Through State Park Outings and Overnight Camping Adventures, AXL Middle School Students Enjoyed a Trimester of Hands-On Experiences with Plants, Animals, and Planting Seeds of Change
Written by AXL Academy CAP Instructor & Social Media Coordinator Harmony Esqueda. AXL Academy Middle Schoolers experienced a spring trimester full of adventure and life lessons, and an opportunity to plant seeds of change in their community during their CAP class.
The trimester started off with a trip to St. Vrain State Park, where we enjoyed fishing and macroinvertebrate sampling in the various ponds throughout the park. A highlight of this trip was catching a bullfrog. We also took the time to watch multiple birds, including bald eagles and a great blue heron, soar around. Students also practiced reading a compass and following bearings. These new skills paid off when the time came to participate in an orienteering scavenger hunt. The students had to follow the directions from clue to clue using their compasses, and they collected pieces of a puzzle along the way. Students had a silly time working together to find hidden clues under rocks, tucked in shrubbery, and dangling from tree branches. Once all three teams found their pieces, they came together and assembled the puzzle to reveal their prize — a piñata!
For our overnight camping trip, we stopped at Barr Lake State Park, and we visited the Nature Center where students had the chance to interact with taxidermy animals, furs, skulls, and learn about the wildlife refuge. Afterwards, we enjoyed some serene time fishing amongst pelicans.
Later in the trimester, we made our way to Camp Patiya to set up our tents and spend the night. 7th graders endured a snowy, slushy campsite with great attitudes. By the next week, the same campsite was blistering hot, and 8th grade students were jumping for joy when we brought out popsicles for everyone. The unpredictable weather pushed students to be adaptable and resilient in the face of a changing climate during our outdoor adventures.
During the camping trip, students played Capture The Flag, Gaga Ball, Bat and Moth, and Imposter. We also played a Nature & Plant ID Bingo game, with the prize being brownies for everyone to celebrate the last CAP trip for 8th graders. We also enjoyed our favorite camp meal yet…quesadillas!
For our end-of-trimester Action Project, students chose to make native plant seed bombs. These seed bombs consisted of soil, clay, and seeds that we then distributed for free to families at AXL Academy’s Expedition Night. This experience was valuable for students to learn about how native plants can help pollinators and our environment, and they were proud to hand them out and educate their community about all the benefits of native plants. Giving community members the opportunity to plant seeds of change themselves was such a special and meaningful way to end two years of CAP classes together.
Thanks to Friends of Coal Creek for providing native plant seeds!
A big thanks to the funders and supporters that make the CAP class possible, including: Enterprise Mobility Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, PeyBack Foundation, Strear Family Foundation, Thorne Nature Experience, Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
If you’re also passionate about getting students outdoors to take action in their communities, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!
