This is a little silly, but a butterfly can actually feel noise!” Melcher said.
The class giggled and shouted in response.
“Is everyone ready to turn into a butterfly?” she asked as she detailed how a butterfly grows. T
he children then acted out the process of growing into a butterfly, using a party horn for their proboscis (mouth), a flower to eat their nectar, and a large laminated leaf to sit on.
“Take some nice sips of nectar from your flower,” Stephanie McNamara, another teacher in the Sheep Pasture program, instructed. T
he class was one of several Sheep Pasture offerings, ranging from in-school programs, field trips to the Sheep Pasture, Scout programs, preschool classes and a nature camp.
Moreau Hall Principal Robert Smith said the school has been participating in the programs for nearly two decades.
He said each class has one in-class program and the opportunity for a field trip to Sheep Pasture once a year.
“They are very knowledgeable and really relate to the kids,” he said of the teachers.
Melcher said the Natural Resources Trust has a contract with Easton schools to provide field trips for grades K-6.
“We personalize our programs for each grade level,” she said.
The “in-school” programs are for kindergarten through thrid grade during the months of January and February.
There is a butterfly program, for kindergarten students; first grade students are involved in either an egg incubation or a mammal program, second graders are involved in either a whale or animal adaptation program, and third graders are involved in an owl program.
“All of the programs focus on ecology, habitats, and anything dealing with the natural sciences,” Melcher said.
The programs are typically one to 1 ½ hours long and cost $5 to $6 per child.
One problem the teachers say they have is getting the students there.
“It’s hard for schools to get transportation. We are looking into getting grant money to offset the costs of people getting transportation,” Melcher said.
Similar organizations elsewhere look to conserve and acquire land and do not have the staff or buildings for education programs, Melcher said.
“What we have for an area is unique,” she said. “We have 154 acres to use, and we use it.”
Melcher, who grew up in Easton and went through the programs at Sheep Pasture as a child, is in her fifth year teaching at the NRT. McNamara, formerly of Seekonk, is a first-year teacher at the NRT.
“I did student teaching. This is so much different and I really like it. This is an ideal first job for me,” McNamara said.