Written by CI Cap Instructor Carly Winner
My students from the Aurora Expeditionary Learning Academy (AXL) CAP Class ventured to Cherry Creek State Park on September 10th to brave the heat and enjoy the fresh air. Our first adventure of the school year focused on team building activities, exploring, and enjoying our time outdoors.
In preparation for the trip, students had been learning species trivia about native plants like cottonwood trees, elm trees, milkweed, and more. This prepared them to spot different species throughout the day on their hike. Cherry Creek State Park was full of cottonwood trees! They also identified milkweed plants in several areas, which have seed pods beginning to split at this time of year. A few students took the initiative to collect burst seeds to use the following week for our milkweed seed ball activity in class. After hiking to the Pipeline trail, we found Shop Creek and enjoyed looking for familiar species there.
The group then broke into four for a nature building challenge: the students had 20 minutes to construct a floatable and strong boat made out of ONLY natural materials. Each small group went to work brainstorming how they would successfully create the boat that floated down the creek the fastest. One group utilized mud to hold their pieces together; another found a large piece of bark for the bottom of their boat; and many used grasses and leaves to hold their boats together. Once it was time to test the little ships, students cheered on each others’ teams as their creations swiftly floated down the creek. Rest assured that each and every boat successfully completed the voyage!
Students found a shady place to rest and relax while enjoying their packed lunches. Fun surprises of rice crispy treats, Takis chips, and extra clementines were shared by all. After a few more games like camouflage, the afternoon progressed and students pushed forward in the hot weather. They decided that hiking back to Cherry Creek Reservoir was a must! It was a great place to cool off and begin our last activity for the day: learning about different campfire types. The fire ban at Cherry Creek State Park may have stopped us from lighting our own fires, but it didn’t stop students from practicing different fire-building techniques and shapes such as star, cabin, lay-down, and more.
Cherry Creek State Park was a great local adventure, where students were able to explore a large natural space close to their school. We were able to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and engage with each other in new and exciting ways, and we’re all looking forward to continuing to learn new skills to put towards our overnight trip later this month!
Check out more photos from the trip on Flickr.
