Day of Nature - April 23, 2008
Flushing Township Nature Park
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| Karen, Tina, William, Amy, David, Austin and Johnson are among the ELP students that prepare to celebrate spring in Michigan at the Flushing Township Nature Park on McKinley Road. The day in the "Great Outdoors" begins with rain, but ends as a beautiful 77oF (about 25oC) and sunny. The students and staff see first spring blooms and learn about the Michigan rivers, animals and plants. |
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Austin and William look up close at an owl wing. They learn how being a nighttime hunter gives the owl more chances to get food. | Steve and Sandra express their feelings about the sharp claws of the owl, called talons, which make the owl such a strong hunter. Amy and Kathy look and laugh! |
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| Our nature explorers were given a chance to look for birds with binoculars. Also, they learned about the different sounds and behaviors that different birds have, and how those affect the environment and the lives of the birds. We saw and heard many kinds of birds through our binoculars. |
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| Austin shows his love of animals. The students learn what "mammal" means and what kinds of animals are mammals. They taught the instructors that "Ya-Zui-Shou" is "platypus" in Chinese. | Amy, Karen and Professor Mike Busch marvel at the power of water on land. These tree roots have been bared by erosion. The same Flint River that is in UM-Flint's campus runs through this park. |
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| Our friendly park guide, Heather Griffin, explains how a grassland, or prairie, comes back to life after a managed burn. You can see the blue sky, the crisp breeze and the fresh green that means Michigan has entered spring! |
From the Flushing Township Nature Park, the ELP field trip go to a local golf course to learn how to play and to continue to enjoy the day.
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| The students receive a half-hour lesson on how to make a good golf swing. David, Austin, and Amy practice getting the correct grip on their club. | William makes good use of the mirrors to make the right moves. |
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| William shows that he has the right moves as he hits the ball at the driving range. | Some of the students play golf and share their knowledge and skills with the other students. Everyone practices hard to learn this new skill. |
After a hot, busy day in the sun, nothing is better than cold ice cream...
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| Instructors Mike Busch and Kathy Cornman talk about the fun day and the great semester while eating their ice cream. | Karen piles four flavors of ice cream in her bowl. She smiles because it tastes so good! |
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| The Outdoor Day is fun for all! Students must listen carefully to a nature lecture, a golf lesson and order ice cream in English. However, the hard work can also be fun. Austin relaxes on the swings at the Nature Park, Sandra gives Steve's glove a high-five, and Samantha Siebert shows that her favorite flavor of ice cream is "Superman." |