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Students from elementary schools come to South to learn about animals and explore the SMSEL. photo by Cassandra Awad

Grade school tours have long been a tradition of the environmental education classes. They provide an opportunity for elementary aged students to visit the SMESL (Shawnee Mission Environmental Science Lab) and learn about the Kansas environment.

“We’ve had grade school kids visiting us since the early seventies,” environmental ed teacher PJ Born said.

The tours are led by the environmental ed students themselves.

“The grade school kids get broken down into 10 different groups,” Born said. “The high school students have prepared a lesson and they implement that lesson during their class period.”

The tours are a chance for grade school children to learn about nature and animal life.

“ …they get an opportunity to really inquire, ask questions, really figure out and have a chance to touch and hold and see and hike outside and get the answers to lots of great questions,” Born said.

Each group learns about a specific animal that lives in the SMESL. There is a wide variety of Kansas animals covered in these groups. Examples of these groups are Green Sunfish, Black Ratsnake, Whitetail Deer and Crayfish.

Born enjoys the different kind of experience that the grade school students get to have when going on these tours.

“They really get a neat opportunity to learn in a small group,” Born said. “They’re not stuck in a class of 25 first graders. There’s normally like four or five students and there’s two or three high school students that are leading that.” 

Environmental Ed is a class that provides an interesting teaching experience, according to Born. He likes how it provides him with a unique way to teach both high schoolers and grade schoolers alike about the environment.

“My favorite part is just the difference,” Born said. “Teaching high school is fun, but then also throwing the grade school kids in there throws a lot of variety out there. You get ready for grade school kids and then three or four weeks of grade school kids in the fall. And then we have a little break where we learn a little about environmental education.”

For students looking for a class that teaches about nature, the environment, and being a good leader, Environmental Education 1 and 2 are available science elective options.