Pines and Prairies Land Trust sponsors nature lessons for homeschooled children and their teachers. Six teachers, all of whom are members of the Lost Pines Master Naturalist Chapter, prepare and teach lessons about the natural world that can be found along the Colorado River and in Bastrop County to as many as 30 students and 15 parents at a time.
This is the third year of nature lessons and the topics are the most ambitious so far. The lessons planned for this spring range from the Bats of Texas and Houston Toads to Animal Tracks and Scat, Bird Adaptations and Nests and Hazardous Plants.
The two hour classes consist of about an hour lesson with the students seated out of doors on a large porch or indoors if the weather is bad, at the PPLT office in Bastrop
The lessons are geared for young middle school students but because of the varied ages of homeschooled children the experienced and knowledgeable teachers are able to upgrade instruction in order to offer new material to more advanced students as well as to their teacher parents. Everyone learns something new and interesting about the natural world.
After the instruction part of the lesson is concluded students, parents and teachers hike the trails at the Colorado River Refuge observing, enjoying nature and being out of doors.
Because the group uses many of the same trails during all the seasons of the year, students experience the changing seasons, noticing bird and insect sounds, the fragrance of flowers, water and leaves and the views and sights along the river that are so special. The Master Naturalist teachers guide the hikes and answer the questions of bright and curious students about what they notice along the trails.
Classes are being offered free of charge to the families of homeschooled children during the months of January through May. The classes are held on Thursdays from 10:00am till 12:00noon at the BCWCID # 2 Building in Tahitian Village.
Contact PPLT for a schedule of dates and class topics.