As we reach the end of our school year, we wanted to take a look back on some of our adventures, experiments and projects. This is just a sampling of the things that stood out to us. Since we organized our year by regions in Texas, we organized this post the same way. Please comment below and let us know which of the things we shared either taught you something, made you think, or encouraged you to consider an adventure of your own.
Coastal Plains
Luna's Picks:
We learned so much over the year, and we started by going on this field trip. This post goes to show how much I care for all animals whether they are predators or prey. I think that we should try to protect all animals from things that cause them harm, especially species at risk.
I chose this post because before I learned about oil in Texas I thought it was a simple story of pollution, but now I know that it's not just one story. Every story has two sides to it. Sometimes it depends on who's telling it. I have learned I need to dig a little deeper into a story to see both sides.
I have always loved Sea World, and I still love going there. I think that many of the animals there are well cared for, but now I have concern about the Orcas and if they have enough space.
Jodi's Pick:
I enjoyed going to the Johnson Space Center and learning the history of space travel as well as getting an up close view of the first manned rocket, what the Apollo Rockets were like, and the Challenger space craft.
Central Plains
Luna's Picks:
I chose to study the wolf because I admire how far they can run. I discovered that they live in packs which are like their families, and each wolf has a certain responsibility within the pack.
Going on this trip was fun because we got to live in a treehouse. We got to go see where a girl who had been kidnapped by Native Americans was rescued which was in a big "room" in the cavern. Also, I had never been in a cavern. It was pretty cool.
Fort Worth is called Cow Town because it was a stopping spot for cattle and cowboys on their way to sell the cows for meat. It was also called the "Wall Street of the West" because so much money was made there selling cattle.
Jodi's Pick:
Even though powering this dollhouse sized castle with clean and renewable energy sources wasn't easy, I learned a lot about how these sources can be used, but also why we aren't able to depend on them for all of our energy needs at this point.
Mountains and Basins
Luna's Picks:
I was surprised to find that there were dinosaur footprints just right here in Texas. It was fun to climb around on the rocks and to see the dinosaur prints in what is now a riverbed. We know that the area was once an ocean because there were seashells.
I chose this post because the minerals we saw were amazing and beautiful! It was fun. Such beautiful things can come out of the ground... but that's just how nature works.
I love our titles... and this one's a good one! On this trip we got to climb Enchanted Rock, and take a look back at German culture as we spent time (and dinner) in a Texas town founded by German settlers.
Jodi's Pick:
I chose this paper that Luna wrote because I know that writing is a daunting task for her, but I also know that she is passionate about protecting the innocence of others. I admire how she leaned into the process of getting her thoughts and opinions out in a way that others could read and think through for themselves.
