By Richard Bammer
More than 40 Orchard Elementary sixth-graders, two classes broken down into groups of seven or so, gathered, by turns, at three different stations — plant, water, soil — along the South Pasture Trail at Rush Ranch Open Space.
Under foggy skies, the wind still with temperatures in the high 50s, the Vacaville students spied native plants and animal tracks, tested murky-looking water, touched moist earth.
From time to time during their outdoor classroom trek, at the prompting of adult guides and educators, they recorded notes about their findings and observations, answered questions in a workbook, then capped their outing by writing poetry about their experiences before returning to their North Orchard Avenue campus.