Spring is the best time to get students out and into the woods. Wildflowers are starting to bloom, the air is cool, and the air quality is usually in a good place. On May 5th, we had the opportunity to bring 35 K-4th graders out into Little Cottonwood Canyon from YMCA Redwood Elementary. We spent the afternoon exploring the Temple Quarry Trail. This paved walkway runs along Little Cottonwood Creek and is a place-based learning wonderland. From a rushing creek, to American dippers flying underfoot, to a tunnel of oak trees, this area is meant for younger students.
This hike provided the perfect opportunity to paint the picture for the students of how exactly a watershed works. In this area, you are able to see the snow covered mountains that will soon melt, run down the canyon, and then be treated so we can all drink it. This is a concept that quite literally blew their minds. We made sure to sit down and really process our surroundings.
We discussed what we heard, what we felt, what we saw, and how a place like this makes you feel. Hearing from such young students was invaluable. They mentioned feeling excited, comforted, calm, and “like they could do anything”. Cultivating this sense of awareness and empowerment is exactly why we run our Save Our Canyons Kids program. Allowing students of any age and any background a front row seat to enjoying the wild spaces of the Wasatch mountains.
