GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – There’s no better way to learn about the environment than to experience it up close, and for some Sibley Elementary fifth-graders, that meant seeing Lake Michigan for the very first time.
This spring, scholars traveled to Kirk Park near Grand Haven for a day of discovery.
“I went to the beach and I explored new things that I never learned before,” said Loneal, a fifth-grader at Sibley.
The experience brought classroom lessons to life.
“We came to Kirk Park and we got to learn more about the dunes and how they are created,” explained Brooklyn Phillips, a teacher at Sibley. They're able to actually make connections and understand.”
Experts from Ottawa County Parks & Recreation helped guide students through the hands-on learning.
“We kind of can show the kids those three phases,” said Debra Swanson with the parks department. “The beach, the blowout, the middle age, and then finally what our park looks like, which is basically sitting on a dune.”
Swanson said her team is passionate about opening young eyes to the natural world around them.
“We just continue to offer these programs to as many groups and schools as we can, because we want you to love our parks as much as we do,” Swanson added.
You can help support field trip experiences like these for GRPS scholars by donating to the Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation.
