On Sunday, I made a quick trip down to the cities. The drive was a lot easier than I thought it would be and made it to Amandas apartment by 10.
We ate at a place just down the block called Egg and I. I got a breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and bacon on an english muffin. It was good food and good coffee!! Definitely a cute little place to go for a quick brunch.
After that, Amanda drove me around. This was my first time to the Minneapolis / St Paul area other than a couple trips to the Mall of America and the airport so it was nice to get a feel for the city. For some reason it reminds me of Melbourne. We went to Target (YAY!!) and The Minnesota History Museum. The best exhibit at the museum was MN150 - an exhibit on 150 things that help put Minnesota on the map. The things were from every aspect of culture - the brown paper bag, spam, Prince, Mayo Clinic and GPS. I learned quite about the state. They had a couple other interesting exhibits like The Greatest Generation. This one looks at the generation that was born shortly before the Great Depression and went on to serve in WWII.
Next it was on to a "nature" area along the river. It was were many of the old mills were. I found this area really beautiful. There was this neat juxtaposition between old historical buildings that were partially collapsed and the new buildings. The yellow fall color of the aspens only added to the sight. It was a neat area to walk around (unfortunately I neglected to take any pictures).
We then drove to a burger joint to meet Heidi for dinner. Then it was time to leave because homework was calling my name. Definitely a fun, quick day trip that will I will hopefully do again soon!!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Charter School Visits
I have spent the past three days visiting 3 of the charter schools that the Audubon Center sponsors. It was quite the road trip with lots of time in the van and lots of time observing different teaching methods.
The first school we went to was in Minnesota City. I did not get to observe the teaching styles here but did teach a lesson of raptors. I taught the first hour after lunch (I always hate teaching the first class after lunch because so many kids go into a food coma). This class was of 9th/10th graders and pretty much unresponsive to my raptor lesson. We got the chance to talk with the director of the school and watch a board meeting which was interesting to see.
We got up super early the next day and drove to our second school - La Crescent Montessori. At this school we only observed classes. It is a Montessori school - so there are no lessons in the traditional sense. Each child in the class works on different lessons so there is lot of hands on activities and no lecture. To an outsider it often looks messy. It is a interesting teaching style and have no idea how I feel about it.
That same evening we got back in the van and headed to our last school - Cannon River STEM School. We spent the evening at the school in the living room of the staff housing. The school is situated on the campus of a boarding school so it really has a campus feel to it. This school was my favorite. It has an emphasis on science and technology so the kids learn alot about nature and science through projects. All of the teachers had really good rapport with the students so it was a positive learning environment. I observed for most of the day and then helped teach the Kindergartners about owls.
Overall, I learned a lot about various teaching styles and have a better understanding of the schools that come visit the center. The trip was exhausting though and I am happy to back in my own room!
The first school we went to was in Minnesota City. I did not get to observe the teaching styles here but did teach a lesson of raptors. I taught the first hour after lunch (I always hate teaching the first class after lunch because so many kids go into a food coma). This class was of 9th/10th graders and pretty much unresponsive to my raptor lesson. We got the chance to talk with the director of the school and watch a board meeting which was interesting to see.
We got up super early the next day and drove to our second school - La Crescent Montessori. At this school we only observed classes. It is a Montessori school - so there are no lessons in the traditional sense. Each child in the class works on different lessons so there is lot of hands on activities and no lecture. To an outsider it often looks messy. It is a interesting teaching style and have no idea how I feel about it.
That same evening we got back in the van and headed to our last school - Cannon River STEM School. We spent the evening at the school in the living room of the staff housing. The school is situated on the campus of a boarding school so it really has a campus feel to it. This school was my favorite. It has an emphasis on science and technology so the kids learn alot about nature and science through projects. All of the teachers had really good rapport with the students so it was a positive learning environment. I observed for most of the day and then helped teach the Kindergartners about owls.
Overall, I learned a lot about various teaching styles and have a better understanding of the schools that come visit the center. The trip was exhausting though and I am happy to back in my own room!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
BUSY BUSY
The last week or so has been super busy with lots of teaching and various barn duties. Teaching wise, it was a stressful week. Not because of the students (most of who were really excited to be at Audubon) but because of what I was teaching. It was a lot of new lessons that I had never taught before. I also taught some high ropes which was great because I dont have to think alot anymore when I teach it :)
In the barn world, I am now offically checked off on handling all of the education birds. This is awesome because I got my last key AND do not have to wait around for people to birds out for me any more. Our Barred Owl was the last bird I had to be checked off on. She didnt make it easy - she sat out in the rain and evaded me for a bit. She then pooped on my ungloved hand for good measure. When I was finally done, I was damp and kinda gross.
The other barn related thing is I passed my rehab test YAY!! I finished the test around 1:45 pm on Tuesday. At about 2:45 pm the center got a call about an injured red tailed hawk so I got to jump in the car and do my first rehab animal.
Perhaps the most exciting thing from the past week was Amanda's Wedding. My cousin got married so I spent the weekend in Wausau. The wedding was beautiful and I got the chance to see a lot of family.
Well I best be off. I have to pack for my charter school visits. No rest for the weary.
In the barn world, I am now offically checked off on handling all of the education birds. This is awesome because I got my last key AND do not have to wait around for people to birds out for me any more. Our Barred Owl was the last bird I had to be checked off on. She didnt make it easy - she sat out in the rain and evaded me for a bit. She then pooped on my ungloved hand for good measure. When I was finally done, I was damp and kinda gross.
The other barn related thing is I passed my rehab test YAY!! I finished the test around 1:45 pm on Tuesday. At about 2:45 pm the center got a call about an injured red tailed hawk so I got to jump in the car and do my first rehab animal.
Perhaps the most exciting thing from the past week was Amanda's Wedding. My cousin got married so I spent the weekend in Wausau. The wedding was beautiful and I got the chance to see a lot of family.
Well I best be off. I have to pack for my charter school visits. No rest for the weary.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
GIRLS BIG NIGHT OUT
Last night, me and several of the other interns (Amy, Emily and Manu) made a road trip up to Duluth, MN. Hawk Ridge was having an owl program at night so we decided to make an evening of it. First we went to Pizza Luce - a really good pizza place in downtown Duluth. I tried brushcetta and a pizza with a different type of sauce. Surprisingly, both were good!
Following dinner, the four of us headed up to Hawk Ridge in hopes of seeing an owl. The program was good and we all learned a thing or two to add to our bird programs. We stayed out in the frosty night air for an hour and a half waiting for word that an owl had been caught down at the bird banding station. Many jumping jacks later (and little feeling left in my toes) we decided to call it a night. The fact that no owls were caught is unusual for this time of year because normally there are numerous saw-whet moving south.
After the long evening, we returned to the Audubon Center. Turns out we were not the only ones freezing because all of the water was removed from the raptor enclosures to prevent frostbite. Also, the Kestrels spent their first night of the season in their winter enclosures. More signs that the seasons are changing!
Following dinner, the four of us headed up to Hawk Ridge in hopes of seeing an owl. The program was good and we all learned a thing or two to add to our bird programs. We stayed out in the frosty night air for an hour and a half waiting for word that an owl had been caught down at the bird banding station. Many jumping jacks later (and little feeling left in my toes) we decided to call it a night. The fact that no owls were caught is unusual for this time of year because normally there are numerous saw-whet moving south.
After the long evening, we returned to the Audubon Center. Turns out we were not the only ones freezing because all of the water was removed from the raptor enclosures to prevent frostbite. Also, the Kestrels spent their first night of the season in their winter enclosures. More signs that the seasons are changing!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
First Snow
.JPG)
My morning walk to the barn was absolutely beautiful today. Over night, the ground was dusted in the first snow fall of the year. I loved the way bright fall leaves looked against the fresh white. The Kestrels (Isis and Nero) did not seem to appreciate the snow quite as much as me. Both of them had their feathers fluffed and were in a grouchy mood.After feeding my birds, I changed into my winter gear and went for a walk into the woods. I got the chance to break in some new wool socks and snow pants. While I was working on an assignment, I took the opportunity to take many photographs of the beautiful scenery. (Which I will try and post soon!)
Its amazing how fast things went from summer to fall this year. No transition just suddenly, one day its cold. While I am excited for the snow, I hope this doesn't mean a long winter!!
Well that's it for now - its the perfect day to sit in bed and enjoy some hot chocolate!
Welcome!
Well here goes nothing! I have decide to create a blog as an online journal and way that people can keep up with my comings and goings...plus it gives me yet another way to procrastinate. Enjoy and please let me know what you think :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)