Falls Lake and Compasses!
Written by admin on November 20th, 2009We had another awesome fieldtrip yesterday with our Five In A Row homeschool group. Love that group! We went to Falls Lake.
Even though the skies were gray and there were raindrops blowing down from the trees and an occasional fine sprinkle of raindrops from the sky, quite a few moms were able to make it out and bring their children for a day of learning about compasses and how to use one.
One of the park rangers at Falls Lake did a class for the children. I thought I knew about compasses, and maybe I did a little, but having to actually use one in guided activities showed me how much I did not know.
Michaela and her friend were a pair for the day’s activities. Can Michaela make a normal face for a picture? I don’t know.
The ranger told us about topographical maps and how to look for changes in elevations.
Each one of us measured the size of our pace by pacing a marked-off distance and then dividing that distance by the number of paces it took us to walk it.
One of the moms shows Michaela how to mark the degrees given during an assignment and then how to sight something in that direction for a landmark to walk towards.
At the end of the class we had an added bonus because of the rain. Once again, thank you rain. It brought to some minds this question: What if you were lost, had no compass, AND there was no sun visible in the sky to help you? We talked about the partly true/partly folklore (depending on where you live) idea of mosses growing one only one side of the trees and we talked about how we still have a faint shadow, even on overcast days, and we talked about hopefully being able to locate the north star after nightfall.
Falls Lake is a lovely place for learning about compasses.
Happy Friday to YOU.
Lynn
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
20
PM
Oh how I wish we belonged to a FIAR co-op. Looks like everyone had a great time.
Sue
21
PM
What a wonderful co-op group that must be! And I’m wondering if the park rangers up here might be willing to do a similar type of lesson.. hmmm… it’s got the little cogs of my mind a whirlin’
Have a wonderful weekend, dear♥
21
PM
Sue, I am SO grateful for the co-op here. It is just an amazing group of families!
Diane, if you search your local state parks, you’ll find that they usually have school programs and I think it’s easy enough to arrange one for homeschoolers.
Lynn
Lynn
21
PM
Dear Lynn,
What a great opportunity! I’m sure I could use a few wilderness-navigating lessons, myself.
It looks like just a gorgeous area, too~And not freezing cold!
Love,
Marqueta
22
AM
This was a fun outing wasn’t it?! I’m so glad that the rain didn’t stop us from enjoying the fun! Loved seeing you (and so did Daniel). Rebecca had fun being Michaela’s partner too!
Love
Leslie
22
AM
Looks like a great fun day with plenty of learning involved
God Bless