Fieldtrip to celebrate Colorado history
BRE students followed in John Fielder’s footsteps as they found historical Colorado school photographs and recreated them. This project was spearheaded by art teacher Tim Ryckman for the fourth grade Colorado history unit; the old and new photos were displayed outside the classrooms.
Buffalo Ridge Elementary School (BRE) fourth grade students recently took their first field trip to the History Colorado Center in Denver. Fourth-grade curriculum includes a unit on Colorado history and the students also did in-school research projects for the school’s Colorado Day.
For the past few years and because these students were kindergarteners when the pandemic struck, teachers were creative, bringing programs and speakers into the school for in-house learning experiences. There is nothing like that first rite of passage field trip though. The lingering district-wide bus driver shortage also impacted field trips.
On field trip day, students were thrilled with the travel and novelty of riding a bus to Denver. They visited roughly half of the museum. Many of the exhibits are designed for children so they are hands-on experiences, which were favorites with the kids. They worked at a general store, drove a car and used a slide in a hay loft. They also learned about mining safety, or the lack of it, in a replica mine.
Back in the classroom, students learned about the major events and trends of the Centennial State’s history, including homesteading, ranching, mining, the Dust Bowl, today’s Colorado and how our state has changed throughout the years.
The students recently culminated the history unit with Colorado Day, where they presented an assembly-type program for parents, with songs and dances about our great state. Students also parroted John Fielder’s then and now project, finding old photographs of schools and classrooms from Colorado history, then recreated the old photographs at their own school. The students’ photos were displayed side-by-side with the historical photographs in the hallway outside fourth grade classrooms.
Also, students presented individual research projects, spearheaded by art teacher Tim Ryckman. Each fourth grader picked a state history topic and made slides, a diorama, or an alternative representation of their topic.
The “living museum” allowed students to share information and for parents to see what the students have been learning. Topics ranged from Camp Amache – Colorado’s Japanese internment camp, Pikes Peak, Emily Griffith, railroads, Buffalo Bill, Native American tribes, Molly Brown, mountain men, fur trappers and more.
BRE students learn about best safety practices in early Colorado mining while on a field trip to the History Colorado Center in Denver. This was the first field trip fourth graders have taken in their elementary school years due to pandemic restrictions and bus driver shortages.
By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos
