As we enter the last days of May and the close to another
school year, Nevada Outdoor School has also finished up its field trip season
for 2018. I am also coming up on living and working for nearly a year in
Winnemucca. While planning and coordinating our various field trips can be
challenging, it is also rewarding to see the results.
During our first field
trip, second grade students learned about their local watershed, the Humboldt
River. Students participated in a variety of hands on activities as they went
to different stations to learn about topics such as pollution and the local
plants and wildlife that use our watershed.
Our next field trip took place in Water Canyon. Water
Canyon is located right outside of Winnemucca and offers hiking and camping in
a beautiful and unique location close to town. During this field trip, third
graders learned about topics such as water ecology, fire succession, the food
web, and went on a nature hike. Most important, they learned how to be good
stewards of our local resources and how to be responsible when recreating
outdoors.
Our third field trip took place in Lovelock at the Lovelock
Cave site and the Marzen House Museum. During this field trip, we partnered
with the Winnemucca Bureau of Land Management to provide a fun, educational
field trip to fourth grade students. Students learned about the history of
Lovelock Cave, the Paiute Indians who lived there, and the history of Lovelock
itself. They also had opportunities to learn about local plant and animal life
and Native American culture.
Finally, we finished off our field trip season with our
Ecology Fair. This event takes place at the Winnemucca Community Garden and
also involves local fourth grade students. This field trip is unique, as it
involves AmeriCorps members from our different host sites. Students are able to
travel to different booths to learn and participate in short activities about
topics that range from fire safety to animal adaptations. This creates a fun
and educational way for students to finish off their school year.
Not only are field trips fun for students, but they also
provide us with ways to learn and develop fun, educational, and hands on
opportunities for them to learn. Allowing students to get outside and spark
their interests in topics such as wildlife, plants, or history will also help
them be successful in the classroom. We are glad to offer these opportunities
to students and teachers and are excited to see many of them back next year.
Happy Trails!
-Bigfoot
