• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • 2025
    • 2024
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Environmental day offers hands-on lessons

March 11, 2020 By Christine Holtzman

Academy at the Lakes, an independent school in Land O’ Lakes, recently hosted its fourth annual Senior Kindergarten Environmental Science Habitat Celebration Day. During the day, students in the senior kindergarten class were paired with eighth-graders as they moved through several student-led activity stations. The stations — prepared by the school’s Upper Division environmental science class — included a water pollution activity, a decomposer/worm station, a bear hibernation activity, and a bird feeder craft. Students also took a ‘floating classroom’ boat tour of Lake Myrtle.

Nathan Metzger, right, a kindergartner at Academy at The Lakes, points out an alligator during environmental day near a dock on Lake Myrtle, as kindergarten teacher Lauren Braxton, left, eighth-grader Ethan Keys, and fellow kindergartener Brayden Do look on. The group took a trip on the ‘Floating Classroom,’ operated by U.S. Coastguard certified boat captain Sheri Mahoney, to observe birds and other wildlife along the lake. (Christine Holtzman)
Students participating in the pollution activity learned a lesson about the negative effects of water pollution on marine animals and the environment. During this sensory activity, students used nets to collect water beads and small toy animals that were contained in plastic totes. If an animal was collected along with a black water bead — which represented pollution — the animal had to be quarantined. The exercise prompted a discussion regarding what could have prevented the situation. From left: Rio Lemra, Emily Halfpenny, Summer Senior, Nicole Gilleland and Mandy Ling.
At the decomposer station, Piper Kienast, left, and Nathan Metzger make edible dirt cups. The treats consisted of pudding, crushed Oreos, chocolate chips, and gummy worms. Before making the ‘dirt cups,’ the students watched a PowerPoint lesson on dirt and worms. Kacey Akins, Jackie Laihinen and Andrey Chee led the exercise.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ray lerma says

    March 12, 2020 at 5:41 pm

    Rio Lerma name is misspelled in the Students participating in the pollution activities photo sub-lines

    Log in to Reply
    • Mary Rathman says

      March 13, 2020 at 9:12 am

      Thank you. It has been corrected on our website posting!

      Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

All-in-one dental implant center

June 3, 2024 By advert

  … [Read More...] about All-in-one dental implant center

WAVE Wellness Center — Tampa Bay’s Most Advanced Upper Cervical Spinal Care

April 8, 2024 By Mary Rathman

Tampa Bay welcomes WAVE Wellness Center, a state-of-the-art spinal care clinic founded by Dr. Ryan LaChance. WAVE … [Read More...] about WAVE Wellness Center — Tampa Bay’s Most Advanced Upper Cervical Spinal Care

More Posts from this Category

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2025 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d