Ponca State Park Field Trip
The fifth grade class of 7 students traveled to Ponca State Park on Friday, September 14, 2018 for the Missouri River Outdoor Expo School Day. We left bright and early at 6:45 a.m. to spend the morning in the great outdoors. There were 4 sessions to keep us busy. First, we did Nature Photography. Each pair of students was given a camera and experimented with running the camera and taking amazing photos.
The next session was 3D Archery, the class favorite. Everyone was instructed on the proper way to shoot the bow and arrow, then they practiced that technique shooting at 3D targets including Big Foot, python, alligator, ram, etc. Once they felt like a pro, they watched an actual pro. He was able to shoot a target as small as an Aspirin. He also shot balloons with the bow behind his back!
The third session was CSI (Critter Scene Investigation), they had to put some thought into this one! Each small group had to investigate a critter scene. They had to use a book to figure out what critter may have left the tracks, so they also had to use a ruler to measure them, and use the other clues at the scene to figure out what happened. At one of the scenes a skunk ate the duck eggs; at another an owl killed a snake. After a tough morning with a lot of walking we ate lunch on the ground under a tree.
Finally, they went for a hike in the woods. A presenter led them on their hike, stopping every now and then to observe their surroundings. They had to see if they could find traces of animals within 5 feet of them. It took awhile to find the deer antler right by the trail hidden by branches and the animal skull in the leaves. They were quick to find a ton of snail shells though!
We finished out the day with a long walk back to our van. An additional learning experience during our trip was learning about bathrooms that do not have plumbing! One concerned student commented, "Mrs. Borer, there's no pipe going from the toilet to the outside of the building." Ha, what a day! This field trip was FREE to attend and such a memorable experience!