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Kindergarten Field Studies
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Children love seeing the many wild animals that live here in Big Sur: bobcats, foxes, deer, rabbits, chipmunks, coyotes, raccoons, possums, condors, hawks, eagles, seals, sea otters, gulls, and cormorants and many more. |
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Primary students take advantage of a wide variety of seasonal migrations and changes in nature when studying science, language arts, and when producing arts and crafts. Children anxiously await the annual October return of the bright orange and black Monarch butterflies. The next impressive migration the children and their families see is that of the California Gray Whale. From late November through April whales complete their annual journey between the Bering Straits and Mexico, where the females have their babies. In March, we also watch for the return of the swallows. Our sycamore tree leaves turn golden yellow in the fall, and following the first cold evenings, the poison oak turns bright red. Captain Cooper's tree-lined road and nature trail lead us through redwood trees, oaks, bays, and alders among others. We're surrounded by various kinds of brush, including toyon with its brilliant crimson berries in December and January. Spring brings California Poppies and other coastal wild flowers. Students in all grades have embarked on an Adopt-A-Watershed restoration program. Grades One through Five have chosen campsites in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park that need attention. Students are helping park personnel by covering overused trails, planting native vegetation, such as redwood sorrell, and new native trees. Big Sur gives the children a rich opportunity to study nature's wonders. Bookmark us now to complete your migration. Then enjoy the following journeys: |
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At
the Point Sur Lightstation, students learn about local history, and the natural
history of the area, including wildflowers, geology, and animal migration patterns.
They are introduced to the Fresnel lens, shipwrecks in general, and the Macon
in particular. Here and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, they can learn first hand
about the habits and habitat of the sea otter. From "The Rock" they
get a gull's eye view of the kelp forest, then take an underwater look, live
from The Kelp Camera at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Kelp Forest exhibit. They
learn that sea otters, once thought extinct due to fur trading, were rediscovered
just below Bixby Creek Bridge in the 1930's, and efforts to protect them continue
today