Home Sweet Home program educates Beach students
Beach Elementary School third-grade students participated in a Home Sweet Home program at Matanzas Pass Preserve on Friday to further pique their interests in nature and its surroundings.
Each student received a name and job description for a plant or animal that exists in the Beach preserve and were supplied a list with certain needs in terms of energy, air, water and soil.
“Ranger” Jim Rodwell brought the participating students to three communities inside the preserve: Forest, Wetland and Field. While on the homes tour of these three communities, “Mayor” Carrie Hill with the help from “Vice Mayor” Laurie Nienhaus described all the things that are available in terms of homes. The students had to figure out what communities they could live in and check off the category (energy, air, water and soil) from which their plant or animal name could feed.
For example, in the Forest, if a student’s persona such as a water storing pin cushion could be matched with ants, insects, gators, snakes or mice or green plants and seeds, they were able to check his or her energy, air, water or soil needs.
Once the students were directed to each station within the preserve and checked the appropriate box by each need that he or she met, they were provided mail to notify them if they lost their home or not. The wetland residents were told their home was dried up, they could not live there anymore, and pleaded their cases to “Judge Mopner” and a jury of their peers. These students had to convince the judge and jury that they could live in the Field. If they could not survive, they were sentenced to the Morgue Recycling Area.
The Home Sweet Home program is available for other schools and other groups, according to Dorothy Rodwell. Heights Elementary School took part in the program last week.
“We are offering the program in October and November this year,” she said. “It has been great fun and educational.”