Changing Seasons Bluebird Skies

​By Lynn Grams, Changing Seasons Coordinator
 
Copper River area second and third grade students enjoyed sunny days of learning just before the season changed. Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment (WISE) sponsored the fifth annual Changing Seasons science day presentations, now a tradition in the schools. On September 11, presenters went to Slana School; September 12, presenters went to Glennallen Elementary School; and September 13, presenters went to Kenny Lake School. Teachers and students eagerly look forward to this day of learning about science outside the classroom.
 
There were four exciting science stations for students to visit during the day. Did you know Red Squirrels weigh about the same as a granola bar? Vicki Penwell and Glenn Hart from the National Park Service conveyed unrealized details about the critters. Have you ever seen an Earth Star? Ask a second or third grader what they learned from Doug Vollman, Kenny Lake Soil and Water Conservation District and Matt Lorenz, For the Love of Gardening. What treasures in the woods can a person find when blindfolded? Janelle Eklund, WISE President and Melissa Blair, National Parks Conservation Association engaged students to describe what they felt without looking. How and why are leaves different? Paul Boos, WISE Treasurer and Heidi Veach, Cooperative Extension Service allowed students to make leaf rubbings while they pointed out different characteristics of leaves.   
 
WISE would like to thank the above presenters, agencies and businesses for contributing to this event. Thanks also to Sandy Williams and Bev Oatman, volunteers who have been with the program every year since inception. And a big thank you for grants from Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve Challenge Cost Share, Conoco Phillips, and Studebaker Environmental Education Fund.