Well it was a hot one today and hopefully everyone managed tot stay hydrated. It was nice to get a break from the heat by visiting the two museums. After taking a look around The Wild Center in Tupper Lake and The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain, please post a short message telling about any interesting "finds" or things you learned. Comments about the museums are also welcome.
Today we went to two different museums and we got to learn a lot about the history, background, and wildlife of the Adorondacks. Honestly, this began to feel a little redundant after we have watched several educational videos on the Adirondacks on the same topics, but don't get me wrong, the museum experiences were second to none. The hands on learning at the museums made the experience great for all ages and was a highpont of my own experience today. I got to know several of my classmates much better today. This is important as we already have and will be spending more time togther. We had some "social" time today and was much needed for the welfare of the group, haha. Group swim before dinner was lots of fun and laughs.I hope the rest of the week goes just as well.
ReplyDeleteToday at the adirondack museum my group and I entered a building that we thought was not going to be that big but was actually huge. In this building we learned many interesting facts. We looked at various different carts and coaches that were used to transport people, animals, food, material and others. My favorite part of this building was walking through the blacksmith shop. There were tons of horse shoes lining the walls and ceiling. The shop was called, GEO.M.BARDO: Horseshoeing and general repairing. George Bardo was the last proprietor of the shop and was born in 1872. The shop was closed in 1952 and was donated to the museum in1967. All of the tools, equipment and materials was original from the shop.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Wild Center. There were so many different hands on manipulatives and different animals to look at. There were a lot of children interacting with the different things at the museum. I could definitely see myself bringing my students to the museum and having a positive experience. We went on a little nature walk and I saw a butterfly I couldn't identify. One of the guides helped me look at a field guide and we discovered it was either a Comma or a Question Mark butterfly. It was pretty cool looking!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite parts of the day was going to the Wild Center. The first thing that caught my eyes and attention were the otters. I have been to many aquariums yet I have never seen an otter. It was amazing to watch them swim and flip around. They were so fast that I could barely get a picture. It was so cool to see them flip and keep swimming. It seemed that their pattern was very similar each time. I also liked the different plants and animals throughout the area. Some of them were new to me so I was learning a lot. As we went on a nature trail outside we spotted a butterfly that we were unsure of. One of the staff members came out with a brouchure to help us identify it. I also learned that many butterflies we see may not always be a monarch. Monarchs are missing black horizontal lines on the back of the wings. These butterflies are called Viceroys. This was one item that stood out to me during the day.
ReplyDeleteEven though I had been to the Wild Center before I was still able to take a great deal of information from the museum and all that it had to offer. It was great to see the otters again and get to check out all of the living animals. This time during my visit I was able to take time to really look at all of the student manipulatives and activities in the learning room. They had a few really great ideas to use in the classroom including, mammal ID cards on foam boards, a "what am I" box, and several great books that relate to the ADK's.
ReplyDeleteI had not been to the Adirondack museum in a very long time, it was great to see all of the displays that I could so closely relate to my life and be able to refresh myself on a lot of the history of the Adirondacks and learn a lot more about the area.
Fun Fact that I learned: Did you know that in each acre of Adirondack forest there is over 1,420 salamanders!
I really enjoyed going to the Adirondack Museum (again) and to the Wild Center for the first time. The Wild Center had a lot of hands on activities and had the chance to speak to a few wonderful people who worked there as well. I could see myself bringing the family up to the Wild Center in the near future. I found the museum time to be educational and was complimentary to the movies and history that we have been learning about in the classroom. Also, I enjoyed the discussion later in the evening about sustainability education and the need to improve social standing as a first step to introducing sustainability education in public schools.
ReplyDeleteI saw and learned many interesting things at the Wild Center today. Most of the attractions are hands on and very interactive for the children. I myself tend to learn better this way so I really enjoyed my time spent at the Wild Center. I'm an avid fisherman so the sections on the types of fish in the local streams and lakes were very interesting to me. Watching the otters do flips and spins inside their exhibit was also one of the highlights for the day. It also seemed as if they were showing off at times. One very interesting thing I learned was that much of the wild center is run by solar power. Since we are learning about sustainability in class I thought this was very fitting for exactly what we are talking about.
ReplyDeleteAlmost forgot my fun fact about the Adirondack Museum: the main crops that were grown in the Adirondacks in the 1880's were barley, buckwheat, Indian corn, oats, rye, wheat, hay, hops, and potatoes. Many of these crops were mainly grown for the work horses. Farming in the Adirondacks was very labor intensive and was difficult because of the short growing season, harsh weather, and rugged terrain.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed going to the museums today. I've been to both previously but there is always something new to see. I really liked giving some of my classmates a tour of the area from my perspective and experience while driving up to Tupper Lake. I think a "social function" before even getting on the boat is useful. We have all been through the beginning course introductions of ourselves many times but an environment where people can relax be more at ease has a great positive effect on group dynamics. On another note, the ideas of experiential and exploratory learning were reinforced for me. I think actual experiences trump classroom learning regardless of the setting. It has been thought provoking and learning opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed my time at both the wild life center and Adirondack museum. Some of my favorite things about the wild life center were the otters and all the cool hands on exhibits they had available. The Adirondack Museum was a lot more fascinating than I though it was going to be. I really enjoyed walk through all the different exhibits, the coolest thing I saw was the old railroad car that had amazing wood detail and velvet furniture. It was very easy to imagine the wealthy enjoying their trip to the Adirondacks.
ReplyDelete