Milliken Enjoys Third Family Nature Night!
Fourth grade teachers and the SOLE team buzzed around to help Family Nature Night begin! Partners arrived with activities, live snakes, and costumes in tow. Visitors followed the Generation Wild posters, some of which suggested Go on a picnic and Read a book under a tree. In the Milliken Elementary School lobby, excited families gathered to check in. After getting stickers and tickets for the prize raffle, they split in different directions. Whether bee-lining for some free pizza, stopping to interact with booths, or rushing to get active in the gym, visitors had an abundance of fun from which to choose.
In the gym lures sailed through the air from the ends of push-button fishing poles. Students smiled, laughed, and concentrated with tongues out to reel in a colorful catch! Two volunteers, Taylor and Christopher, from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) coached novice fishers and untangled lines.
On the far side of the gym, arrows were released with a twang and flew to meet their targets. Numerous participants, who aimed true, landed arrows in the bullseye. Sulav, from Hunter Education, and Emily, from the SOLE team, directed archers to use the range safely. Both coaches from CPW proved to improve student skill.
Commotion in the gym grew still once visiting families gathered in the cafeteria for the awaited raffle. After a huge thank you to everyone participating, Shalana from the SOLE team began to call numbers. It was hilarious to hear the number, the groans of children, a short silence, and the final burst of clapping for the winner! Many winners, drawn randomly from the bucket, claimed prizes and returned to their group to celebrate the haul.
Back into the hallway, Angel, with History Colorado, had a game of bingo based on Colorado clues. Families considered the icons and placed discs on them if they matched Angel’s hints. Three in a row made bingo! Families posed with "Colorado’s most famous" at a photo booth backdrop! Models could hold the Colorado state fish (the Greenback cutthroat trout) or wear horn headbands to imitate Colorado’s state mammal (the bighorn sheep).
Families happily stopped to mark off tasks on the list of 100 things to do before you’re 12 from Generation Wild. Kids and parents alike visited Bonnie, from CPW Angler Ed, to discuss what wild activities they completed. Many youth added to their repertoire by making a crayon leaf rubbing.
Kids spun the trivia wheel with Sheryl from the SOLE team, gave strong answers to the trivia questions, picked up some new knowledge on Colorado wildlife, and won freebies.
Barr Lake State Park gave students the opportunity to color a picture of a fish, which reminds everyone to wear life jackets. The custom designs were then ironed onto a T-shirt to take home!
Bird Conservancy’s booth incorporated bird watching with the use of binoculars for a cool activity. Participants had to spot birds on the far wall and then identify the bird based on size, color, and markings. Correct answers earned a hand stamp.
Poudre Learning Center had a live corn snake to pet or hold. What an interesting animal! They had impressive animal artifacts, like skins and skulls of Colorado mammals. This interactive booth had a lot to touch!
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge had awesome costumes to dress kids up like migratory monarch butterflies and endangered black-footed ferrets. At this booth, children saw the ribs and spinal cord on the underside of a turtle shell.
The smorgasbord of engaging booths, events, and games gave everybody a memorable experience. Thank you so much to our partners, volunteers, staff, and visitors for contributing to the success of Milliken Elementary's Family Nature Night!
