The Teton Junior Science School (TJSS) is in the third week of exploring the world around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It proved to be a busy fun filled week! The 1st and 2nd grade group, Fancy Flyers, flew to new adventures throughout the week. The students captured insects in Read the rest of this entry »
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Three of our graduate students are interning in Grand Teton National Park this summer. They are leading programs and working behind the desk in the visitor centers. I am fortunate enough to get to observe their programs and help them put the finer touches on their interpretive skills.
Today I watched Anne do a Menor’s Ferry program. It is a fascinating part of the park
because it has an operating historic general store, a replica ferry that crosses the Read the rest of this entry »
Summer is here, and kids are out of school! What better way for kids to spend the summer than outside getting their hands dirty and exploring nature?
In the first week of the Teton Junior Science Schools, there were two programs, Colors in Nature for grades 3 & 4, and Wee Little Wonders for grades 1 & 2.
Kate, Caroline, Derek, and I worked with the Colors in Nature program. On the first day, students traveled to the Wedding Tree in Bridger-Teton National Forest to find colors and name them for their own crayon box, looked closely at tent caterpillars and played a complete metamorphosis game, and after learning the distinguishing characteristics of beetles, created their own colorful beetle to take home. Throughout the rest of the week, students also went to Schwabacher’s Landing to explore the area and build their own beaver dams, the Teton Science Schools Kelly Campus to discover which community was the most colorful, the Snake River to find colorful rocks, and ended the week with bird banding. How much fun did the kids have? The pictures tell it all.
To add onto Rob’s previous blog, here are some more pictures from the Wolf and Bear weekend trip to Yellowstone National Park. On the drive out of Kelly, we saw a coyote feeding on a carcass in the Gros Ventre River. We had barely left campus, but had to stop and take a look through the scopes.
It was my first time in Yellowstone, and it was exciting to spend the weekend there when the roads first opened up since winter. I was fortunate enough to had already seen a wolf in the sage flats near our campus in February, but was thrilled to see two more wolves on this trip. There was a coyote following a wolf for a while, and the wolf kept turning around and tried to chase off the coyote. I never realized how much bigger wolves were compared to coyotes until I saw them side by side.
Bright, smiling faces glowing with anticipation on Monday, June 11 marked the first day of Teton Junior Science School (TJSS) for 1st through 4th graders. The programs are being lead by our very own graduate students with the support of four amazing interns. The programs offered last week included Wee Little Wonders (1-2 grade) and Colors in Nature (3-4 grade). I tagged along with both groups to see what incredible discoveries were taking place. On Tuesday, the first and second graders studied birds. They had the unique opportunity to hang out with the Teton Science Schools’ bird banders as they collected data on various birds of the area. Some of the students even released the birds after the information was recorded! It was quite a treat for everyone!
On Thursday, the third and fourth graders explored the Snake River Levy. They weresurrounded by thousands of rocks of all different shapes, sizes, and colors, and had sweeping southern views of the Teton Range. They played games and creatively learned about the formation of the Tetons. Thank you everyone for allowing me to explore with you! Stay tuned for more updates from the TJSS world!
Title: Around the Park in 48 Hours
Show Description: Whether you have a month, a week, or just a few short days, there is so much to see and do in the Jackson Hole area. On a short trip it is difficult to leave without thinking that you may have missed something. Never fear! Here are a few suggestions for making the most of the views, history, wildlife, solitude, and activities that the Tetons can offer during a two day visit in the summer.
Title: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Show Description: Jackson Hole lies within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, an island of intact natural systems. While this region has been defined on maps, its boundaries are complicated by the diversity of plants and animals found within it. Management decisions center around understanding the complexity of the boundaries of this ecosystem.
What an amazing week. It seems like forever ago now, but it
was only just over a month. Snake River Montessori hiked around the Kelly campus, visited the sage grouse lek, tromped to Taggart Lake at the base of the Tetons, examined water quality and macro-invertabrates, and planted willow cuttings for a restoration project.
The teachers and chaperones have been keeping in touch and they shared a powerpoint with me. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how about 171 pictures? The file is huge ( 148 MB) but is worth the wait. Download it here: Snake River Montessori 2007
The students also put together a newspaper when Read the rest of this entry »
