Seventy-six Mt. Pleasant ISD 3rd and 4th graders spent three days and two nights at Sky Ranch in Van, Texas. The Gifted and Talented students field trip was full of educational experiences in an outdoor classroom.
The students participated in four separate classes:
Ranch Life: The students rode horses, learned about dangers settlers faced on the trail rides, determined what necessary items they would need to pack in their saddle bag for a trail ride, worked in the garden and investigated how farm animals help humans.
Limnology: The students collected samples to determine if a pond was healthy, conducted experiments to determine the ph of water samples, and to determine which water was polluted.
Challenges: The students participated in team building activities and discussed qualities that would make a team successful. They also discussed ways to take what they learned and apply it to other areas in their lives.
Texas History: The students took a trip back in time and learned about Susannah Dickinson, the Texas Rangers, played with “old-timey” toys, learned about cattle brands and the need for branding.
Nighttime activities included “Funology Go!” (an outdoor scavenger hunt), and a campfire, at which groups of students presented skits they had developed earlier in the afternoon. After all skits were presented, the students roasted marshmallows and made s’mores.
Photo: MPISD Students at Sky Ranch