This summer, a total of about 250 kids ages 5 to 16 visited Riverbend to experience the river up close through a series of youth education programs. Youth groups visited from Salem Sound Coastwatch, RAW arts, Salem Recreation, the Glen Urquhart School, and Pathways for Children. They either went for a guided paddling excursion, participated in land-based educational activities, or – most commonly – a mix of both! Kerry Mackin summer education intern Katie Bernard planned and led the group visits with the help of a slew of volunteers.
Katie’s most favorite lesson plan she ran was “Busy Beavers” for 5-7 year olds from Pathways for Children. The kids learned all about beavers as a keystone species in our river ecosystem through various interactive activities and games, built their very own beaver dams, went on a hunt to determine a beaver’s favorite foods, and constructed a craft to learn about the different important parts of a beaver’s body. The kids loved making beaver buck teeth with their fingers and pretending to be the animal as they made their dam models.
Another favorite was “Ecosystem Detectives” for middle-elementary aged students from Salem Recreation. Students acted as scientific detectives with field journals as they hunted around the Riverbend property trails for clues to put together a crime-board inspired tacks-and-string food web model and figure out how all sorts of biotic and abiotic factors interact in an ecosystem. They were then able to show off what they had learned in a tri-orama craft project. See photo for one student’s carefully drawn tri-orama!
Most of the students who visited Riverbend this summer had never before been in canoes or kayaks. Many were very hesitant and even fearful to get into the boats at first. However, as Katie and several of her volunteers noticed, nearly all of the kids had a lightbulb-type moment after a couple of minutes on the water and their confidence and enthusiasm skyrocketed. It was amazing to see.
