Schools

Fort Island Students Get Wild About Nature

Every year, Fort Island Primary teaches second grade students how to get back to nature.

Ever heard of Nature Deficit Disorder? It's not a medical condition, but it does describe what some naturalists are calling a "lack of connection to the environment."

To help get children back in touch with nature, Fort Island Primary School teacher Meredith Morgan and her husband Dave Herbster started a program for second graders called Nature Day.

Mason and Herbster bring in Summit County Metro Park volunteers Dave Gates and John Irvine to teach the children about animal adaptation, bird migration, animal track identification, the effect trash has on the environment and more.

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"It's amazing how far from nature we're moving," Mason said. "We don't have that connection with nature anymore and we need to. That's what inspired this program."

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