Kissing Fish and Other Echo Hill Adventures

The 4^th grade overnight to Echo Hill is a perennial favorite among Lowell students. Eighth grade students often mention the trip in their graduation speeches, and it’s not hard to understand why.

 

Echo Hill Outdoor School is set on 70 acres on the Easter Shore of Maryland. The location is rich with wildlife and borders on a 172 acre marsh. The 4^th grade trip is chock full of experiential and hands-on learning activities that tie in closely with the 4^th grade study of the Chesapeake Bay and the essential theme, systems. Echo Hill also has an Adventure Program that challenges students to meet personal and group goals on ropes courses.

 

During the fall and winter, 4^th graders studied the geography and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. On their recent trip, students got to explore the Bay first-hand. Students trawled for fish, eels, and crabs on historic wooden work boats; collected plankton; explored a swamp; and discussed how people in the Chesapeake watershed affect the health of the estuary. They also explored a reconstructed Native American site to learn how these early Americans lived in step with the Bay environment.

 

As a result of trip experiences, students reflected on the interaction of the systems created by humans and the systems of the Chesapeake Bay in new ways. They were also challenged to consider the interplay of environmental systems and human needs in an evening activity that drew on the characters in Dr. Seuss’s classic, The Lorax.

 

Fourth Grade Teacher Brian Stark says, “Many of the Echo Hill experiences provide opportunities for children to work cooperatively, problem-solve, investigate, and try new things that might be outside their comfort zones.” The Adventure Program focuses specifically on developing trust, cooperation, leadership, communication, planning, and decision-making skills. What could be a more thrilling way to accomplish those goals than zipping through the trees, climbing the giant Spider’s Web, or navigating the Blind Maze?

 

Two things stood out to Brian, who was leading the Lowell trip with teachers Emily Tignor and Karen Balian for the first time:

 

Our fourth graders adjusted so quickly to a new environment . . .The weather was quite variable and made some of the outdoor classes more challenging. I heard nothing but praise from our groups. They were totally into the experience.

 

Another memory for me was watching students push their own boundaries and try something new. Whether trusting their group to catch them on the trust jump, working with partners to balance themselves on the wire walk, even holding eels or kissing a fish, I saw children recognizing their own comfort levels, yet willing to push a little beyond them to try a new experience.

 

It’s been a week since the trip and memories are still fresh. Highlights for 4^th graders included the interactive Lorax skit, the hayride, and the food, which one student described as “enjoyable and delicious; it helped me get through the day.” Another student summed up the trip this way: “It’s learning while being fun!”