Patterson Elementary
School
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Visit to Heinz Wildlife
Refuge
Patterson School's celebration of Public Science Day 1999
involves exploring the habitats of Southwest Philadelphia.
The first area studied was the Heinz Wildlife Refuge,
conveniently located within a mile of the school. Its unique
habitat of forest, pond, marsh, and field made it an
excellent place to begin our exploration.
 
Jackie Burns, the Park Ranger at the Nature Center, greeted
the students from Mr. Hutelmyer's Environmental Small
Learning Community and Mrs. Majetich's Language Impaired
class. She instructed them about which plant species to
avoid when visiting the Nature Center.
 
Catherine Fylypowycz, a Philadelphia teacher affiliated with
the Academy of Natural Sciences, met the group and conducted
a lesson on the types of habitats found within the Nature
Center.
Fylypowycz began the lesson by exploring the forest habitat.
The students examined the vegetation that grows in the woods
and learned about the animals that inhabit the forest
environment.
During the forest habitat exploration, the students were
fortunate enough to find a nesting place where turtles lay
their eggs! There they came across the remains of already-hatched
turtle eggs.
 
The next habitat explored was the pond environment. Students
were instructed to use their senses to describe the
differences between the forest and pond habitats. They
compared and contrasted common and unique features of both.
Animal inhabitants of the areas were observed using various
senses, such as seeing and hearing. Seasonal changes and the
effects of the changes on animals and insects living in
these habitats were also discussed.
 
With the help of some longer adult arms, the children
managed to catch small fish, scud dragonfly larvae, and
other aquatic substances. The most commonly heard scientific
statement was "Yuck!" The spatterdock, duckweed, and purple
loosestrife were also examined as producers of the pond. The
students saw Canadian geese, egrets, and herons from the
pond environment.
 
Next, the students discovered the tidal creek and marsh.
This was unique because it is the only freshwater tidal
marsh in Pennsylvania. A number of birds and ducks were
sighted, but most of our time here was spent looking at the
different tidal marks left on the sides of the bank.
 
Our last exploration of the day consisted of taking a look
at the field. Butterflies were the main finds here, with
even a few monarchs and swallowtails being spotted.
The students of Patterson enjoyed their habitat exploration
of Heinz Wildlife Refuge. Nicole Sweeney, a fourth grader
from Mrs. Washington's room, expressed the following
thoughts about our first Public Science Day activity:
"When we first went to Tinicum, we walked through the
meadow. We then sat down with Miss Jackie. She told us what
we could touch and what not to touch. We learned about
stinging metal (nettle) and poison ivy. Then we walked
through the woods and saw some gulls and found a turtle
nest. Lunch was on a double-decker tower. We saw more
herons. The creek was good and muddy. We had to go back to
the field and then back to school. I had fun."
 
|
