Kicking off the SOLE School Year at Chappelow
Our first Family Nature Night of the 2018-19 school year was held at the Chappelow Arts Magnet School in Evans. This is Chappelow's second year as a SOLE school, and around 150 students and parents attended.
Students were greeted by Katie Denny, a teacher who communicated with SOLE staff throughout the year and helped plan the entire event. Several SOLE partners came out for Nature Night, including Poudre Learning Center, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and A&H Adventures! Pizza was provided in the cafeteria starting at 5pm for any hungry families wishing to have a bite before or during the event.
There was an assortment of activities for students to try, all centered around outdoor education and Colorado wildlife. In the school's hallway, the Poudre Learning center brought their bull snake along with some facts about native reptiles. Students were able to ask questions as well as touch a live snake!
Generation Wild challenged students to jump as far as they can, and compare it to how far animals jump! Did you know that mountain lions can leap up to 25 feet? No one jumped quite as far as the mountain lion, but students were able to take home a list of more fun things to try before they turn 12.
The gym was filled with students eager to try archery, provided by A&H Adventures, as well as learn how to fish in our "Backyard Bass" activity. For some students, this was their very first time trying both archery and fishing.
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies brought some bird "bio facts" and had a "Bird Identification" activity. Students could use binoculars to search for different bird species through the hallway and ask any questions they had on Colorado-native bird species.
At 6:00pm, we gathered students and their families into the cafeteria to thank everyone for coming out and to give out some raffle prizes! Ten students left Family Nature Night with awesome outdoor-friendly prizes, including a tent, a sleeping bag, fishing poles, and binoculars. The grand prize raffle ticket won a Colorado Parks and Wildlife gift certificate valued at $70, good for an annual State Parks Pass.
Families started to head home after the event ended at 7pm. This was a wonderful night of family fun! Thank you to Great Outdoors Colorado who funds our Family Nature Nights and donates the prizes. Special thank you to all the families who attended this event. We could not do it without you guys! We look forward to coming back next year for another amazing night!
