Tosanak overrun with fifth graders

Annual outdoor classroom explores new opportunities

By Amie Johansen | amie@charlescitypress.com

Tosanak Recreation Area in Marble Rock was active with roughly 145 students from Charles City and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Tuesday morning. For over 20 years Charles City fifth graders have been taken on an outdoor classroom field day. Throughout the years, the location of the field day has changed, however the goal of getting kids acquainted with the outdoors has remained.

“Kids, driving up here, thought we were in a different state,” Charles City fifth grade teacher, Ben Klapperich, said.

This is Klapperich’s second year participating in the field day. Last year Klapperich attended as RRMR’s fifth grade math teacher. This year he teaches science at Charles City. The change in classroom subjects means Klapperich’s role in preparing the students changed slightly.

“We’ve been doing different experiments,” he said. “We’ll get more into life sciences after this.”

Klapperich appreciates the new experiences students are able to gain.

“(It’s) another opportunity to learn different skills,” he said.

The outdoor classroom included archery, BB guns, a woodland hike, soils, orienteering and a scavenger hunt hike.

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