Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Tierra Blanca Students feast on Fesitval of Playa Learning

In a groundbreaking first for the Hereford school system, 50-plus fifth grade students and teachers from Tierra Blanca Primary--and even their principal--immersed themselves in a one-day Playa Festival April 19. The Festival, held at the Home Mercantile and a nearby Playa Classroom facility just south of Nazareth, provided an educational experience centered on the perfect outdoor learning lab provided by playas. The seasonal wetlands dot the Southern High Plains of Texas in their greatest concentration in the world.

The Tierra Blanca Soil and Water Conservation District marked a new experience right along with students from the same namesake school. Thanks to the foresight of its board, TBSWCD served as a Playa Festival sponsor for the first time. District board members who approved the sponsorship include Jerry Homfeld, chairman, Chris Urbanczyk, vice chairman, David Wagner, secretary, Danny Frerich, and Nathan Betzen.

"The board feels that getting kids outdoors and participating in Playa Festivals is a good thing. Festivals teach them about life outside of the home and the classroom. So many youngsters live in town now and they really don’t know about things outdoors. People don’t realize how important playas are, and we’re glad somebody is teaching them about the importance of playas in the water cycle," said Jerry Homfeld of the TBSWCD’s sponsorship role.

Playa Festivals are staged by professionals and individuals well-versed in playa flora and fauna, creative writing, journaling, and playa history. They work through Ogallala Commons, a nonprofit resource development network offering education and leadership in the eight state High Plains Ogallala Aquifer region.

Interdisciplinary Playa Festivals fit the school day and can be one, two, or three day events. Students and teachers learn about playa ecology and the water cycle through Science, History, Biology, Art, and Creative Writing.

Playa Festivals were inspired by the book "Playas: Jewels of the Plains" by Jim Steiert and Wyman Meinzer, and also utilize "Common Flora of Playa Lakes" by Dr. Dave Haukos and Dr. Loren M. Smith as the go-to reference for plant identification in playas. Dr. Haukos is also a frequent presenter on playa ecology and plant life at Festivals.

Prior to the Tierra Blanca Festival, students viewed and touched some of the amphibians and reptiles associated with playas. Robert Martin of The Nature Conservancy brought live amphibians and reptiles into the Science classroom at Tierra Blanca. Students also received a vocabulary list pertaining to playas.

At their Festival, TB students viewed live raptors displayed and discussed by wildlife rehabilitator Gail Barnes of Lubbock. They compared playa soil with upland soil, and learned about macroinvertebrates and playa plants from Dr. Darryl Birkenfeld, a playa landowner and director of Ogallala Commons, and Julie Hodges, Ogallala Commons education coordinator. Julie, who is not related to TB Principal Sharon Hodges, also conducted sessions on journaling, bird anatomy and identification, and helped students to look and listen on their playa field trip.

Students explored a playa basin, noting plant and bird life and got a pointer on sketching waterfowl. A wrap-up session included a demonstration on soil erosion, playa siltation, and the role of native grass buffers in protecting playas. Pupils saw life-size models of wading birds, shorebirds, and puddle ducks that utilize playas, and heard a demonstration of the calls of some of the puddle ducks.

Students were instructed in journaling techniques, and had the opportunity to make written observations and sketches on what they learned and experienced.

The Playa Festival drew rave reviews from D’Lisa Pohnert, fifth grade Science teacher at Tierra Blanca, and Principal, Sharon Hodges, who were also assisted on the field trip by Carol Ruiz, a Reading teacher at Tierra Blanca and Shari Ellis, a Math teacher at the campus.

"Kids got a hands-on outdoor experience with material that ties in with the TAKS test. They learned about bird characteristics, how the birds get food, special adaptations of bird beaks for eating fruit, prodding for insects, sifting seeds and macroinvertebrates from water and mud, or devouring prey. Students learned about differences in the feet of birds. We got in-person lessons on the food chain, and natural camouflage.

"Learning about journaling was important--standards have changed for Science and every student from Kindergarten up now has to have a Science journal. We got pointers on how to have a really good one.

"The Festival reinforced what we talk about in class, but got kids out of the classroom and into the outdoors--enhancing their learning experience. The kids enjoyed simply walking, looking, and finding stuff in a playa. The live raptors and the waterfowl call demonstrations were really popular. The Festival experience brought Science to life," she said.

Principal Sharon Hodges felt the field trip proved highly worthwhile.

"The Playa Festival was one of the most rewarding academic experiences for both students and teachers alike. We are blessed to have an outdoor classroom that allows students the opportunity to encounter our area’s natural habitats, birds, and vegetation, and to learn the importance and value of protecting our playa ecosystems. It was a wonderful experience," she said.

Jim Steiert, author of this blog post, is an award winning member of the Texas Outdoor Writers Association and a Certified Texas Master Naturalist.