Syracuse City School District Students Visit Baltimore Woods

“Raise your hand if you had fun on the field trip today,” our education team posed this inquiry nearly 70 times throughout our 5th grade field trip initiative alongside the Syracuse City School District.

Across September and October, 19 schools transported close to 1,000 students to Baltimore Woods to dedicate their mornings to investigating various ecosystems. After admiring the fall colors, listening to birds, and playing games, educators ask students whether they had fun, Baltimore Woods Nature Center reported.

Overwhelmingly, the hands shoot up and students eagerly share their favorite parts of the trip. While outdoor learning offers recognized advantages that typically leave students with a stronger grasp of energy, food webs, and ecosystems, the sheer enjoyment they experienced stands out as the most unforgettable aspect.

Excited squeals echo throughout the valley during sunny mornings at the Woods. Children enthusiastically announce their thrill over embarking on their initial hike ever or express an intense desire to spot a snake.

Many start hesitant, but the hands raised at the end tell the true story. In their own words, the 5th graders had fun playing games or hiking or finding slugs, visiting the dark forest, seeing all the leaves, holding a spider, being in nature, listening to the stream, or experiencing everything.

Others mentioned learning about squirrels, resting, seeing different mushrooms, finding it quiet and peaceful, hugging trees, looking at nature, looking for bugs, and exploring.

Nothing can truly duplicate a morning of outdoor instruction, and numerous educators highlight the immense value that a tactile encounter with the natural world brings to their pupils.

Although the period for field trips has concluded, our education staff will return to every 5th grade classroom on three additional occasions via Nature in the City this year to sustain ongoing science discovery.

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