Fort Fun with Chester-Andover Elementary

Two Chester-Andover Elementary 2nd grade classrooms took a field trip to visit us recently to experience our "Fort Building and Pond Exploration" program and to enjoy a picnic and the exhibits inside the museum.

Both classrooms enjoyed the fort building program, which sent students outdoors with an engineering challenge. Building forts is an excellent way for participants to make observations, process possible solutions, and develop team-building skills. Students determined the best materials, site and method for building a safe and effective, temporary structure. This lesson combined creative innovation and nature!

While one class was in the woods fort building, the other class was enjoying the pond exploration. Ponds are amazing habitats and typically home to an astounding number of critters; Grafton's is no exception! Students used dip nets and buckets to explore a pond ecosystem in which they discovered insects and amphibians. 

Both classes met up for a lunchtime picnic in our garden. They then switched places for the afternoon in order for both classrooms to enjoy the forest and the pond. The kids were fantastic engineers and observers of nature and we enjoyed their visit very much. Thank you CAES 2nd Grade for joining the Nature Museum this spring!