We hiked the different river habitats in Johnson Habitat Park and learned how life varies in each. Discovered the biogeography of river life, learned how to recognize a wetland, and understand how these ecosystems are all interrelated.
On Monday we kicked off the week by creating a map of the park we call home for the summer, Johnson Habitat Park, as well as creating our favorite parks from our imagination. We learned how to use and make a compass for some wayfinding and even explored how other animals use their senses to figure out where they are all on their own.
This Tuesday we welcomed a special guest from Denver Parks and Recreation, and got an up close view of all the teeny tiny critters that we catch at critter crawl by using some of their microscopes! With these cool cameras we were able gain a better understanding of all of the specialized body parts of our fellow inhabitants of Johnson Habitat Park
On Wednesday this week we broke down the parts of a mountain and discovered the differences between prairie and mountain ecosystems. In exploring the path the South Platte River takes from high up in the Rocky mountains all the way to the city of Denver we were able to take some stops along the way and uncover what kinds of animals prefer to live in these habitats.
Thursday was FIELD DAY! And we had a blast at Overland Pond Park all morning long. We met with other special guests from Denver Trout Unlimited as they showed us how to release young trout into their natural habitat of the South Platte River. We also got to take the boat out onto the pond and paddle around. Lastly, we caught OVER 250 crawdads in the pond during an amazing critter crawl. Then, all together we walked back to our usual headquarters just in time to beat the crazy rainstorm and cool off.
On Friday we tied up the week by taking a smaller hike around our park learning more about desert habitats and their hazards that we might find here in Colorado. We played games, dissected, and made crafts of different types of cactuses. Finally, we all learned which Colorado landscape best suited each camper at graduation and said our goodbyes for the week.
A Wet Water Works Week 2