Photo Gallery: Field Trip for Boulder Hill 5th Graders

Fifth graders at got a special chance to enjoy the great weather Thursday, as they embarked on a field trip to the Fox River.

The culmination of a series of classes on the ecosystem, Thursday's outing is an annual tradition at Boulder Hill. For the past six years, fifth graders have taken a day to trek down to Oswegoland Park District's Violet Patch Park, where they take turns clearing invasive plants from the shoreline, and learn about the web of life that inhabits the area.

Students in Sue Fairbanks' class used marbles and wooden widgets to demonstrate how water travels, then learned about controlled burns and their benefits, using batteries and steel wool to create small fires. Then, decked out in safety goggles and gloves, the fifth graders removed invasive plant life, sawing it down and then carrying it away.

Fairbanks was part of a team that devised the field trip six years ago. It's fun and free, she said, and the smiles on her students' faces told the story. Check out the photos for more.