
TVC Early Childhood April Newsletter 2023
April 18, 2023
April 18, 2023
Today nine friends boarded the bus ready to direct us all over our Valley! Before we left, Lulu showed us a map on her phone. We noticed there was on orange triangle in the middle of it. Anders thought the triangle might show where we were on the map. Our first stop after school was the gas station because we needed to fill up the bus. “The gas station is next to the library!” Wren shared. While we waited for the tank to fill up we checked on the orange triangle. Jaymes noticed there was a red line coming off of the triangle! We decided that in addition to taking turns giving directions we should also take turn watching the ‘tracker’ as we drove. Before we left the gas station each child got a clipboard and pen so they could create their own maps as we drove.
We saw so much out our bus windows today!
“This is the way to my house!” Jaymes realized after Buzby chose for us to turn onto 6000.
“This is a really bumpy road… It brings us to our old Woods,” Buzby shared as we drove down the road he chose for us to turn onto.
“I see the mountains!” Ada said, looking at the Tetons across the valley.
“I see our school!” Wren said, looking back at the direction we came.
“Lulu, this is a dead end!” Jaymes cautioned as we turned onto another bumpy road.
“If you go past Rise and get hot cocoa you get back on Highway 33,” Jhett advised as we got closer to Driggs.
“I’ve never seen such a donkey before!” Leo said when we stopped the bus to look at a pair of donkeys.
“We’ve seen so many animals!” Wren reflected as we passed some horses and cows.
“We’re going straight!” Tobie announced as she watched the red line on the tracker.
Today at morning meeting, we read the story of last Friday. The story told us about the driving adventure that some of us went on. In the pictures, we noticed a map with a red line on it. Buzby let us know that the line shows “Where we drived.” The people who went on the adventure, thought back to what they had seen.
“We saw Wren’s horse!” -Anders
“Cows! Donkeys!” -Leo
After looking at that little map of our route, some friends stopped to investigate the new big map of TARGHEE that Jhett’s family brought for us.
“I’m going on the chairlift. Where’s the magic carpet on this map…OH! I know where it is! It’s right there!” -Teagan
Using the marker, Wren drew as she spoke, “I’m just skiing all around the city. I’m gonna draw Shoshone.” -Wren
Outside, Corbin noticed something happening to the play yard.
“The play yard is coming back! I can see two rocks and some wood.” -Corbin
As he continued to observe the changes, other friends worked in the tunnels and caves that we’ve been digging and painting.
“This is a lake…this is an island, right Corbin? Let’s make Hawaii…I’m making an island. The big island…I’m adding to this lake. Look at this! This is a hot lava tube!” said Anders as he painted inside a hole in the cave wall.
“I’m making a river down! Look how long my river is getting.” -Genevieve
As he looked into a lava tube, Cody wondered, “How did this get a ball inside?”
How will our play yard continue to change this week? Will our rivers get longer and our caves get bigger?
Teagan was eager to venture into the forest today. We had brought Liza’s ‘mapping-watch’ to The Woods with us and this seemed like the perfect time to use it! Liza strapped her mapping watch to Teagan’s wrist and we set out on an adventure to The Booby Trap Tree and beyond! As we walked Teagan shared that the lines around the triangle on the watch were changing!
On our adventure into the forest Annie, Anders and Buzby discovered some strange things on the trees. “What’s that big thing? Is it growing out of a tree? … It’s growing out of something!” Anders said, looking up at a thicket of branches and sticks high up in a tree. “I don’t think it’s a tree,” Bubzy said. “It’s a nest!” Annie exclaimed.
As we continued on Annie noticed some scratches on the trees.
“I think someone is chopping our trees!” she said.
“I think there’s a big grey monster with three horns!” Anders said.
“Monsters aren’t real, right?” Buzby asked.
“Yes they are, I saw a bobcat once!” Annie replied.
We can’t wait to see the map we created!
Here is the map of our movements that we created during our Woods Day!
The ‘warmer’ colors show where we were moving fast and the ‘colder’ colors show where we were moving slower.
Hometown: Springfield, IL
Favorite Animal: Great Gray Owl
Alex was born and raised in Springfield, IL and grew up reading field guides whenever he wasn’t out looking for turtles and frogs. He can still vividly remember
the first Great Blue Heron he saw and it was this modern day dinosaur that sparked his interest in birds. He moved to Olympia, Washington to study ecology at The Evergreen State College where his love of natural history continued to grow. While studying abroad in Chile Alex discovered a passion for sharing his love of natural history as well as getting into birding as a hobby. Straight out of undergrad Alex attended Western Washington University to obtain a Masters in Environmental Education, which included a yearlong residency teaching and writing curriculum at the North Cascades Institute. In the ten years since finishing grad school he has worked naturalist and outdoor education jobs in Oregon, California, Maine, and back to Washington. For two years he managed education and outreach programs for the New Mexico Wildlife Center. There he delivered live raptor programs, cared for non-releasable birds, mammals, and reptiles as well as assisting in the rehabilitation of injured wildlife.
Alex came to Jackson Hole in 2022 to join Wildlife Expeditions as a Guide and loves sharing the magnificent wildlife and scenery of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with visitors. When he’s not guiding, Alex can be found birding, cross-country skiing, or hiking with his adopted husky, Mia.
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Whitney (she/her/hers) has a passion for helping people connect with the outdoor world through a scientific lens and for promoting stewardship to protect the places we all love. She has both a Master’s degree in Ecology and a teaching certificate, which she has used as a wildlife guide, the curriculum designer and instructor of the University of Wyoming’s Guide Certification program. Whitney has an extensive teaching background both in and out of the classroom. As the Director of Wildlife Expeditions, Whitney provides our guides with mentorship, continuing education experiences and professional development to ensure that we offer the best guides in the industry. In her free time, you can find Whitney somewhere on the river, hiking with her husband and toddler, or examining scat with more interest than many would find normal.
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Moose
Born and raised in the Texas hill country, David grew up hearing stories from his parents of the majesty of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. While earning his degree in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University, David assisted in the care of captive elk, lynx, and white-tailed deer, some of the animals found in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. After realizing that he couldn’t safely own a pet moose, he decided to move to Jackson so he could see them daily. Since arriving, he has thoroughly enjoyed sharing his passion for the parks by creating memorable experiences for his guests while also inspiring love for our beautiful planet and its creatures. The fact that Jackson Hole has 3 more seasons than Texas is an added bonus. When not guiding, David enjoys hiking with his dog, skiing and snowboarding, reading, and gazing up at the Teton range.
Hometown: Southern New Hampshire
Favorite animal: Bison
Samantha grew up in southern New Hampshire, skiing and hiking in the White Mountains. After graduating from Hamilton College with a degree in Philosophy, she returned to New Hampshire to work for the Appalachian Mountain Club in their backcountry hut system. Samantha then turned her enthusiasm for outdoor education into a position at a local Waldorf school in the White Mountains. She moved to Jackson in July and can be found exploring on her bike, hiking in the mountains, or getting mildly lost in the side streets of town square.
Hometown: La Fayette, Georgia
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Great Grey Owl
Logan (he/him/his) grew up in southern Appalachia which connected him to the outdoors and natural world from an early age. While obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Leadership from Young Harris College in Northeast Georgia, Logan immersed himself in as many outdoor experiences as possible to better connect himself with outdoor places and communities. After working many seasons as a guide and field instructor, Logan began working with private and public colleges in the State of Georgia coordinating outdoor programming with an emphasis on introducing inner-city and underprivileged students to outdoor initiatives and sustainable practices while recreating outdoors. Logan‘s model for facilitating outdoor programs is to introduce, educate, inspire, and create an everlasting and expanding relationship with the natural world and diverse communities around us.
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Bison
Dylan grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Summer road trips introduced him to the National Parks and the mountains of the American West. After graduating college with a degree in Environmental Education, he has gotten an opportunity to live and work in some of the most amazing places in the world, including Mt St Helens National Monument, Redwoods National and State Parks, Death Valley, North Cascades, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks. Outside of work, Dylan enjoys photography, travel, biking, hiking, and watching movies.
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Osprey
Helen grew up exploring northern Wisconsin’s forests, lakes, rivers and bogs. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned dual degrees in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies. There she had the opportunity to study marine and terrestrial tropical ecology in Ecuador, and she focused her studies on alpine plants in high Andean grasslands called páramos. Throughout her time in school and after graduating, Helen led 9 to 45-day canoeing, sea kayaking, and backpacking expeditions focused on leadership development amongst groups of young women. These trips led her from the Great Lakes Region to the tundras of the Canadian subarctic in Nunavut and Northwest Territories, where she developed a love of hardy plants and animals thriving in cold, dry places. In 2019, Helen moved to Jackson and began working for Teton Science Schools as a Field Instructor, marrying her passions for science and the natural world with her experiences leading in outdoor education. With this unique landscape and its wild inhabitants in the foreground, she has since had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of visitors in this spectacular ecosystem. When not out inspecting nooks and crannies of high alpine environments for hidden wildflowers, Helen enjoys trail running, cooking colorful meals, backcountry skiing, and learning about the ever-evolving intersections between people and the environment in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
AnnaLisa first began to develop a love and enthusiasm for the practice of Natural History from a childhood spent immersed in the Northwoods of Vermont. With studies completed in Ecology and Environmental Humanities at Sterling College, AnnaLisa has since served with nonprofit environmental education organizations in diverse ecosystems across the country, worked as a college field instructor, and most recently as an NPS Wilderness Education Ranger. Passionate about experiential learning and the confluence of art, culture, and ecology, AnnaLisa enjoys getting to know the things that are sometimes overlooked and sharing them with others. In addition to flipping through field guides, she can be found playing music, riding her bike, and embarking on extended backcountry expeditions.
Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Great Grey Owl
Keith grew up in Jupiter, Florida where he spent most of his time exploring the ecosystems in and around the Everglades. At a young age, Keith was exposed to many national parks and public lands around the southwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Keith went on to earn a degree in environmental studies with minors in geology and interdisciplinary studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. After graduating, Keith worked as a Geoscientist-in-the-Parks intern at Bryce Canyon National Park. This led to a seasonal position as an interpretative park ranger with the National Park Service. Keith has worked several seasons at Bryce Canyon and two seasons at Grand Teton National Park. When he’s not guiding, Keith can be found photographing wildlife, backpacking, bird watching, fly fishing, or playing guitar.
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Favorite animal: River otter
Born and raised in Michigan, Sam spent her childhood dreaming of the mountains and vast deserts of the American West. As an adult, she moved to California to study at the University of San Diego. During that time, Sam began teaching wilderness skills and leading outdoor adventure trips throughout the Southwest.
Sam went on to work as a naturalist in Southeast Alaska’s temperate rainforest ecosystem, guiding river trips and leading backcountry expeditions throughout the The Last Frontier State and Canada.
The next stop on Sam’s journey was Wyoming, where Sam moved in 2018 for a dream job with Teton Science Schools. She has since become an active volunteer Firefighter & EMT with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.
Sam is passionate about experiential education, backcountry medicine, and science communication. She loves to share those passions with others, including sharing her love for the GYE!
In her free time, you can find Sam writing, trying to finish a crossword, or exploring a national park.
Hometown: Franklin, MA
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE): Grizzly bear
Jeff grew up exploring the forests, mountains, and coastlines of New England and graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts. He began his outdoor career track working with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Park Service. Jeff moved to Jackson in 2015 to work with the Teton Science Schools and has worked as a field instructor and wildlife guide. During the summer season, Jeff works for the National Park Service, having worked at parks in Boston and Colorado, as well as both Grand Teton and Yellowstone. In his free time, Jeff enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, skiing, and wildlife photography.