Our three-day adventure at Journey's Outdoor School at Grizzly Creek Ranch was a success, both academically and weather wise. Students participated in a night hike by moonlight, without any flashlights. They also studied pond ecology at an amazing pond. Meals were fantastic and students learned about not wasting food by keeping an Ort Report at each meal. The challenge course allowed students to grow personally. Amazing skies allowed us the opportunity to learn about astronomy the second night. One group even saw shooting stars. The archery course let students learn a new skill while understanding potential and kenetic energy.
I could go on and on, but have decided to let the students themselves tell you what they got out of this experience in their own words. Each quote was a sample taken out of their three pages they wrote in their lab books after they returned:
"We learned about rods and cones in our eyes."-Anthony
"I never saw a shooting star before!"- Alexis
"We learned about predators and prey. Prey is the animal that the predator will eat."-Maddy
I learned "I can trust other people when I am blindfolded and the sun is the closest star." -Keziah
"Backswimmers swim on their backs and can also walk on land." - Robert
"I learned about invertabrates and vertabrates. Invertabrates does not have a backbone. Vertabrates have a backbone."-Claire
"I learned when the moon does not show it is the new moon."-Grace
"When we were on the night hike we saw deer in the meadow and we sat their for a little bit and watched." -Jakob
"I learned to trust others."-Alexa
"Bats can run into trees without their echolocation. An average family wastes 5 lbs. of food per day (ort)" -Regan
"I need to think outside the box." -Chris
"I learned a lot about archery. Microinvertabrates were very small bugs who lived under these very big, black rocks in the pond and that means the pond is healthy." -Sarah
"I have learned how to love the outdoors. I learned that red ants are edible." -Zachary
"I learned about triboluminescence." -Briana
"I learned about rhodopsim, pH testing, and dissolved oxygen." -Eric
" l learned that it is good when you work in groups, to trust others, and how to discuss." -Mason
"Waxing moon is getting larger, waning moon is getting smaller." -Natalie
"Camouflage-The point is to blend in with the rest of the wildlife." -Isaac
"My favorite was the pond because we found tadpoles and lots of fish." -Abigail
"I did not know I was so good at archery."- RJ
"I learned the different stages of the moon." -Kelli
"I learned that scat in animal poop." -Collin
