Day 1 Blog
Today was the first day of STEMmersion. We ended up learning things about each other and we looked through a couple of reading to help us elucidate the meaning of nature and why people go in the woods in order to get a peaceful moment. After that we headed to lunch and then we went outside near the pond to rest. We did an activity where we had to sit near the pond and use our senses to hear, see, feel, things around us. We then went on to see if others had the same senses as us. It was an overall calming experience and it helped me feel relaxed, though the grass was kind of itchy. This experience helped me a lot with connecting through nature. I never really go out into nature, I am a city girl so nature isn't really my thing. This helped me find peace through nature.
Day 2 Haiku Poem
The water is calm
As it hits the rocks below
Makes me feel relaxed
Day 2 Blog
Today we went to Cox Arboretum. This is a national park that has a variety of trails in which you can see wildlife. When we went here we split into teams and went looking for amazing things. This really helped me connect to nature. Sitting in the quiet and peaceful area with only the sound of rain and wildlife was amazing. I got to really appreciate everything as it was. It was peaceful and beautiful. This experience was amazing and really got me to be one with nature. Overall being with friends and a quiet environment that was only filled with nature was incontrovertibly flawless. This made me feel free and as though I was the one to make the rules. All and all everything was fun and intriguing. I do recommend to come here if you are stressed and just want to get away because this park made me feel like I was the only person there and that I had no problems in this world.
Day 3 Blog
Today we didn't really go anywhere. We stayed inside and learned about water. At first I thought it would be pretty boring and not really too entertaining. But, when I actually began to learn new and interesting things I began to learn that I was intrigued with this topic. I learned that water went down two different water systems. It would either go down straight to the rivers which eventually end up in the ocean. The other one take the dirty water and pretty much ends up in the sewers. This was new information for me. The best part that kind connected to me was the camera truck. When we went we learned that they use remote controlled four wheeled camera things to go deep in the sewers to collect information. This is very important because it allows us to see if there are any problems that need immediate fixing. This could help prevent major floods and water pipe damage. The reason this really connected to me is because I am interested in this stuff. For one it looks and is fun and it also allows me to help the environment and save the city from any future casualties that could have happened.
This is the story we did today that was about water. It was pretty fun to do.
This is the water wet and wild that carries the fish
slick and scaly that swim around the creeks
small and winding that travels through the backyards
grassy and sharp that grounds the plants
lively and colorful that grow with the mud
wet and dirty
Day 4 Blog
Today we learned about hiking. We learned about this woman (I forgot her name) who hiked about 1,100 miles from California to Washington in 1995. We learned about her journey as well as what she carried with her. The reason we learned this was to get us prepared for a hike that we will be completing tomorrow. I learned that you have to take more than just a compass on a hike. We did an activity where we had to create a hiking backpack that supplies everything I would need for a 15 day hike trip. This was really fun because we had to choose where we would go. My partner and I chose to go to The Maze in Utah. The reason this connected to me was because this hiking trail is really adventurous and it looks dangerous. Personally I love danger and taking risks so this is why me and my partner chose this. After calculating the quantity and weights of each item we had a simulation where we wore the same amount of weights on a hiking backpack. Our backpack weighed about 80 pounds but since each person would carry half of the supplies, it weighed 40 pounds. To the rights you could see me carrying this bag. It was overall really fun and entertaining experience.
Day 5 Blog
Today we went hiking on the trails of a park called Narrow. This park was really fun and interesting. First of all when we went to the park we were split into two groups. My first group was handed binoculars to go bird watching. The park ranger explained the different types of terrain and birds and what significance they have to the environment. It was really cool to see the birds up close with the binoculars. Next we went to the other group to test water and see its PH level as well as how much acidity is in it. This was measure in the Little Miami River. When I measured the acidity it was ranked 7 which meant it was neutral. This was really cool and fun. After that we had lunch and checked out an animal exhibit. The ranger even pulled out a snake (I didn't really enjoy that part). Some people held it and touched it which I thought was pretty cool even though I refused to touch/hold it. We then went on to create skits back at school about a certain animal. My group has a skit about a Velosoraptor which is pretty cool.
Day 6 Poem
A Day in the Life
I wake to a quiet place
Peaceful and free
Fed a substantial amount of food
As I sit and watch the Maple trees
The people they come to collect hay
Feeding me almost every single day
They watch me and bathe me
Brush me and more
Walk with me and talk to me
As though I was a farmer too
I have chores and tasks
In which I push wagons and caravans
And sometimes watch the kids try to get a tan
They laugh when I fall and help me when in need
They treat me properly and kindly
As though I was a farmer too
Day 6 Blog
Today we went to Carriage Hills. It was really cool because there were farms and animals and amazing things there. At first going and interacting with animals seemed bad and just not my thing. But, as I began to see the animals I realized that this was way more fun than I thought. I even fed one of the horses. Seeing the horses reminded me of the poem I wrote. At the start of class we wrote a poem in the day on the farm. I decided to do a view of a horse. The poem is seen above. Anyway, after feeding the horse we decided to go find the cemetery. For some reason seeing a cemetery was intriguing. After hiking for about 30 minutes we came across a small body of water. It was about a foot deep and the only way we could go passed it was to walk through it. After getting wet and another 30 minutes went by, we were nowhere so we went back. This really helped me connect to nature because I was interacting with new things and animals. This is something I typically wouldn't do on a daily basis. It really helped me connect to nature.
Day 7 Blog
Today we went to Delco Park. It was a long walk but it worth it when we got to meet an actual author. We ended up working on a creation in which you had to make a Metot. This Metot would have three animals that represent you as a person. Mine was a mixture of a hawk, monkey, and wolf. This represented me the best. After than we went and looked at the grass to see stuff. This really helped me connect to nature. I could only see poop and leaves but that's cool because it was still interesting. Then we went to adventure this creek after hiking to it. It was so fun and adventurous. We then went back to school to write about this amazing day.
Day 7 Writing Piece
My Metot is a mixture of three animals. A monkey to represent curiosity, a hawk to represent bravery, and a wolf to represent loyalty. This Metot can live up to one year, but usually last only 2 days. They can grow 50ft per day and there greatest predator is a snail. Of coarse the Metot is smart and therefore can use all its abilities to climb and jump around trees.
Day 8 Nature Poem
To make a river it takes a sprinkle of rocks. Put in a handful of organisms and a bundle of water and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly spread out. Pour it all into the hole that will soon be our river. Cook under sun for a couple of days until temperature is good for organisms to live in. Let stand cool and then add a sprinkle of plants all around. Cut the plants to smaller pieces and sprinkle it in. Mix one last time and serve. There you have it a fresh river that costs nothing to make.
Today we went kayaking on the Little Miami. It was really fun and peaceful. Most of this trip was spent enjoying the peace and quiet. I could hear birds chirping, the water splashing onto my kayak and others paddles hitting the water. This helped me connect through nature. Being able to sit there and listen top everything really opened my ears to nature. It was peaceful. My favorite part was when we stopped in an area that had a rope. people were swinging and jumping and I did it too. It was so fun. This whole experience was exciting. Kayaking wasn't as tiring as I thought and it helped me connect with nature a whole lot better.
Day 8 Blog
