Maplesville fourth and fifth graders explored the forest on April 29 while learning about the animals that call it home.

According to County Extension Coordinator Gay West, students spent time at four learning stations during the field day.

The first was “Hike a Creek” water area where children learned about aquatic creatures that live in area creeks and streams and why it is important to keep the water healthy and clean.

The second station, “Oh Deer!” taught children about the habitat needed to keep deer and other wildlife healthy by playing a game that divided the children into groups of food, water, shelter and deer.

“They could see firsthand the consequences when one or more resources were missing or low,” West said.

The third station was “Nobody Lives Here, What Does It Matter?” which focused on the living things that may not be seen on a day-to-day basis but remain important to the ecosystem.

At that station, children were sent out to find anything living such as frogs, lizards and grasshoppers and report what they had found.

The final station’s lessons focused on why it is important to thin trees and increase the spacing between trees to promote healthy forests.

According to Alabama 4-H County Agent Jo Walter, the course was in its first year as a test program, and the plan moving forward is to add another school each year until all the schools are associated.

The program was a designated field day that was funded by the Alabama 4-H Club Foundation and the culmination of a series of classes that Maplesville students participated in.

“The purpose of the program was to teach kids about natural resources with a focus on trees, water and wildlife,” Walter said.

All fourth, fifth and sixth graders at Maplesville each built a bluebird house as part of the in-class activities during the pilot year with houses placed around the school campus for future monitoring.

“Each student was given a lesson on birds and bird habitat,” West said. “The 4-H Center’s raptor program visited the school with numerous raptors, and information about each bird was shared with the elementary students.”

Sixth graders exclusively attended a day camp at the Alabama 4-H Center and participated in forest, water quality and team building exercises.

The activities were funded by the Alabama 4-H Foundation’s innovation grant titled “Feathers, Forests and Fun.”

The day was made possible because of the foundation’s partnership with the Chilton Natural Resources Council.

Allen Bearden is a member of the Chilton Planning Commission and offered up the property near Plantersville that was used during the field day.

Barking Frog provided food during the event and made it possible along with Reynolds Wood Products.

“A number of different people offered their time and resources to bring it together,” Walter said.