IIY Visits Mercer Slough Environmental Center
In June, the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade Invest in Youth students ventured off campus for their end of the year surprise field trip to the Mercer Slough Environmental Center in Bellevue, WA.
Students and tutors read and completed activities in a packet called “A Walk Through the Wetlands.” Freddie Frog, the main character of the story, took students and tutors on an exploratory adventure through the wetlands. The tutoring pairs learned about the water cycle and water conservation on their journey.
The students and tutors experienced the wetland first hand at the Mercer Slough during the “Wetland Naturalists” program.
In total, Invest in Youth spent 4 hours during each field trip to the Slough, learning about life in the wetlands and the animals that call the wetland home. Each trip was divided into two parts; the science lab portion and the nature walk.
During the nature walk, the students looked for wildlife and felt the soil move underneath them as they entered the wetland.
Students worked with microscopes and conducted their own investigations trying to collect and identify macroinvertebrates.
Worksheets that the students completed during their time in the Mercer Slough Science Lab.
