Off the Beaten Path: Students Have Science Lessons on ND Ranch
|  Video
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| Cliff Naylor |
| 5/14/2010 |
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| One of the best ways for students to study nature, agriculture and wildlife is to take a field trip to a farm. Some Minot Ryan eighth-graders had this learning experience when they traveled "Off the Beaten Path" to the Effertz Black Butte Acres Ranch near Sawyer. Busing kids to the open prairie provides a great classroom for students studying earth science. A 540 acre working cattle ranch offered them a hands on education in North Dakota`s natural resources. Students hiked a couple of miles over hills and through native prairie to learn about things they would never find in a textbook. "You get the geology out here, the history, you get math, you get your physical exercise, you get the view, look at the view, said Minot Ryan science teacher JoAnn Schapp. Schapp said her students also used their noses to explore nature. "There is what a wild onion looks like. If you get down there and smell it, it smells like an onion," said Maria Effertz Hanson, Effertz Black Butte Acres Ranch. After these students got a whiff of wild onions, they crossed a creek, side stepped cactus and stumbled across something that really caught their attention. "I`ve never seen duck eggs, I saw those today, that was pretty fascinating," said eighth-grader Sydney Landsiedel. Landsiedel and her classmates also saw rabbits, wildflowers and learned about an unusual river that flows through the Effertz Black Butte Acres farm and ranch. "The interesting part about the Souris River is it is the only river in North America that runs north and south," said Jerry Effertz, Effertz Black Butte Acres Ranch. Student interest was piqued during the entire excursion no matter what direction the students hiked. "They found the eggs, they found cactus, they were looking and that`s what you want them to be doing, is looking and seeing," said Schapp. The opportunity to see, smell and touch the wonders of nature earned this field trip a grade of A+. The Effertz Black Butte Ranch offers group and school tours throughout the year, and also features an eight mile mountain bike and horse trail. For more information log onto blackbutteadventures.com |
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