Blog Archives - Crestwood Explores the World

This is your life cycle, Monica Monarch!

7/30/2013

One of my responsibilities as TRT was to select a project to complete while I was at the park this summer.
I wanted to shadow the scientists and learn more about the CVNP ecosystem. I developed a butterfly unit that can be used at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center. (CVEEC) "Brilliant Butterflies" reviews the magical metamorphosis these invertebrates complete during their life cycles plus the role butterflies have as pollinators in the ecosystem. "Migrating Monarchs" requires students to literally jump through hoops to survive the migration headache that Monarchs endure to survive their 3000 mile journey. The highlight of the unit is a readers theater that has Justin Beetle hosting "This is Your Life Cycle" for Monica Monarch. I am proud to say that this will be used at CVNP, posted on their website, and shared with all the national parks on an

Last week!

7/27/2013

On arrival at the Ledges Shelter to set up for American Indian Games, we encountered this doe munching on dew laden grass. On one foggy, overcast morning I passed five deer along separate sections of Truxell Road.

Since I did not have a program to teach on July 23, TRT Shannon invited me to go fishing with a handicapped adult group from Akron. It was a perfect, sunny, summer morning at Horseshoe Pond. Although we did not catch any fish, this frog kept us amused as it retrieved the fishing bobber like a dog.

Mother duck and her ducklings are headed for covered as more people arrived!

Citizen Scientists:

7/27/2013

July 12: I am excited to work with CVNP biologist, Meg Plona, and volunteers who conduct weekly counts as citizen scientists at Indigo Lake and Terra Vista in the park. CVNP is part of the Monarch Butterfly Sister Protected Area Network, an international effort to conserve monarchs.

Teacher-Ranger-Teacher Chuck and I collected dragonfly larvae at rain swollen Tinkers Creek on July 17. We were joined by fellow teachers and students to record mercury levels and send larvae samples for identification to The University of Maine, "Six-legged Scouts" dragonfly study.

The creek was so high! The current was rushing rapidly. I thought I would fall crossing to Chuck. I am proud that I found the only dragonfly larvae that afternoon!

Water everywhere, everyday!

7/13/2013

The impressive Brandywine Falls with rushing white water after the rain. Typically the water trickles lazily over the rocks.

People have asked me, "How do you stay dry being outside with all this rain?" Fortunately, we have had only sprinkles when we are working with student programs at the park this summer.

Unfortunately, the ride home has been a different story. The July 3 storm brought high winds (60MPH) and heavy rain. The scarey part was when sparks were flying off the electrical wires. July 10th storm was one of a kind! After receiving severe storm warnings, I left the park 30 minutes early. Heavy rains hit on the turnpike heading east. Frost Road in Streetsboro had water over the road in low areas even though I was going uphill. Now, I received a text from both my daughter and husband telling me there is a tornado warning for Mantua! On Diagonal Road, a car was stalled in a low area with gushing brown, muddy water covering over 20 feet. I turned around and tried Bartlet Road, more water about 30 feet over the road. Next I tried, the other end of Frost which had gravel plus rushing brown water. By this time the rain had stopped but over 5 inches of rain had fallen in less than a hour! Pioneer trail had both ends underwater around me. Mennonite Road had a stalled car in the wash going west and water over the road going east. Finally I tried to get back on Diagonal heading north to Route 82. This area had a large 30 foot area underwater with branches floating in the water, mud, and rock debris. I watched smaller vehicles go through the rushing water before I attempted the drive. Going fast had waves of water above the windows of my SUV, but going slow felt like I was floating until finally the tires finally gripped road, Then Route 82 was under water. Finally Wayne Road had rushing water with pieces of asphalt broken in the water. It took me 90 minutes to get home!

July Crestwood Comments Feature

7/13/2013

Teacher Selected to Participate in National Park Teacher-Ranger-Teacher Program

Intermediate School Teacher Rosemary Krupar was selected as a teacher-ranger-teacher for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park summer program. This entails working with summer camp students at the Nature Conservancy, working on a unit to leave for future programs, participating in resource management monitoring activities on amphibians, pilot use of Ipads in environmental education, and make connections to common core curriculum.

Kruper will also do liaison work next year to bring the park to Crestwood through National Park week. She will set up a webpage and blog on Crestwoodexplorestheworl. org to share her experiences. She will be working in the park system June 10- Aug. 2.

The purpose of the Teacher Ranger Teacher (TRT) position is two-fold. First, it supplements the park’s Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services division by performing duties related to resource education and interpretation. Second, it allows the teacher to more fully explore a national park to enrich his/her understanding and appreciation of our natural and cultural heritage, and in turn provide students and educators with activities developed for use in the classroom.

July 13th, 2013

7/13/2013

Explore Cuyahoga Valley National Park!

July 08th, 2013

7/8/2013

Check out the wingspan on this dragon fly

Today I helped with day camp. We had kids from Akron Urban League visit the Happy Days Lodge. There were over 30 students! Kudos to my first grade and kindergarten teacher friends! How do you keep a six year old's attention for more than 30 seconds?

The students were very cooperative, eager to learn, and just adorable. What can be better than a child taking your hand as you hike a trail? My Nature Detectives discovered many things on our hike. We saw many extremely active chipmunks (SHM: Small Hairy Mammals) scurrying among the logs, rocks, and creek. Rudy, a summer intern from the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, caught crayfish, salamanders, dragon fly nymphs, and a nearly 1 1/2" long Cadis fly larva! It was so rewarding seeing the kids light up and overcome their fears to hold our critters. It was the first time for many of them to see a salamander, find deer tracks, and cross the creek on flat stepping stones. It was a magical moment for me to plant the seeds of exploration in their inquiring imaginations!

Kids quotes:

7/7/2013

I see deer everyday in the park. Now the fawns are emerging with the does. They are not afraid of people or cars. We call them BHM's sightings. (Big Hairy Mammals) After a wrong turn and extended hike with a group of day camp kids on the Oak HIll trail, I was hiking back with summer intern, Seth. We rounded a bend in the trail and spotted a young buck about ten feet away. We stopped and stared. He stared back until we moved quietly on. I felt a connection, "You're Okay, I'm okay!" thought the deer and ourselves. I wish I would have taken a picture but the mental image will be with me forever!

A student picked up a buckeye and said, " I know what this is, a buckeye." I am impressed so I ask, "Do you know what it grows into?" He replies, " a deer!"

City kids are afraid of the forest, I ask. "What are you afraid of?"
He replies, "something will bite me. " I tell him only mosquitoes will bite him in the park.

An older student says he is afraid of deer. I inquire, " Why?" He recounts his bad deer experiences; First time, the deer run in front of the car, the car swerves, loses control and flips. He looks out his window at the deer decapitated head with red eye looking at him. I think that would scare me too. His second scare was at cub scout camp. A deer trashed his tent, ripped it to shreds "looking for food." I ask, "Are you sure it wasn't a raccoon?" He is sure since he saw it!

Have you ever heard of a deer attacking anyone?

July 07th, 2013

7/7/2013

"When we tug on a single thread in nature we find it attached to everything else." - John Muir

On Friday, Ranger Ken and I led a group on the Ledges Ramble Junior Ranger Program. The Ritchie Ledges at CVNP is Ohio bedrock of Sharon Conglomerate. "Braided streams swept the Sharon's sands and round quartz pebbles from the northeast into a great delta about 100 million years ago." (Cuyahoga Valley National Park Handbook, Platt C. V, Kent State University Press, 2006)

Students were led on a scavenger hunt for secret passages, caves, and points of interests along the trail. We sited evidence of sandstone honeycombs. Pictured above we found an interesting caterpillar. It was a bright lime green about two inches long with small yellow spots. This caterpillar will eventually turn into a moth, possibly the large Cercropia moth. It was an exciting find since I am starting my butterfly lesson unit for the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center. (CVEEC) These lessons will be used by my third grade class, day programs for field trips at the CVEEC, plus posted at the National Park System web site for teacher resources.

Day Camp and Junior Ranger programs:

7/4/2013

Junior Ranger Challenge: Students crawl through the tube to retrieve backpack and clothing needed for a day at CVNP.

American Indian Games: Students play Hit the Horn, a Northwest tribe game to enhance accuracy.

TRT Shannon shows a student how to use the Atalatl, a precursor to the bow and arrow used by early people to hunt. at bottom, The students play Touch and Go a relay race to increase speed and endurance.

Author

Rosemary Krupar teaches 3rd grade at Crestwood Intermediate School. She is working as a Teacher-Ranger-Teacher at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Archives

April 2015
February 2015
October 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013

Categories