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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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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! 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!   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 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!    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.  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.
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. 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. 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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