Yesterday, VMNH Associate Curator of Recent Invertebrates Dr

July 16, 2021

Yesterday, VMNH Associate Curator of Recent Invertebrates Dr. Kal Ivanov and Myriapodologist Dr. Jackson Means visited the ONE Forest School in Huddleston, Virginia for a morning of collecting and talking "bugs". In attendance were 22 students, ages 3-12, and boy did they have a great time!

The day began with a discussion about what bugs are, a show and tell of bugs native to Virginia, displays of charismatic tropical arthropods, as well as demonstrations of various collecting techniques. Afterwards, Drs. Ivanov and Means took the students to a nearby field and everybody got to try their hand at catching bugs with sweep and aerial nets. The action-packed morning ended with a hike to a small wooded creek in search of even more critters!

Drs. Ivanov and Means had a truly fantastic time hanging out with all of the children and staff at the ONE Forest School, and were inspired by their mission to bridge the gap between traditional classroom education and all of the incredible lessons that nature can teach us. The school has a garden, chickens, an adorable bloodhound, a well-maintained trail winding through a beautiful forest, an obstacle course, two open-air classrooms, and much much more!

We encourage you to check out the ONE Forest School's website (https://oneforestschool.org) and see the remarkable nature-based pedagogy they are championing!