Date: Fri 30-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

real-estate-school-Audubon

Full Text:

Nature Explorer's Program Launched At Head O' Meadow School

BY DOROTHY EVANS

What can you say about a Connecticut Audubon outdoor education series for

elementary age children where the study site will be a woodland trail behind

their school and the "guest lecturers" will be a live turtle, a live African

millipede and a live American toad?

Nothing but good things, it turns out.

"What excites me most about this proposal is the way the parent committees,

the teachers, the administration and the business community have come together

to make this possible," said Head O' Meadow Math/Science Specialist Gail

Maletz about the Connecticut Audubon Nature Explorers' (CANE) Program, which

the school has recently decided to incorporate into its K-2 curriculum.

The start-up phase of the CANE program at HOM has been funded by a donation of

$1,800 from the Danbury chemical firm Praxair, Inc, and Monday, January 26,

marked the formal check-passing ceremony to Audubon Development Director

Alison Olivieri.

"Praxair is in favor of supporting education in general, and science in

particular," said Praxair attorney Martha Friar, who is also a Newtown

resident and HOM parent.

The check will be used as seed money to purchase equipment, posters, taxidermy

mounts and teaching materials that can be taken from class to class as

students explore the interrelationships of plant and animal life in their

environment throughout the seasons.

One parent, Cheryl Barbour, also serving as PTA president, has already seen

the program in place and knows how effective it can be.

"We moved here from Fairfield two years ago. It's beautiful to see the

enthusiasm of teachers and kids working in this program," she said.

When Mrs Barbour suggested that the HOM PTA look into presenting the CANE

program to the administration and faculty in November, she could hardly

believe how quickly the project was adopted.

"This puts all the elements of what we're about into the program. Everyone

will benefit," said HOM Principal William Bircher.

As a result, this spring Audubon staff members from the Fairfield Center will

work with HOM teachers who will, in turn, instruct parent volunteers.

"I'm hoping eventually we can share this program with all the schools, and

that it can be expanded to include grades three to five as well," said PTA

member Kim Webber.

The courses will be taught in the classroom and in the field beginning in the

fall of 1998, and will cover three separate CANE lesson plans with activities

and objectives for fall, winter and spring.