Garfield 16 | Outdoor Ed
As the snow is falling down our kids are getting outside. In Garfield 16, we have a variety of winter programming taking place.
The Grand Valley High School Outdoor Club recently took their students to ice skate at River City Sportplex, led by teacher Allison Clark, to show off their performance of high schoolers on ice to an audience of one. But students had a lot of fun getting to become more confident on the ice. After the holiday break, the club will be hitting up Powderhorn Mountain Resort to get people on the slopes every few weeks between January to April and be planning their annual winter expedition.
The Grand Valley Middle School is climbing the chimney this holiday season with a rock climbing unit through the PE program led by teacher Brittany Clark. Students are learning to gain skills on the rock wall, safe operation of gear, and setting personal goals for achievement on various high and low climbing elements. At the start of quarter three after the break, Dani Wesoloski from CSU Extensions will work with Ari Philipson to roll out a new after-school Outdoor STEM club. The club is an educational program developed to prepare students for college and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics designed to foster inquiring minds, logical reasoning, and collaboration skills. And combines an outdoor investigation opportunity aimed at enhancing outdoor winter travel skills and exploration through exploration within natural spaces.
Last month, BUE 3rd Graders traveled to Colorado National Monument. This field experience was connected to a unit of study on national parks, why they were created, and how we can help protect them. Students explored the Monument and completed various stations such as hiking to the Devil's Kitchen where students sat in silence to observe, journal about and absorb the natural beauty around them as well as learned about cryptobiotic soil, the history of the area, and decomposition.
Lastly, on November 11, 2022, BUE preschool classes held a "Turkey Talk" program where students learned a lot about the different body parts of the turkey and related them to their own body parts, talked about the patterning on the turkey feathers followed by drawings with patterning on the feathers. Guest educators brought in calls and examples of how turkeys communicate also!
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