KIDS DISCOVER THE TRAIL! - Grade 3

KDT! Trumansburg is a collaboration of the TCSD Foundation, Discovery Trail, and Trumansburg Central School District to provide curriculum-based field trips to the eight sites of the Discovery Trail for Trumansburg Central School District students grades Pre-K through 6.

Last week instructors from CORNELL BOTANIC GARDENS (formerly called Cornell Plantations) visited each Grade 3 classroom and presented a lesson and hands-on activities to prepare the students for their upcoming field trip to the wildflower garden; and here are some pictures from those visits. Thank you to the Trumansburg PTO for funding their program book, “Wildflowers: A Peterson First Guide,” by Roger Tory Peterson; and to our Foundation donors for their support.

KIDS DISCOVER THE TRAIL - Kindergarten Class goes to the Tompkins County Library!

Like you and your family, we don’t just do one thing at a time! While we were busy with last-minute details for Friday night’s Community Art Auction, we found time to tag along with the Trumansburg kindergarten classes that were out on the Discovery Trail, visiting the Tompkins County Public Library. By the way, this field trip is a perfect example of where your donations go. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The children also received their very own copy of the book, “The Interrupting Chicken,” by David Ezra; and we thank the Trumansburg Elementary PTO for providing the funding for that.

Be sure to ask your students for the recipe to bake a book!

KIDS DISCOVER THE TRAIL - Grade 2 Visits the Sciencenter!

KIDS DISCOVER THE TRAIL TRUMANSBURG – a program of the TCSD Foundation in collaboration with the Discovery Trail and the Trumansburg Central School District.

After reading “Energy Island” by Allan Drummond; Trumansburg’s Grade 2 traveled to the Sciencenter, where they explored climate change and energy through demonstration and hands-on activities that address the need for alternative energy sources. Each student received a copy of “Energy Island,” and we thank the Trumansburg Elementary PTO for funding the book, as well as our TCSD Foundation supporters.

The students divided up into groups, worked with partners to engineer their own windmills, and then they explored the rest of the Sciencenter. Enjoy the photos, and be sure to ask your students what they remember from their visit. Thank you to Mr. Baxendell and Ms. Dennis for letting us join in the fun!

March is Youth Art Month

TCSD will celebrate Youth Art Month throughout March with programs for students and the community, and ending with the Art Show and Auction on March 31st. The Art Show and Auction will be held from 5:30-7:30pm in the High School cafeteria, with refreshments provided by Good to Go! Trumansburg Market. Throughout the month of March, under the guidance of Ithaca Art Trail artist Denise Milito, students will participate in mosaic workshops. Elementary students will create mosaic letters and stepping stones, and middle school students will participate in a mosaic workshop, while high school students will be involved in a tile workshop for a mosaic mural.

On Saturday, March 5th the community will have the opportunity to come together for a mural painting event. This event will take place in the Elementary School cafeteria from 10am - 12pm.

Follow the TCSD Foundation Facebook page for updates, or email the TCSD Foundation for more details.

Food is Elementary: A Testimonial

The "Food is Elementary" program should be part of a child's  weekly "specials" in the Trumansburg Elementary school just like art, music or P.E., in my opinion.  It is  a curriculum   that includes a massive amount of integrated education about plants, chemistry, science, geography, culture,  cultural tolerance, math, sensory awareness, and physical  coordination.  That is not even a complete list.  We live in a rural community surrounded   by farms and yet, many of the children by 3rd and 4th grade  have a narrow interest in food and a subpar knowledge of where it comes from and how to cook and enjoy it.  Yet,  this is an activity they will do until the end of their  lives.

Just in volunteering one day,  I received a text from a thankful mother saying that her  daughter "LOVED" her "food education" class that day.  I witnessed this child earlier in the day try a spicy sauce that was entirely new to her and out of her comfort zone.  I saw her participating and not knowing the answer to one question, but having a correct hunch on another.  I saw many children engaged and excited and others quite challenged  by the new material which is really fundamental food information. As we know, children don't always share with their parents every detail of their school days, but this class had clearly made the nightly news at home.

 Antonia was able to wrap in information about what sea surrounds North Africa (no child in 4 classes knew that the answer was Mediterranean without big hints) and to open children's minds to people that are different than themselves with anecdotes about different dining customs.  She was able to transport them in a small way to a different geographical location with the flavors and smells of exotic spices.

 Whether you teach technical writing (writing directions to a recipe), math fractions (recipe measurements), world geography (with maps), science (climate/plant science) or history (of the American South) the elementary lessons could be tied into the "Food is Elementary" class in a very tangible way that is memorable and that enhances their studies and understanding of the subject at hand.

I hope to see this program expand in the years to come.  From the garden to the plate, it will bring good health to our children and grow their minds simultaneously.

Dewi Rainey (Mom of a 5-year old in Kindergarden)

Trumansburg 4th Graders Prepare Nutritious and Beautiful Food

Food is Elementary, a program that TCSDF wholeheartedly supports, is underway in our elementary school! Here are some pictures of fourth graders preparing food — nutritious and beautiful! This past Monday they prepared a dish called Three Sisters with garlic, tomatoes, basil, spinach, beans and pasta. They then got to sample it in the cafeteria at lunch on Tuesday! Reportedly some students returned for thirds and others have repeated the dish at home with their families! All third and fourth graders are enjoying learning about and preparing nutritious foods this spring. As they did this week, students will get to sample the foods in the cafeteria thanks to the generous participation of our cafeteria staff who are working with the program to help with moving the recipes from classroom to the cafeteria. In addition to this the students will also have the opportunity to work in the garden.

Stay tuned for more information on this program and thank you for your support of TCSDF! Together we are bringing valuable programs to the students of the Trumansburg Central School District!

Trumansburg 3rd Graders at Cornell Plantations

Here are some of our third graders studying plant life cycles and wildflowers at Cornell Plantations this past week! Students visited Mundy Wildflower Garden where each student looked for and identified their selected wildflower. Once the plant was found, each student taught the others in the group about their special plant. Teachers and guides agreed that students had learned a lot and were good teachers! They were well prepared to continue explore the garden, learning about many plants and talking about plant characteristics (ask your student about the wild ginger flower, or how long it takes trillium to bloom if growing from seed—or about underground lunch boxes! This is one of the field trips sponsored by TCSDF with Kids Discover the Trail. Another program we are able to support through the generous donations of our many sponsors. Thank you for supporting us in supporting such a wonderful program!

Tompkins Weekly: A Decade of Learning on the ‘Trail’

This is the first in a series of articles in Tompkins Weekly about Kids Discover the Trail! to mark its 10th anniversary. From Tompkins Weekly, September 15-21, 2014  Read the Article (page 5)