THE WILD SIDE

By Denise Dick

Boardman

pupils get in touch with nature

Children learned about various animal species and wildlife preservation.

BOARDMAN — Life jacket in place, second-grader Nicholas Majetich, 8, used his small fishing pole to snag a fish from the fake pond at Market Street Elementary School.

Nicholas and fellow second-grader Amanda Santiago, 7, then flipped through the pages of books to identify the paper fish that Nicholas caught.

It was a flathead catfish, but because it hadn’t yet reached adulthood, Nicholas threw it back.

“It just took a short time,” Nicholas explained of his fishing experience.

Amanda captured a small fish during her turn with the fishing pole.

“It was a little one,” she said. “I put it back in the box.”

The fishing display was part of the COSI On Wheels’ What’s Wild program. The Center of Science and Industry in Columbus is a hands-on science center for children.

Pupils visited several interactive displays informing them about ecology, wildlife preservation and animal identification.

In Don’t Break the Chain, children learned about the food chain, said Kat Fairman, outreach demonstrator, and how species are dependent on one another for food and survival.

At another, Skulls and Skat, pupils viewed replicas of various animal skulls and droppings to learn the differences.

“I learned that when you see that, there’s a beaver around — because that’s what it looks like when it’s a beaver,” second-grader Mackenzie Widrig, 7, said referring to droppings.

Samantha Contino, 7, also a second-grader, said she learned a lot about animals.

“I learned that beavers have very soft skin,” said second-grader Breana Johnstone, 7. “They have two coats — one on top and one underneath.”

Mackenzie also shared some of her knowledge about birds.

“All birds have different sounds,” she said. “The girl birds don’t sound as pretty. The boys’ sound is prettier than the girls’.”

The school’s PTA arranged and funded the COSI On Wheels visit.

“This is the second year we’ve done this,” said Stephanie Cailor, PTA treasurer.

The group has provided activities for the children for many years but wanted to add an educational element, she said.

Last year’s COSI On Wheels visit focused on agriculture.

“This year, we let the teachers choose,” Cailor said.

denise_dick@vindy.com