On Friday, our class enjoyed an incredible day of “Outdoor Exploration”.
We began our day hiking Devil’s Backbone.  We were fortunate to enjoy this amazing, natural habitat before it became to hot for comfort.  Student highlights included a stop at the “keyhole” lookout, where we saw the Rocky Mountains in the distance.
Another highlight was pausing for about a minute to simply listen. Â Our students have become great detectives of sounds able to easily distinguish between living verse non-living sounds.
Next, we enjoyed a relaxing picnic lunch at Benson Sculpture Garden. Â After cleaning up our group gathered at the pavilion to discuss the scavenger hunt.
Teams quickly formed and began to strategize before heading out in search of 30 specific sculptures among over 150 sculptures total.
Teams were given one hour to walk and explore the park as they considered the scavenger hunt clues and tried their best to guess which sculptures might match with each clue.
Overall, our students worked together and enjoyed the scavenger hunt. Â We recognized a team with only three students as our scavenger hunt winners: Caybree, Gracie and Payton. Â This team successfully found all 30 sculptures.
Since teaching in Northern Colorado, I’ve had dozens of students ask me, “Mrs. Boyd, can we go to Boyd Lake State Park?” Â Finally, I answered “yes!”
We ended our day enjoying some recreation and free time at Boyd Lake State Park. Â Students enjoyed many activities including volleyball, baseball, and even flying a kite on the beach.
As the day ended, we know that students were very tired, but we will all have a very special day to remember.
A special “Thank You” goes to:
- Larimer County Natural Resources – for permission to hike the Devil’s Backbone
- Benson Sculpture Garden – for sharing beautiful sculpture art with the public
- Colorado State Parks – for a free park pass to Boyd Lake State Park
- The dozen parent and grandparent volunteers who joined us for the day
- The families who donated snacks and water
- And for Lisa and Wendy who donated pens for the scavenger hunt
