Our Grade 6 students traveled to Harriman State Park in eastern Idaho on Monday in order to explore the Greater Yellowstone system. This trip is tied directly to their curriculum throughout the year. The following is an excerpt of our Day 2 letter from Alex Ide, our Director of Secondary Education, who is part of the 4 member team who is leading the trip.
Dear Grade 6 Parents,
Upper Mesa Falls was our first destination of the day. After a short walk, we rounded the corner to the thunderous roar of the 114 foot Upper Mesa Falls. The area around these amazing falls is rich in plant life and micro-habitats. We discussed what micro-habitats are and how abiotic factors (temps, wind, sunlight, etc.) affect the living organisms within the systems. All of the students agreed that a zip-line here is a must!
After visiting the Upper Falls, students took a tour of the historical museum on site, complete with a large table of animal pelts they could examine. We also walked around the museum to view original historical photos of the explorers and native peoples of the area.
After lunch, we went on a nature trail scavenger hunt… snakes, spiders, song birds, raptors, and made leaf rubbings to identify tree types. We also saw a bird’s eye view of the falls and the impact of freeze thaw on volcanic rock cliffs on our way to Warm River. There were vast boulder fields stretching all the way down to the river floor below. We headed back to our Harriman home base for a bit of down time prior to dinner. A few kids did some fly fishing, some took a short hike, and some spent time in team building activities.
Tonight’s dinner menu: Cowboy burgers – hamburgers with toppings placed in foil and cooked in the oven. Students loved them!! First time I’ve seen carrots put on a hamburger! We ended the evening with a group session to hear positives of the day and to work on how we can make tomorrow even better.
We have purposefully mixed up the student groups for the activities to help students build better relationships with each other. The kids have commented on how fun it is to work with other students they don’t usually spend time with, and how much they have enjoyed it. Many of their expectations for the trip have been to work with, and get to know, different classmates…glad we can help that along.
Kids are tired but spirits are high! On to sleep to get ready for day 3!
Tomorrow we will be headed into West Yellowstone to visit the Wolf and Grizzly Center and we will travel to several other Yellowstone attractions. It will be a long, but fun filled day!
Warm Regards,
Alex
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