What a day! Third day of Institute consisted of a day long scavenger hunt full of citizen science activites. It was fun, but exhausting. My team called ourselves “The Exploring Stemtastic Collaborators!” First we traveled to Judaculla Rock to hear the history behind it and knock out some tasks.
Then it was off to East LaPorte for a delicious picnic lunch and more tasks. The first was Ant Picnic, which I had never done before but found to be something I could definitely implement in my classroom. I also discovered that ants love chocolate cookies, but hate cream cheese. 🙂 After Ant Picnic we were able to complete tasks and watch and learn about a Kick Net Activity. I found it really interesting to learn about the insects that live in Tuckasegee River and how to determine the water quality.
Then it was back to NCAAT to finish off the tasks! We had to take photos of insects, flowers, trees, and even poison ivy. From a safe distance of course. However, I thought one of the coolest things was the ropes course. We had to collaborate and work as a team to not only build one part, but to balance on another. Talk about difficult. My team rocked it though!
All in all the day was great! It proved to be a fun way to not only compete, but to learn about science, social studies, and even use some logical reasoning. I also liked how the tasks involved collaborative thinking and teamwork. My team of course rocked it and came in second place!! 🙂