Sensory Exploration Field Trip

Looking at lichen

NPS

While immersed in nature, students will focus on sensory exploration and making observations of natural items. All activities should focus on helping the students think about answering the question “What are ‘senses’ and how do they help me and other living things to survive?” The students will practice using their senses out in nature or with natural objects to make observations and realize that this is a key way for people to learn—the main way that Blackfeet, Salish, Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai people learned before there were books or school. They’ll also wonder at how other living things have different senses (sometimes much better!) than ours.

Grade: Kindergarten
Location: Apgar Village or St. Mary
Duration: 2.5 hours in Apgar or 4 hours in St Mary, view our Sensory Exploration Field Trip Schedule to see a basic outline for the day
Group Size: 40 students total, 2 groups of 20 students
Skills: Observe (using all senses), sort/classify, compare & contrast, match, count, communicate findings
Vocabulary: Senses: sight, taste, touch, smell, sound; living/non-living; nature; mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers; animals, plants
Essential Questions:

• How do senses affect behavior?
• Why are senses important?
• How do senses develop?
• How do scientists use their senses?
• Why do we have multiple senses?
• Why do animals “need” all of their senses?
• Why do animals have multiple senses?
• What would life be like without senses?

National and State Science Standards:

• K-LS-1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

 

Objectives

These are typical objectives that can be achieved on the sensory program depending on the ranger and the teacher’s pre- and post- lesson focus.

Students will be able to:

• Tell what all national parks protect.
• List our 5 senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell; and identify the body organ associated with each sense.
• Use all 5 senses to explore the outdoors and make observations
• Give an example of how an animal or insect in Glacier National Park uses its senses to live.
• Give an example of how people use their senses to live.
• Differentiate between living (eats food, grows, reproduces) and non-living things in nature.
• Sit quietly to observe and count natural sounds in the forest.
• Name (and possibly see) several Glacier wild animals that are found in the forest and describe why they choose this area as their home.
• Identify examples of Montana American Indians making use of natural resources.
• Use their senses to make observations and describe various objects found in nature.
• Use all 5 senses to enhance their experience in the wild.

 

Field Trip Logistics

Teachers wishing to have their students participate in the sensory field trip must have their classes divided into groups of no more than 20 students.

For example, a bus of 40 students would be divided into 2 groups, of 18-20 students each. Each group would hike with a ranger and participate in stations at Apgar Nature Center. Everyone must be prepared to be outside for at least half the day and be ready to hike 0.75 miles on fairly level terrain.

***The ranger-guided portion of this field trip is ½ day only in Apgar. Teachers may remain in the park for the rest of the day to do independent activities. Rangers will be able to suggest ideas and provide materials for activities such as coloring, leaf prints, songs, and exploring with magnifying glasses. ***

 

Reserve Your Trip

Visit the Scheduling & Guidelines page to find the reservation form as well as tips for a successful day in the park.

If you have questions, email or call the Apgar Education Center at 406-888-7899.

 

Preparing for Your Trip

Students that spend time preparing for their visit get more out of a field trip to the park. Activities post-visit also help to reinforce information learned during the trip.

Once registered, we will send you packet with the entire learning sequence. The packet will contain the following lessons:

• Pre-Visit Lessons:
  • Who's Wild
  • Listening to Birds
  • Bear Noses
• Post Visit Lesson:
  • Senses Songs

Suggested supplementary materials:

• Background Information for Teachers
• Bear Traveling Trunk