Meadow View students get science lesson during visit to Bernheim

Bernheim Forest is home to a multitude of species, but a new one came to visit one Friday morning — the fourth-grader.

Kelly Cantrall

Meadow View Elementary School students peer into a pond at Bernheim Forest on Sept. 30. The fourth-graders visited the park on a field trip.

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Kelly Cantrall

Students from Meadow View Elementary School enter the Visitors' Center at Bernheim Forest during their field trip on Sept. 30.

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Kelly Cantrall

Meadow View Elementary School students make their way to the Education Center in Bernheim Forest. They visited the park on a field trip Sept. 30.

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Meadow View Elementary School fourth-graders took in the sights, and a few science lessons, on their trip to Bernheim Forest in Bullitt County on Sept. 30.

The trip was used as a way to illustrate life science concepts to the students as well as geography, teacher Rebecca Ricketts said. This is the first time the fourth grade at Meadow View has visited the park on a field trip.

They split into groups to take in the exhibits at the education center, go hiking and see various natural habitats.

The trip fits into curriculum on landforms, habitats, adaptations in nature and life cycles, Ricketts said.

“It’s got everything we need for science,” she said.

Science teacher Angie Quillin said bringing students to a nature preserve was a great way to bring to life concepts they’re learning. It “connected perfectly” to their life science content.

Students were thrilled to be outdoors, and they took in every blade of grass and twig they saw. Ricketts pointed out the Latin names on signs identifying plants, recalling their lessons on species classifications. They crowded around a pond to catch a glimpse of turtles, and peered into a glass case to spot a rat snake in the park’s education center.

Seeing animals was what student Leyna Gallagher was most excited for on the trip. It’s seeing something firsthand that makes field trips a great way to learn.

“Because then you can like visually see it in real life and not in a textbook,” she said.

This was the first trip to Bernheim for student Salli Bass. There’s one specific concept she wanted to learn about on the trip.

“I think it’s really interesting to see how the trees and plants germinate,” Bass said.

Ricketts said she hopes the trip will continue for future fourth-grade classes.

Kelly Cantrall can be reached at (270) 505-1747 or kcantrall@thenewsenterprise.com.