Happy Trails! Fall Field Trips in the Garden
by Asya L. Simons, Park Guide & School Programs Coordinator, Garden of the Gods Park
If the best week of the year is when field trips start, the saddest week of the year is when field trips end (and with two semesters, the whole year is a roller coaster of emotions). Today is the last day of our fall field trips and over the last 5 weeks we’ve introduced more than 800 students from 13 schools to the beauty of their Park. These lucky kids (and their adult chaperones!) spent time with our staff and volunteer docents exploring the history, geology and ecology of our Central Garden (honestly, it was mostly geology this semester. Yay rocks!).
When people ask about our field trips it’s always in the context of what the students learn. Of course we want students to walk away learning that “some events on Earth occur quickly while others occur very slowly” (Colorado’s Science Academic Standard 2.3.1a, if you were curious). But our goals for the students are much bigger.
During our trainings in September, one of our volunteers said that at the Garden of the Gods we don’t teach – we guide learning. While the students explore our six ecosystems or examine the three rock types (A+ if you’re reading this and know all 3 off the top of your head!), our docents look for opportunities to spark curiosity and joy. Sometimes, that means spending a few minutes helping an ant safely cross the sidewalk or shuffling our shoes in the dirt. These small moments have hidden opportunities – why is the ant on the sidewalk? what do your shoes have in common with the wind and water? – that (we hope) will stay with the students long after they leave us.
This passion for the small things is what makes our docents so exceptional. We truly have the most incredible volunteers – parents, teachers, and community members who love the Garden of the Gods. Some of our volunteers have been leading field trips for 10+ years – long enough to say for sure that the best jokes never get old (I’m trying out a new one – How do geologists like to relax? In rocking chairs!). It’s safe to say our field trips would not be possible without their dedication, and every part of field trips is an ode to them.
As we wrap up this season, I’m reflecting on the opportunity we’ve had to see the Park through the eyes of our students. Shouts of “this is the best day ever!” to the much more muted “I never knew so much about rocks!” stand out. Of course I hope every field trip experience translated to “Sedimentary, Igneous, Metamorphic” all written neatly in a line on a test. But more than that I hope the students came home begging you to bring them to the Park again. And if you are one of those parents, I hope you indulge them – adventure awaits you too!
We’ll see you soon!
