7th Grade Trip to Trees for Tomorrow
In early March, Tamarack’s 7th graders embarked on a multi-night field trip to Trees for Tomorrow nature center in Eagle River, WI to learn about field science. This trip is built into the 7th grade curriculum here at Tamarack and this is the second year our 7th graders have been hosted by the wonderful team at Trees for Tomorrow. The 7th graders along with the upper grades science teacher Mr. DeBoer and a few parent chaperones stayed at Trees for Tomorrow for three nights.
On Monday, March 3rd the group arrived at Trees for Tomorrow in the evening and enjoyed dinner together as well as an evening class on survival and fire starting. They woke up the next day to a cloudy, foggy winter day and jumped right into an introduction of field sciences including tree identification and map reading. They spent the afternoon on a local lake studying life under the ice, and rounded out the day building a big blanket fort in one of the dorm lounges. Eagle River was hit by a big snow storm on Tuesday evening, which provided a beautiful wintery backdrop for the remainder of Tamarack’s time there.
On Wednesday, March 5th, the group enjoyed classes on zoology, orienteering and sustainable energy. They met and interacted with some beautiful, tamed wild animals living in the nature center, and built some snow forts outside. On Thursday morning, the group wrapped up the trip by taking a snowy hike in the Nicolet National Forest. A member of the Trees for Tomorrow team took the students to a spot where they could hand feed Black Capped Chickadees, which was a truly magical way for the class to finish an exciting few days. Students and chaperones had a blast on the trip and were all able to take something meaningful away from it, whether it be a new experience of nature, laughing together and enjoying group meals, and even hanging out in the cozy, rustic lounge on the campus and working on puzzles.
Written by Peter DeBoer, Upper Grades Science Teacher, and Molly Wardius, Marketing and Events Coordinator