Expeditions in Education
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Niobrara National Scenic River

5/30/2022

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At 3:35 pm on May 28th- our 13 educators from around the country gathered together at the Trade Winds Hotel to connect, collaborate, and create! It's hard to explain 'love at first sight' with strangers- but I felt that way. These crunchy-granola educators came in with smiles, handshakes, hugs, and hearts for learning. We had our first meal together and then began our evening with introductions, games, and reflection on "why we were here'.

Day 2 we hit the river. This was the first time in canoes for many of us. Were we prepared to paddle over 13 miles? Maybe not- but we did it. The sights along the river caused us to pause and reflect on the beauty of nature and how it can truly heal the soul. Ranger Bobbie provided several opportunities for us to stop, think, and create poetry together. We did have one capsizing moment and it might have been me- but I wouldn't have traded this for anything. When we reached our camp,  we packed up the boats, set up our tents, started a fire and continued our fellowship. We met Rosebud Lakota Tribal Elder, Phyllis Stone. She shared some stories about her people and how we as "humans' should love one another. We were thrilled and honored to have her in our presence. 

After our campfire conversations, we explored our musical side with some campfire singing and then attempted to create our glow stick art. We will let you tell us if we succeeded. We were excited to get ready for a well-deserved night of sleep in our tents.  Unfortunately, mother nature had other ideas. After reviewing the weather reports and analyzing the radar, we decided the thunderstorms, rains, wind, and tornado watch were a little scary so we headed back to the motel. Still fun though.

On Day 3, we pivoted once again and decided that we would write our content today because of the constant rain. These educators really understood the assignment. They dug deep to write meaning connections and immersions for their students and the Niobrara National Scenic River staff. We can't wait to share them with you. We finished up the evening with a windy hot dog roast and gave everyone the rest of the night off to warm up and get some rest. 

Tomorrow is all about waterfall photos and frolicking, phenology hikes, waterfall art class, horse fossil studies, bison tour, celebration cookout, and our NASA dark skies. We don't want to say goodbye yet but we know that this is truly just the beginning for all of us. 
​
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Days 1 and 2 of 85!

5/27/2022

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We traveled over 1400 miles to get to Valentine, Nebraska yesterday. After that long trip- our only task was to eat dinner and sleep. On Day 2 we had a lovely final planning meeting with Superintendent Susan Cook and Rangers Bobbie Roshone and Solveig Perrett from the Niobrara National Scenic River. Everything is ready to begin tomorrow at 3 pm. We had a lovely lunch at the Old Mill Deli in Valentine and met up with a few new friends that we will introduce everyone to on Tuesday. I like to call them John, Teddy, Muir, Old Man, and Hank!

A few fun facts about bison: (Click on the links for more)
1.  Bison are the largest mammal in North America. Male bison (called bulls) weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, while females (called cows) weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet. Bison calves weigh 30-70 pounds at birth.
2. A baby bison is called a red dog. Bison calves tend to be born from late March through May and are orange-red in color, earning them the nickname “red dogs.” After a few months, their hair starts to change to dark brown and their characteristic shoulder hump and horns begin to grow.
3. Bison may be big, but they’re also fast. They can run up to 35 miles per hour. Plus, they’re extremely agile. Bison can spin around quickly, jump high fences and are strong swimmers. (That's why we stayed in the car).

Campers arrive tomorrow!







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It's Almost Go Time!

5/25/2022

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338 days of planning has led us to this moment... #STEAMinthePARK 2022!

 John Muir said, “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” 

Well we are taking his advice and starting out on a journey of over 15,000 miles where educators will connect, collaborate, and create together.
​May 26th-August 19th

Let's do this!
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Building Community!

5/24/2022

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Recently we were asked about our #1 goal for STEAM in the PARK. It didn't take but a few seconds to form an answer. We want to build community among educators and give them an opportunity to reflect, refresh, and renew their spirits. That's it! The byproducts are content creation, extraordinary experiences, lifelong friendships, and opportunities to inspire students. 

One of my favorite songs is 'You've Got A Friend" by Carole King. I leave it here for you to sing in your head or if you feel so led, belt it out. We won't contrive JOY or friendship at STEAM in the PARK but we will strive to provide an opportunity for those things to be found if sought. See YOU in the PARK!
You've Got A Friend
When you're down and troubled

And you need a helping hand
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running, oh yeah baby, to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you've got to do is call
And I'll be there, ye, ye, ye
You've got a friend
If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep you head together
And call my name out loud now
Soon you'll hear me knocking at you door
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running, oh yes I will, to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall, ye
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, ye, ye, yeah
Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold
They'll hurt you, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them, oh yeah, don't you let 'em now
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again, oh baby, don't you know
Winter, spring, summer or fall
Hey now, all you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will
You've got a friend
You've got a friend, yeah
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend
Oh, ye, yeah, you've got a friend


Songwriter: Carole King
You've Got a Friend lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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STEAM in the PARK IMPACT

5/23/2022

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Educators from 35 states.
On site Rangers from 8 National Parks.
Additional Interpretive Educational Rangers from 10 National Parks.
Joining together to make a huge impact on teaching and learning in the US.
T-3 days!

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Some Background Information

5/22/2022

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As we have shared, the idea of STEAM in the PARK has always been something that we have wanted to do. But just how did it start? Well it began on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on January 16, 2020. We had been invited to come and film the MLK Jr. Celebration with students from the DC area by our dear friend, Jen Rudnick. She is an outstanding park ranger at the National Mall and Memorial Parks. After the event we were talking about things and somehow the subject came up about hosting an event in the summer where educators from around the country would come for professional development. We even came up with the name, STEAM in the PARK. That conversation lasted about 30 minutes and then we headed home.

Next day, we phoned our friend, Susan Bowdoin and shared what had transpired. She was immediately intrigued and we began working on the details. Several ZOOM calls between Steve, Jen, Susan, and myself were scheduled and we were off to the races. We decided to intentionally invite educators from around the country to form this first STEAM in the PARK group. We created a FB page, got to know everyone, planned, dreamed, and more. Then Covid 19! Those two words scared us but we didn't stop planning and meeting with the team. 

On May 22, 2022, we finally pulled the plug on the event (which was scheduled for June 19-22, 2022.) We were all sad but more worried about what Covid was doing to our friends and families. We put STEAM in the PARK on the back burner, for a while. Fast forward to January 2021. We visited Acadia National Park to film one of our "National Parks Expedition Challenges". We met Ranger Kate and just like with Ranger Jen, we connected immediately. I started talking about STEAM in the PARK again with Steve and Susan. By the end of January, we had gotten permission from Acadia National Park to hold a summer retreat so we began planning again. This time- we were determined. We reached out on social media to form a new team of STEAM in the PARK campers who would travel to the Schoodic Institute, located at Acadia National Park, to solve the elusive and intrusive green crab problem. 

By March 1st- we had our team assembled, began ZOOMing every month and looking forward to STEAM in the PARK: Acadia. Well this time it worked and on July 16th, 32 educators from 15 states joined us for a magical 4 days. We learned so much and basically built the plane while we were flying it. After returning home, we knew that this was exactly how we should be spending our summers so we rested for a few days and began planning for STEAM in the PARK 2022.

While we are on the road this summer, we will be sharing daily updates within the community and on social media. Please follow us at #STEAMinthePARK to learn more. 

​

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So...What Else Do We Do?

5/18/2022

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Expeditions in Education is a 501c3 nonprofit organization providing innovative science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) training programs for educators, students, and families. Programs provide unique virtual and in person STEM opportunities connecting students and educators to national and global real-world issues. With a “STEM for all” vision, trainings include a variety of virtual classroom field trips for students and educators and in person onsite educator trainings in National Parks across the nation.
Goals and Program Impact
1. STEM for All
Engaging STEM activities make a difference in student learning; building critical thinking and the ability to innovate and preparing young learners to apply school-based information to real-world situations. Many schools lack the reserves for students and educators to access meaningful STEM challenges and professional development opportunities. Expeditions in Education provides virtual and in person STEM trainings, with most programs being offered free of charge.
  • From 2018-2022, Expeditions in Education hosted 102 National Parks Expedition virtual field trips, which were viewed by thousands of classrooms across the nation, represented by 2.2 million students.
  • On-demand STEM challenges reached more than 100,000 students in 2020 and over 200,000 students in 2021. STEM for ALL! 
​2. REAL WORLD Problem-Solving
Expeditions in Education creates short films in
National Parks across the country to bring the Park
alive for students, families, and educators. Each film
explores the Park and describes its history, place in
the world, and impact on its surroundings. National
Park sessions also include a STEM challenge
connected to one of the 17 United Nations
Sustainable Goals. The UN global goals, such as no
poverty, zero hunger, and education for all present
an opportunity for students and educators to develop
innovative solutions and change the world.
​
3. RELATIONSHIPS and CAPACITY BUILDING
The “power up” of Expeditions in Education is in the opportunities for follow up and relationship building built into programs. Relationships between lead trainer Dacia Penley Jones (aka Dr. Drizzle) and educators, as well as relationships among educator cohort groups, are an integral part of Expeditions in Education programs. It is the ongoing conversations and emails, chats set up to touch base, and follow up activities for cohorts, which stretch single incident learning events into opportunities for long-term capacity building. 

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Our Why...

5/16/2022

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I may not have realized it, but STEAM in the Park has been a dream of mine my entire life. As a young girl, I remember taking family camping trips every summer. I fished at the beach and in mountain streams, hiked trails, listened to ranger talks, watched the bears go through our coolers while I sat in our camper. My family would sit around the campfire singing, telling tall tales and roasting marshmallows.  I learned so much from those moments in the wild. 
My paw-paw was also a Park Superintendent, so spending time in National Parks has been a lifelong activity for me.
As an adult my husband and I continued to spend summers in the mountains with my family. After our daughters were born we quickly introduced them to the great outdoors. We enjoyed countless camping trips playing in streams, fishing, hiking, eating s'mores and using nature to introduce a sense of wonder and curiosity by exploring and finding creative ways to solve problems.
As a teacher I realized that getting students and teachers out of the classroom and introducing them to experiential learning could be life and career changing. 
For years I wondered: could we combine my lifelong experiences into an opportunity for educators to connect, collaborate, and create? 
Well, we proved that we could!  From July 16th - 19th, 2021, the first STEAM in the PARK event was held at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park. Over 30 educators from 15 states came together to explore the great outdoors, sit around the campfire and listen to stories and sing songs, hike through the woods, explore tidal pools to learn more about the invasive green crab and come up with practical ways to eradicate them. We learned how to notice the small things in nature and capture them on paper. We connected literacy to nature and the parks and even used decorating cookies to show that it is possible to use fun activities to further our learning.  
These campers accepted the challenge to go back to their communities and become ambassadors of STEAM in the Park and Expeditions in Education and to create content for their students to help them realize and fulfill their dreams!

This summer we are taking over 200 educators to 8 National Parks around the country. Follow us at #STEAMinthePARK to learn with us. 



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Getting Ready!

5/13/2022

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So we are getting ready to ship out our first boxes for STEAM in the PARK. These boxes are heading to Niobrara and Bryce Canyon. I have been dreaming of this day since we returned from last year's STEAM in the PARK at Acadia. Little did we know that less than one year later, we would be planning to head out on not one, but EIGHT adventures around the country. I wanted to share our mission again because to be honest with you, there are tears happening today.
Our Mission and Passion: We know that outdoor experiences help students increase their understanding of natural and human communities which leads to a sense of place. Students can develop stronger environmental attitudes and have a deeper understanding of civic issues. We want to provide outdoor learning experiences to support educators so they can raise the next generation of responsible citizens who care about each other and the Earth. With STEAM in the PARK, we know that learning outside the classroom can help teachers create enthusiasm for learning, provide a real-world context and expose students to a range of STEM careers. Our goal is to integrate outdoor learning via the National Parks with Real World Problems utilizing tools such as the UN Global Goals.
Thank you again for going on this journey with us. As you may have figured out, I love quotes and am very sentimental so I leave you with another of my favorites:
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." -John Muir
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​Expeditions In Education, INC is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
​
EIN: 85-1846134
Dacia and Steve Jones (dacia@expeditionsineducation.org) (828)244-7586
Copyright 2023
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  • Home
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    • Crossing America LIVE- SC
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    • Crossing America LIVE-KY
    • Holiday in the Parks 3
    • Episode One: Homestead NHP
    • Episode Two: Holiday in the PARKS
    • Episode Three: Biscayne National Park
    • Episode Four: Everglades National Park
    • Episode Five: Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
    • Episode Six: Assateague Island National Seashore
    • Episode Seven: George Washington's Birthday 2022
    • Episode Eight: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
    • Episode Nine: Tumacácori National Historical Park
    • Episode Ten: San Antonio Missions NHP
    • Episode Eleven: MotorCities National Heritage Area
    • Episode Twelve: Death Valley National Park
    • Episode Thirteen: Hot Springs National Park
    • Episode Fourteen: Isle Royale National Park
    • Episode Fifteen: Dry Tortugas National Park
    • Episode Sixteen: Olympic National Park
    • Episode Seventeen: Voyageurs National Park
    • Episode Eighteen: Lewis and Clark
    • Episode Nineteen: Jewel Cave National Monument
    • Episode Twenty: Pipestone National Monument
    • Episode Twenty-One: Alcatraz island
    • Episode Twenty-Two: César E. Chávez National Monument.
    • Episode Twenty-Three: Lava Beds National Monument
    • Episode Twenty-Four: Haleakalā National Park
    • Episode Twenty-Five: Hawai' i Volcanoes
    • Episode Twenty-Six: Pearl Harbor National Memorial
  • National Parks Expedition Challenge
    • Acadia National Park
    • Arches National Park
    • Assateague Island National Seashore
    • Badlands National Park
    • Big Bend National Park
    • Big Cypress National Preserve
    • Biscayne National Park
    • Black Canyon of the Gunnison
    • Bryce Canyon National Park
    • Cape Cod (ONE) National Seashore
    • Cape Cod (TWO) National Seashore
    • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    • Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
    • César E. Chávez National Monument
    • Chaco Culture National Historical Park
    • Crater Lake National Park
    • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
    • Dayton Aviation National Heritage Historical Park
    • Death Valley National Park
    • Denali National Park
    • Dry Tortugas National Park
    • Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
    • Everglades National Park
    • FDR Memorial
    • First State National Historical Park
    • Flight 93 Memorial Park
    • Ford's Theatre
    • Fort Monroe National Monument
    • Gateway Arch National Park
    • Gettysburg National Military Park
    • Grand Canyon National Park
    • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
    • Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
    • Haleakala National Park
    • Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
    • Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
    • Homestead National Historical Park
    • Home of Franklin Roosevelt National Historic Site
    • Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
    • Hot Springs National Park
    • Indiana Dunes National Park
    • Isle Royale National Park
    • Jewel Cave National Monument
    • Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
    • Joshua Tree National Park
    • Kenai Fjords and Alaska Coastal Parks
    • Lava Beds National Monument
    • Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
    • Lincoln Home National Historic Site
    • Lincoln Memorial
    • Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
    • Mammoth Cave National Park
    • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
    • Mesa Verde National Park
    • New River Gorge and Preserve National Park
    • Niobrara National Scenic River
    • Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
    • Olympic National Park
    • Palo Alto Battlefield
    • Pearl Harbor National Memorial
    • Petroglyph National Monument
    • Pipestone National Monument
    • Pullman National Monument
    • Redwood National and State Parks
    • Rocky Mountain National Park
    • Saguaro National Park
    • San Antonio Missions NHP
    • Shenadoah National Park
    • Tidal Basin-NAMA
    • Tumacácori National Historical Park
    • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site
    • Voyageurs National Park
    • Wright Brothers Memorial
    • Yosemite National Park
    • Zion National Park
    • National Park Careers
    • National Park Perceptions
  • STEAM in the Park
    • STEAM in the Park - 2022 >
      • STEAM 2022 Highlights
      • STEAM in the PARK 2022 BLOG
    • STEAM in the Park - 2023 >
      • Ambassadors 2023
      • Mammoth Cave National Park 2023
      • Great Smoky Mountains National Park 2023
      • Cumberland Island National Seashore 2023
      • New River Gorge STEAM in the PARK
      • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
      • Big Cypress National Preserve 2023
      • Redwood National Park 2023
      • Jimmy Carter National Historic Site 2023
      • Acadia National Park 2023
      • Rocky Mountain National Park 2023
      • Olympic National Park 2023
      • Voyageurs National Park 2023
    • "What's In Your Pocket?"
    • Nature Journaling Resources
    • STEM in the Mountains