Ok, the Wizard of Oz referance aside, my homeschool group had a fieldtrip to a local bear enclosure yesterday, and it was awesome.
Washington State University is the only facility in the world that houses adult grizzlies for research so people from all over have come to study at WSU. The program examines the hibernation, bavioral and nutritional habits of grizzlies and it's findings have helped with management of bears around the world.
It's free any time to stop and watch the bears. There are several dens, each with an outer yard that open into a main walkway that also leads to a large pasture fenced off. Each den can also be closed preventing the bear either from leaving entirely or keeping it in it's yard away from the walkway. There are double layers of fencing seperated by a few feet so there's no fear of getting clawed. It's always fun to stop in and see the bears romp and play but that's as close as we could get. Our group wanted more.
So, between us, each family paid a small fee to make up the complete $125 that the center wanted for a more in depth tour and a guide to answer our questions.
I, of course, managed to get myself lost. :D So, although I picked James up from class and dropped Kitty off at a friends house (I decided it would be best if I had only three kids to chase at this, especially since I'm the one that set it up) with plenty of time to spare to drive the 8 or so miles to get there, I still managed to be the last one there and literally snag the last parking spot. :( Grrrr.... I was very embarassed. There were two turnoff's onto the road I needed and I managed to turn in at the wrong one. At one point, if I had taken a left instead of a right to go up and find a place to turn around, I was actually really close and could have seen it it not for some trees and a hill. :( So I drove in a big circle before I finally stopped and called a friend for directions. I'm just thankful I had the cell phone yesterday. It's usually with Carey but he forgot it and I rescued it from the kidlets before stuffing it in my purse.
The kids had fun running around outside the main enclosure and when our guide (a graduate student) was ready, he took us through the building along the back of the dens and into a large area along the back side of the walkway. The hall we walked through was very narrow and it had windows with heavy metal mesh that looked into each den. People were able to stand at the window's and view the bears if they were in the den. Smaller children had to be picked up since the windows were approximately five feet up. One child got into a bit of trouble when he rang a cow bell at one of the windows and a bear charged up chuffing and growling. It startled several people but of course the child had run off by then so didn't gain the full experience of his actions. There was also a bear on the end that people were directed away from since she didn't do well with people and she chuffed at us a lot as we passed. If I understood the guide correctly later, she was a bear that entered a mans tent, dragged him out and then proceeded to eat the food he had in his tent. The man certainly didn't know much about camping if he was keeping his food in his tent! She was a very pretty bear with nice markings on her face, unfortunately I was unable to get any pics through the heavy metal mesh forming her yard; she was kept in seclusion.
Outside was a beatiful day and everyone enjoyed watching the bears romp and play while the adults listened to guide as much as they were able. One thing I was interested to learn was that kodiak and grizzlies (otherwise known as brown bears) are one and the same. I had always thought they were different. I heard lots of scientific names that of course, I don't remember. However, I did look it up and grizzlies are in the order Carnivora, family Ursidae and the genus is Ursus arctos.
Want to learn more? Here are some articles and vids about the research center.
Homeschoolshare ~ Blueberries for Sal (This is one of the many books read and that we happened to Row. Will have a lapbook posted for this soon as well.)
Grizzly Rhyming & Singing Games (This is part of a Lewis & Clark Journey of Discovery Curriculum. I had also happened to get the August Book Bag from Currclick.com which not only had apple stuff in it (the group did an apple orchard field trip that we wound up not being able to attend) but it also has a segment about Lewist & Clark! So I tied these two together. Also, the September Book Bag had bear stuff in it. The monthly Book Bags from Teacher Book Bag are really cool and the kids have a lot of fun with them. I highly recommend them.)
The musings of my childrens journey in the wonders of love, life, and spirituality. Love, Live, Laugh, and Learn. That's what it's all about. Welcome and blessed be.
* Carey ~ Beloved husband that puts up with everything.
He's majoring in history, loves to read, play D&D and Mech Warriors.
* Ami ~ Me. Busy teacher and housewife. I love to spend
time with the kids, read, garden, cook, knit, sew, make my own soaps
and salves.
* James ~ Our oldest at five. He loves to build with blocks, enjoys the guitar, adores robots and believes he
can't live without his trucks (and skateboard).
* Charles ~ My little monkey! Our youngest son at four, he
is the most precious gift ever recieved on a birthday.
He's a wonderful, sunny little guy that's very inquisitive and artistic.
* Meradydd ~ Our oldest daughter at three.
An opinionated and exceedingly bossy little girl with a temper to match her copper hair.
My little fashion diva that loves shoes, furlies, & hair pretties.
* Kathrynn ~ Kitty is my 1 year old little angel. She's a beautiful, mellow little girl that's extremely patient but is also starting to show her claws.
Abraham Lincoln ~ You have a Bible and a library card what more could you possibly need? You prefer the Charlotte Mason Method of reading living books for everything: historical fiction, biographies, real histories, nature guides, etc. No soon-to-be-outdated textbooks for you. Visit my blog: Guilt Free Homeschooling Take this quiz!
