Second graders explore insect life at Eco Island

Story and photo by Alice Gerard

Senior Contributing Writer

Eco Island is a place where Grand Island students have the opportunity to explore nature and overcome fears, said director Cyndi Booker.

Eco Island, which is owned by the Grand Island Central School District, is open three to five days a week from October to June.

On April 30, a group of second graders from Kaegebein Elementary School visited Eco Island to learn about insects and other animals. They looked at insects through a magiscope, which is a type of microscope. They made models of bees, they heard about the life cycle of frogs, and they learned about birds.

“I hope that they develop an appreciation for nature,” Booker said. “I want them to be able to ask questions and to really appreciate things. For example, some (children) might be fearful of some animals. I’d really like them to overcome those fears with knowledge. For instance, understanding how bees are and the difference between bees and wasps. Making sure they understand how important bees are and the importance of insects in general, because a lot of kids are pretty squeamish about insects. However, when they take a look at them under a magiscope, all of a sudden, it creates a new world for them to take a look at.”

Booker said Eco Island is designed to provide interactive learning for the students, as well as for the parents, who function as chaperones.

“It makes it more meaningful,” Booker explained. “I think that every person actually benefits from a hands-on learning experience, both young and old. I make it my mission to try to make it as engaging as possible. If we can make little model representations of what they actually see, it’s going to stay more permanently with them.”

Watching students experience nature at Eco Island is something Booker said she lives for. She said she likes to see “the joy on their faces when they ask questions and when they get excited about coming here. Especially when you hear them saying, not just to me but to themselves, ‘This is the best trip ever’ or ‘I’m having a great day.’ They charge me up in that way. I guess you could say I live for that. I also get a lot of those kinds of comments from parents, too. ‘I never knew that before.’

“Parents are the child’s first teachers. So, if they can get excited about seeing things that their children are doing, that’s going to be passed off to the entire family.

“But I also love the opportunity for kids, as well as parents, to teach me a few things, too. I’m not done learning.”