Home School Wednesday at NJC is more than justa field trip
By Kyle Valentini
May 16, 2011
264
Summary: The Norma Johnson Center had the final Home School Wednesday for the season. The program will resume in the fall when school is back in session. Designed to give homeschooled kids an opportunity to learn in the field, Home School Wednesday is more than just a field trip, its a learning experience.
Who says a classroom has to have four walls, desks lined up in neat little rows and the latest in technological advances like smart boards and computers? During the school year, The Norma Johnson Center hosts Home School Wednesdays once a month to give homeschooled children an opportunity to learn in a non-competitive setting using hand-on techniques in a natural setting.
The natural landscape of The Norma Johnson Center is the classroom and the students dont seem to mind one bit. For homeschooled kids it is an opportunity to see, hear and smell the lesson. More than just a field trip, Home School Wednesday is a class where students walk away with knowledge and experience.
On May 11, The Norma Johnson Center held its final Home School Wednesday program for the season with a hike through the woods in search of native wildflowers. Marsha Zoller, Director at the center served as guide and teacher for the one and half hour hike. Six children and two adults searched for wildflowers and other plants and trees native to the region.
Zoller shared a wildflower guide book with each hiker to make identification easier. The students were already well versed in their knowledge of native plants and could easily spot them with a little guidance from Zoller.
Emily, the mother of homeschooled Maggie and Jay said, The kids really enjoy coming here. Just because we home school the kids still see it as school. This is fun for them and they learn a lot.
Zoller was careful to explain precautions one should take when visiting a wooded area. She spoke of poisonous plants, other plants that counteract the poisonous ones and avoiding undesirable insects like ticks.
Zoller gave the students time to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the woods all the while teaching them about native plants and trees like trillium, the states official wildflower, blood root and where it gets its name and how to tell how old a white pine tree just by looking.
Zollers vast knowledge of the woods was apparent as she answered questions and gave explanations to the students. Kids really thrive out here, said Zoller. Kids who have trouble in the classroom do better out here.
A short break was taken and then the hikers experienced pond-dipping in one of the centers five ponds where they learned about the different creatures that inhabit the water and how they play a role in an ecosystem that covers 303 acres at the center.
Home School Wednesday was born when parents approached Zoller. There was a demand for educational opportunities for homeschooled children. We have the resources right here to teach so much, said Zoller. Sometimes we get a group of 20 people and sometimes it is a smaller group.
Home School Wednesday is just one of the many educational services offered by The Norma Johnson Center. With a mission to promote the conservation of natural resources through education, outreach and personal experience, The Norma Johnson Center has programs suitable for students in pre-K to adulthood.
With events that appeal to young and not so young, The Norma Johnson Center is a valuable educational resource for the region. Call the center at 330-339-7976 or visit their web site at http://normajohnsoncenter.com for detailed information about upcoming events.
The Norma Johnson Center is open from dusk to dawn year rou
