Previsit Activity Ideas

By doing one or more of the following previsit curriculum activities, you will introduce your students to some of the concepts that they will be learning at Wolf Creek and better prepare them for their experience. Our staff can usually tell if students have had any preliminary work in the classroom. Here are some suggestions for previsit curriculum activities:

Music:

·  Practice singing campfire songs.

·  Have students make up their own songs (i.e. cabin theme songs)

Performing Arts

·  Create skits and or puppet shows to present during the evenings campfire (WCEC has a finger puppet show and two foot lockers full of dress-up clothes for skits).

Art:

·  After assigning students to a cabin. Give each cabin group the enclosed handout about each critter the cabin is named for (see Cabin Animal Fact Sheets). Ask them to make posters or banners for their cabins.

·  Make props or puppets for the evening programs

Social Studies:

·  Locate the parks and WCEC on a map, or internet site, plan the route to be taken.

·  Research the history of Redwood National and State Parks,

·  Research the history of the nearby communities. Why did they settle in this area?

·  How have the natural resources affected development of the community?

Language Arts:

·  Prepare reports on a favorite national or state park.

·  Study vocabulary used in the WCEC journal (call for an updated list).

·  Read a book or search for an article on Redwood National and State Parks.

Social Skills

·  Discuss ways in which young people can share the cabin (tolerance, cooperation, respect, fairness, fun, and good citizenship).

·  Discuss the need for cooperation and enthusiasm in performing all duties at WCEC.

·  Discuss the concept of stewardship.

·  Discuss the importance of proper clothing, rest, diet, and hygiene at camp.

Science:

·  Find out where your drinking water comes from. Find out where it goes after the drain.

·  Learn some common birdcalls, animal sound and tracks.

·  Make a bulletin board of wildlife and plants found in the Redwood National and State Parks.

·  Research the function of fungi. Identify five common species.

·  Raise salmon in the classroom.

·  Study the effects of fire and fire prevention.

·  Discuss rare and endangered species. Research extinct animals.

·  Study the types of salmon on the California coast.