LES fifth-graders explore Glacier wilderness
Holiday Madich knows there is a big
difference between memorizing the cardinal directions and using an
actual compass to blaze a trail through the Montana wilderness.
That’s why Madich, a fifth-grade
teacher at Lakeside Elementary School, takes groups of students to
the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center each spring.
This year, students spent the week of
May 9 through May 13 exploring the geological and ecological
wonders of Glacier National Park while camping at Big Creek. The
entire fifth-grade class was divided into two groups, each of which
spent two-and-a-half days at the camp.
“We’ve been doing this for 16 years,”
Madich said. “It’s a great program.”
While at the center, which is run by
the Glacier Institute Discovery School, students explored several
outdoor science topics, including glacial formation, rock geology,
orienteering, water quality and river habitat.
“It gives the kids a greater
understanding of our area so they can appreciate it more,” Madich
said. “Plus, it’s really fun.”
During their stay at the camp, students
also plan their own menus and help prepare meals for the group.
Madich said the kids — some of whom
have never been camping before — really enjoy the camp atmosphere,
complete with bunkhouses and a nightly campfire.
“They understand it’s a privilege to
go, and they really appreciate it,” Madich said.
Since the park’s geology and climate
patterns are dynamic, the content of the learning segments changes
each year. Keeping the focus on current developments makes the
information more relevant to the students, Madich said.
“It is so valuable to them to have this
exposure,” she said. “Being outside and learning about what is
happening around them shows them that the curriculum they learn in
school is important.”
The program also tries to foster a
sense of environmental ownership among students.
“Kids are the stewards of the future,”
Madich said. “So it’s good to see them appreciating these areas
that need to be protected and learning how to sustain these
treasures.”
Many of the Glacier Institute
instructors are recent college graduates.
“They (the instructors) are very
passionate about the outdoors, and they are really healthy role
models for young kids,” Madich said.
Madich said the trip also helps build a
sense of kinship among students who might not normally interact
with each other.
“The kids make new friends as they work
cooperatively,” Madich said. “There’s kind of a hidden agenda of
friendship.”