A group of 17 Taft Elementary fourth and fifth graders got the opportunity to experience the Larry R. Yoder Prairie Learning Laboratory and the art exhibit Sustainability Stories first-hand during a visit to Ohio State Marion on May 12th.
Led by Taft Elementary School teacher and Ohio State Marion alumna Amanda Howard, the group is part of a school club known as Planeteers. Members of the club are interested in presenting a plan to their principal about turning part of the front school lawn into a prairie, planting a small garden of native flowers, and running the school's recycling program.
Faculty, staff and students from The Ohio State University at Marion, including Associate Professor of Emeritus of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology Bob Klips, Professor of Psychology Nikole Patson (and her students), Assistant Dean Leslie Beyer-Hermsen, Academic Success Center Manager Tiffiny Rye-McCurdy, and students Brooklyn Mosher, Liv Frazier, Jasmine Balduf, and Kylie Klaiber all assisted in making the field trip possible.
Dr. Rye-McCurdy shared that the field trip included a brown bag lunch on the prairie, nature walk and journaling that encouraged the students to collect small samples for a project, creating salt dough nature impressions, and a tour of the interactive art exhibition at the Wayne & Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery entitled, Sustainability Stories - Minding & Mending Our Ways: Moving Towards an Intentional Future. The exhibit is on display in the gallery through September 2025.
According to Dr. Nikole Patson, she was thrilled that so many from the campus took part in such a worthwhile visit. The nature journaling activity was designed by her spring 2025 Psychology 2462- Psychology of Creativity course, and three of the students from that course came back to campus to help with the activities.
“I wanted to send a heartfelt thank you to each one of you for your incredible help with the Planeteers Field Trip to the prairie and sustainability exhibit. Your support made all the difference,” said Patson. Giving a special shoutout to her students for coming back to campus after the semester ended to assist with the event.
“This was the first time we've done the nature journaling exercise. I must admit, I was a bit unsure about how it would go, but the kids seemed to love it,” said Patson. “It was wonderful to see them so engaged and excited as they explored the prairie. Many of them eagerly showed me their journal entries, and it was clear they were having a fantastic time.”
Patson shared, “As we walked back from the prairie, one of the students exclaimed, ‘This is the best field trip ever!’ Another student said, ’This is where I'm going to go to college so that I can be a teacher.’”
“These moments were incredibly heartwarming and inspiring,” she added.
“I'm thrilled to report that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. This speaks volumes about the amazing experience everyone helped create for these students,” Patson concluded.