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Fifth-graders in Ginger Rackley’s class at Saluda Elementary recently visited The Park at Flat Rock for a Muddy Sneakers expedition.

The Muddy Sneakers program is an innovative environmental education initiative designed to connect students with the natural world through hands-on outdoor experiences. By immersing students in nature, Muddy Sneakers fosters a sense of environmental stewardship and deepens their understanding of the natural world.

As part of their review of the concepts of force and motion, students built boats out of items in nature to measure the force of the current in the stream. They also created a bear bag that they had to hang from a tree branch and pull up. The students used their knowledge about force and motion to help them devise an easier way to pull the bear bag up into the tree.