attend outdoor science event in Lawyer's Canyon
Friday, March 10th, was an exciting day for 8th graders from Prairie Middle School in Cottonwood. Instead of their regular classroom experience, their teacher Tandy Savage worked with staff from the University of Idaho McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) to create a day of outdoor learning, science inquiry and, of course, fun.
The students spent the majority of the day in beautiful Lawyer’s Canyon using the stream there as a living laboratory for the study of physical sciences. Using the 8th grade Science Standards as a guide, Tandy and the MOSS staff designed a new program that reinforced classroom content with experiments and investigations that were hands-on, place-based, and according to one student “really helped make science real.” The day’s science content included measuring flow, force and velocity, studying the effects of temperature and viscosity on the flow of liquids and of course, wrapping up the day with a student-directed investigation that tied the day’s content to the stream itself.
The day was rewarding, educational, and with the help of Mike Vanderpas, Wally Williams, Tom Schumacher, Ed Holthaus, Roger Holthaus, and Evan Worthington it went off with out a hitch. What a great way to learn about science and your community at the same time. If you would like more information about this program or other opportunities provided by the McCall Outdoor Science School, contact Greg Fizzell at (208) 883-3316 or checkout the MOSS website at http://www.pcei.org/moss