This past week was our first week of Outdoor School here at Wawona. It was also my first week teaching. I was actually only supposed to be shadowing, but an extra group showed up and I was asked if I would be willing to teach... Yikes! But surprise surprise it went really well! Not that I was expecting it to go terribly or anything. I just have a tendency to doubt myself, and was therefore a bit nervous.
Day one we spent the morning and afternoon doing low and high ropes activities. The group was from a one room school and consequently knew each other very well. This made the dynamics different from what I'd worked with previously on ropes courses, but good. They were much more free about expressing themselves with each other which aided in problem solving.
Day two was the water cycle and tree identification. After a yummy breakfast, we packed our backpacks and hit the trail. The river occupied the majority of our morning. Water levels are pretty low right now, so we were able to hop from rock to rock, searching for river critters that would help us determine the quality of our water (Merced water is very good, btw). We discussed the water cycle, how rivers change, what affect water quality has on the environment, where pollution comes from, and lots lots more.
One kid fell completely in the water, adding a bit of drama to our morning, but other than that things went really smoothly. After eating a LNT picnic lunch, we packed our backpacks and hit the trail again. The remainder of the afternoon was spent acquainting the kids with some of the area trees. Noses buried in identification guides, we moved from one specimen to the next, examining bark, leaves/needles, seeds, etc. It wasn't long before the kids were identifying trees on their own, utilizing their guides masterfully.
Day three both my group and the other group that had arrived went down into Yosemite valley to study park history and geology. Now this would have been just grand except for the fact that there was 100% chance of heavy rain predicted... with strong winds. Makes for interesting hiking conditions with a bunch of kids in jeans, tennis shoes, and cotton jackets. They had been advised, however, to bring rain gear to Outdoor School, so we stuck with our original valley plan, adding a few more indoor sites and nixing any major hikes. The one short hike my group did decide to go on was during one of the heaviest downpours all day. Impecable timing on our part.
Thankfully indoor learning opportunities are plentiful in the valley so that's where we spent the majority of our day. We watched a video about the park, toured the visitor center with its geology and history exhibits, walked through the museum with its sections on Indian and white men park history, and walked through a small Ahwahneechee village. The treks from building to building were pretty cold and wet, but the kids kept good spirits through it all and the day was a great success.
That evening after worship, we grabbed our jackets and flashlights and headed down to one of the umachas (Ahwahneechee dwelling built with bark) for a sweet surprise... s'mores around a campfire.
When it came time for my group to leave yesterday morning, they were not anxious to depart. They showered me with hugs and thank yous and goodbyes. Their teacher told me that they had really enjoyed their time here, and that for some of them the rainy day in the valley was their favorite day! Way cool.
So now having taught, I definitely feel more confident about teaching... funny how that works. ;) I've located the areas where I could use more research/reading and I'm diving in. Looking forward to the next group that comes!
