4th Graders from Titus Elementary Visit Aldie Mansion
4th Graders at Titus Elementary School in Central Bucks recently spent the day at historic Aldie Mansion for a hands-on educational experience with Heritage Conservancy. This spring marked the third year Titus has participated in the program.
As the buses pulled into Aldie Mansion, Heritage Conservancy’s Tudor-style headquarters, students were greeted by the towering grotesques on the roofline, not gargoyles, as they would later learn. Students entered through the ballroom doors, received color-coded schedules and reusable bracelets, and got a brief introduction before splitting into groups to rotate through five stations throughout the mansion and grounds.
History, Art, and Architecture Station
In the dining room, students examined the symbolism behind William Mercer’s ceiling design and artwork, considering what might have inspired him. In the Great Hall, they compared the Tudor architecture of Aldie Mansion with the Byzantine style of Fonthill Castle, using observation skills to identify architectural features in photos of other buildings from around the world.
The Watershed and Water Cycle Station
In the library, students worked with the Enviroscape model to explore how land use affects local waterways and water quality. At the water cycle board, they matched vocabulary to the stages of the cycle and came up with physical movements to represent each one, a strategy to help make concepts like percolation a little more memorable.
Aquatic Macroinvertebrates from Neshaminy Creek Station
In the orangery at the back of the ballroom, students gathered around the Live Stream table, a hands-on display of aquatic macroinvertebrates collected from Neshaminy Creek. They identified scuds, leeches, midges, water pennies, and other species, and learned how the presence or absence of certain insects can tell scientists a great deal about stream health.
Students view macroinvertebrates under a microscope
Mindfulness and Nature Journaling Station
The final station took students outside onto the Aldie Mansion grounds, where they practiced deep breathing and used the trees and surrounding landscape as focal points for a mindfulness exercise. They finished with nature journaling, drawing and writing about what they saw and heard during their time outside.
Titus Elementary 4th Graders at Aldie’s courtyard
A Little Bit of Everything
At the end of the day, students shared their favorite parts. Some loved the water bugs; others gravitated toward the history rooms or the time spent outside.
This year’s program was organized and coordinated by Beth Clark, Education Programs Associate, and brought to life by Heritage Conservancy’s talented team of environmental educators, led by Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller, Director of Education and Community Programs. “Ensuring that students understand and connect with our local natural and historic resources is critical for the long term success of conservation in our region,” says Fredebaugh-Siller. “They will be the ones in the upcoming decades to care for the land. These local experiences are essential for planting the seed for youth to become conservation-minded adults.”
During May’s Leave a Legacy Month, it’s worth noting our legacies aren’t only measured in acres preserved. Every student who leaves our education programs with a curiosity about stream health, habitat conservation, and local history carries something forward. That, too, is conservation.
Partial funding for this field trip was provided by business contributions through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. Learn more here.
Interested in nature-based education programs for your classroom? Contact Shannon Fredebaugh-Siller at sfredebaugh@heritageconservancy.org for more information.
