Maya Sawyer & Claudia Martinez Maya Sawyer & Claudia Martinez Outdoor Experience Write-Up

Before stepping outside we really had no idea what to expect !t first it was "ind of hard to shift fro# regular school thin"ing to $ust going to so#ething and seriously thin"ing a%out it and exploring our curiosity &ou al#ost ne'er ta"e the ti#e to ta"e things in( so this exercise really was interesting and fun )t was funny how we co#pared our *uestions a%out e'erything around us that were strange or considered si#ple and o%'ious to +"indergartener *uestions, )t-s sunny outside with a %a%y %lue s"y and few clouds Close your eyes and you hear the wind gusting %y hitting e'ery plant( you hear loud airplanes pass o'erhead( people in the distance tal"ing( construction in near%y %uildings and a couple of %irds chirping .he location of the tree is in %etween )nternational and /igh .ech /igh and %etween a par"ing lot and apart#ents .he tree is tall( pretty s"inny and has uni*ue hat shaped acorn loo"ing things on the top part of its %ranches and lea'es .he tree is surrounded %y short shru%s with red flowers and thin clustered lea'es .he tree is on dry dirt next to a ce#ent %order which is then followed %y freshly #owed grass .here is a sign to the left of the tree that says +!nchor Co'e 0esidents Only, .he tree is diagonally 12-13 ft away fro# a water fountain and %ench !s we approach the area we are curious a%out a wide range of things Why is the tree growing slanted4 What type of tree is it4 Why are there ants on the %ar"4 /ow do the ants get into inner layers of the tree4 Why are there different layers of %ar"4 /ow does the %ar" get its color4 Why is the last %ar" layer of this tree s#ooth and the outside rough4 We didn-t really create our experi#ent instead we decided what "ind of experi#ent we wanted to experience .he experi#ent is $ust si#ply naturally there .a"e the ti#e to loo" at the tree and its surroundings and thin" up logical explanations to why the tree is in the location it-s in to %egin with We thought that %ecause of the %uildings near%y( the sign and the slanted way the tree is that it #ust ha'e %een planted there We thought( %ecause the sun is so %right and it-s pretty war# out the ants #ust %e on the layers of %ar" to "eep cool( %ut also to reach so#e "ind of nutrient fro# the tree whether that %e the nut loo"ing thing or so#ething else Surprisingly $ust co#ing up with those two logical reasons( ta"ing our pictures( discussing and loo"ing around too" us a%out 52 #inutes which see#ed to go %y incredi%ly fast Unfortunately( throughout our de%rief we couldn-t thin" of a reason as to why there are different layers of %ar" and why they are the colors they are We also couldn-t identify what type of tree it is and what plants are around it

Maya Sawyer & Claudia Martinez Maya Sawyer & Claudia Martinez Outdoor Experience Write-Up

&esterday we wal"ed around and o%ser'ed the grassy area near the school( %ut today we wanted to loo" at so#ething new li"e the %ay We wanted to focus on the water in that area( and all we really "new was that there was so#e wildlife li"e cra%s and sea gulls near there We weren-t exactly sure what to expect to learn while loo"ing around .he %ay was roc"y and cal# )t was sunny with a slight %reeze Since it was *uiet( you could hear e'erything that was going on .he wild life( the %oats( the people passing %y .here wasn-t #uch to loo" at other than the tiny cra%s wal"ing around and hiding in %etween the roc"s as well as the %ro"en shells and roc"s .he water was so#ewhat clear e'en though it loo"ed pretty disgusting and had a %unch of green stuff floating around .o the left( $ust a few feet away( there was a sewage pipe .he closer to it( the grosser it s#elled( and there were a lot of flies $ust hanging around ! little %it a%o'e where the water is( you notice the sand and dead plants /eading further away fro# the water( there is a little %ench and a la#p post and a par"ing lot !ll of this was surrounded %y the grass and #ore roc"s and plants 6or the few #inutes o%ser'ing( we ca#e up with a few *uestions Why are ce#ent logs in the water( and how did they get there4 )s there so#e purpose to the#4 Why does it ha'e #etal %ea#s inside of the#4 7oes that affect anything4 /ow co#e only so#e of the ce#ent is rusted4 7oes ocean life grow on top of the ce#ent4 7oes the sewage pipe only a few feet away affect wildlife4