Naturalist, Gwen Swanson, Demonstrates “Panning” to Students — Image by kenne
The Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) training includes many topics important to Sabino Canyon and the Santa Catalina Mountains in southern Arizona. One of the topics is the study of Earth’s history. Over time, the region has undergone geological changes that have made the canyon what it is today.
Yesterday, I observed fifth-graders participating in the SCVN activity, “Strike It Rich,” conducted by naturalist, Gwen Swanson. The creekside activity allows children to learn about difference between rocks and minerals by panning for garnets and magnetite in the sand, and the importance of water in forming the canyon.
One of the things unique about Sabino Canyon are its banded cliffs. Students learn that these beautiful formations are composed of a hard metamorphic rock called “gneiss,” which formed 1.5 billion years ago. In the Strike It Rich kit, students see example of minerals and gneiss. After the panning activity, the naturalist leads the students on a nature walk where they see the geology of the canyon, pointing out examples of gneiss.
kenne
Gwen Swanson Using a Magnet to Show That Magnetite in the Sand Along Sabino creek — Image by kenne
Gneiss Boulders Along Sabino Creek — Image taken in mid-September by kenne
Gwen Swanson Leading A Nature Walk Through The Riparian Area of Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
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Reblogged this on Becoming is Superior to Being and commented:
In the fall of 2011, I was in training to become a Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN). One of the requirements was to observe each of the five Elementary Programs being taught to children. One of those programs focuses on geology, “Strick It Rich.” Next Monday I will be demonstrating this program to the 2017 class of new trainees. — kenne