You are now watching: Students Explore: Lexington Creek Wetlands

Folsom Hills Elementary School teacher Kathy Decker loves getting her hands dirty when it comes to science. Kathy’s hands-on approach to science helps engage students in the learning process.

Taking students out of the classroom and into the field allows them to gain experiences that they otherwise may not encounter.  It is for this reason that Decker’s fifth-grade class set out to explore the Lexington Creek Wetlands.  She and her students walked from Folsom Hills Elementary to the Lexington Creek Wetlands to explore the habitat and find out more about the varieties of animal and plant life that make the wetlands their home.

Using a variety of scientific instruments, the students set out to discover the longitude and latitude of their location, the current wind speed and air temperature, and the pH and amount of oxygen in the water.
While recording their findings, the students found frogs, insects, and birds that that inhabit the waters and surrounding area, and discovered exactly what types of species can live in an environment of this type.

Decker hopes that taking the students into the field will encourage them to be more aware of their environment, and show them ways they can help protect the natural habitats around their school, homes, and city.