A Day in the Park

Last week I was asked to take photos of the last Family Fun Hike this season at our state park. There were almost 30 people in the whole group with participants; young and those young at heart. Some of the children were with their grandparents and some were with parents. One little baby was even carried on her mom’s back.

I love the beginning of these events as I look on the faces of all who are attending. They are filled with excitement and anticipation of a great new adventure.

We started off hiking around one side of the Lake Placid, which used to be our city’s water supply. Our park has a wonderful history and I love to imagine being here during those wonder years of the past. This park was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Then participants were given water shoes if they didn’t bring their own and invited to get in the creek to find organisms that live there. These were put in a container of water and brought back with us to the lab so we could observe them under a microscope. As each item was placed up for observation, Ranger Cathy explained a little bit about each one. It was so exciting to watch the faces of all as they were amazed at what was found in that creek.

This whole activity took about 2 hours and everyone was so engaged and full of curiosity and wonder. This is what every teacher would love to see in the classroom. There were many reasons that I think made this whole thing so successful.

1. Everyone wanted to be there.
2. Participants were curious and wanted to learn something new.
3. The activity was a hands-on experience.
4. Everybody was able to be involved in the learning.
5. The activity was scheduled for the right amount of time so no one was bored.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could teach every lesson in the classroom in this way so that learning would be successful?

Original photos by Pat Hensley