Kicking off our expedition at Cheese Ranch

On Wednesday we had a chance to stir up some curiosity about the world around us and the plants right in our own neighborhood. Through our kick-off at Cheese Ranch we began to ask some questions about invasive species, particularly plants. Some of the questions the students developed were:

"What makes something invasive?"
"Do we have invasive species in Cheese Ranch?"
"What happens when they take over an ecosystem?"
"Where did they come from and how did they get here?"

The event started with the students walking to the nearby park. As they walked some talked and laughed with friends while other sang nursery rhymes. It was so fun to hear the joy.

Through the use of pictures, studying the plants at the park, and reading an article, the students developed their curiosity around invasive species.

Towards the end of the visit the students took pictures of plants that they were wondering about. These pictures will be used later with our experts to help identify invasive species in our own neighborhood.

We enjoyed our time tremendously and the students are starting to dig into how ecosystems work in class. They have shown a lot of motivation and excitement. This will be a fascinating expedition!