Here are a few pictures from a lesson Dan and I did with a third grade class. The topic was habitat. We did a few different activities, but the funniest was when we acted out a food chain. The food chain went plant->bunny->bear->dead bear->mushroom-.>plant (from the nutrient the mushroom made)... When we were planning out the class, Dan told me he wanted to do a food chain without explaining exactly what that meant. I found out what it meant when he handed me a green feather wig and told me to act like a plant. I love my job.
so we decided it would be a good day for a hike. And no, I did not miss type. Today was the warmest day in the last 1 and 1/2 weeks at the tropical temperature of 20. I have been adjusting to the sub-freezing temperatures okay. My new snow boots have been put to the test and they work pretty well, and I am soooo glad I got a new coat before I moved up here. The hardest part about the quickly approaching winter is the disappearing daylight. We are down to 6 hours and 43 minutes of light tomorrow! I have been getting through the dark by making sure to get outside and do something during the daylight every day, even if it is just going for a walk around the neighborhood. Luckily, most days we have a stream trip to get me outside for an hour or so.
Anyways, my goal of getting me outside let me to accept an invitation to go hiking with my co-worker Dan today. We took a 4 mile hike on the Refuge which let to an amazing view of Skilak Lake and the glacier.
The hike was only 2 miles to the top, but the added challenge of hiking in snow made it pretty interesting. What's more, when we finally got to the top, we were almost blown away by the gale force winds!
Regardless of the weather, I love getting out on the refuge to go hiking, and hiking in the snow comes with the added bonus of getting to see tracks. Even though we didn't see any animals willing to come out on a windy day, we saw snowshoe hare, moose, mouse, and possibly lynx tracks. Here is a picture of the elusive snow monster track.
I have a few more pictures here. I miss everyone and am looking forward to the quickly approaching visit home I will be taking for Christmas!
Last week, Dan and I got an invitation from the kindergarten class we have been working with to see their very first school play about all of the things they have been learning from our creek visits. It was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. Not only did they sing songs about everything they had learned, explain how pH measures if the water is "acidic like orange juice, neutral like fresh water or basic like a soapy mop bucket," and act out how they learned to pull invasive weeds; they also acted out the story of how the beaver got a flat tail. The kids did a great job remembering all of their lines, their only problem was that they were all scared of using the microphone because some of them had gotten shocked during their dress rehearsal. None the less, it was a very good performance, and it was nice to see how much they had learned from our visits. After the show, we got to go to the after party where we got cookies and juice and all of the kids wanted to introduce their parents to us. Cute kids, cookies and juice, and appreciation from the kids for all of the work we have been doing: a good night indeed!
With a couple of odd months standing between me earning my master's degree and starting my new job, I decided to spend the summer hiding out at my parent's house. At the time of decision making, it seemed like a great idea: free food, no rent, spend the summer warming up in the town I grew up in before I start my first year teaching! Right? Well, sort of...
