Our (9-12) students were thrilled to witness a bird of prey flapping from one gloved hand to another as each 4th grader took turns bravely feeding a morsel to the bird and allowing it to take flight and land from their leather-gloved arm. This experience held particular meaning to our 4th graders who just finished reading the novel, My Side of the Mountain, which features a boy and his peregrine falcon hunting together.
The bird brought by the Ohio School of Falconry was a powerful Harris Hawk. Students in 4th-6th grade gathered on the lawn behind their classroom to learn about many different birds of prey from the hawk’s handler who did a great job of presenting and answering each student’s questions.
As each child stood proudly holding up this noble bird, we were reminded of a quote from Dr. Maria Montessori, “when children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.”