CHESTER, Va. -- You won't find real nature in a textbook or on a website. It’s down a dirt road in Chester.
Instructors from the James River Association told a recent field trip of students from Henrico’s Glenlea Elementary School that they Are kind of like the Dr. Seuss character The Lorax.
"We like to give the river a voice; make people know how we're impacting the James river; our positive and negative impacts."
But to really learn about the river, you must get on it.
The partnership between Henrico Schools, the Henrico Education Foundation, and the James River Association let's kids experience and learn new things.
"It's just a great way to connect what they learn in the classroom with the hands-on learning of the James," Senior Education Manager Nat Draper said.
Hands-on is right. Especially after netting some fish from the river.
"The coolest thing about today was riding on the boat and touching the fish to see what they felt like," 5th grade student Jonniyah Taylor said.
"It's really priceless," teacher Courtney King said, “because some students don't have the background knowledge that needs to be applied to the learning."
“Being able to touch the fish, talk about the fish adaptations, talk about behavioral changes and stuff that can happen in an ecosystem," Draper said. “It's just that link for the environment."
Nat Draper
On buses and boats, a James River float... is Building Better Minds.
***Learn more about the Presquile National Wildlife Refuge***
