Summer 2008 RPLL at LPL

We've completed 2 Rolling Prairie Learning Labs at the Lawrence Public Library. The Labs were designed to augment the children's summer reading program insect theme.

A total of 125 people took part in the labs. The majority of these people were either on route to the library or pool, or were waiting at the bus stop. I'd guess about half of the attendees intentionally timed their trip so they'd be able to take part in the Lab.

The Learning Labs were facilitated by Alison Reber, Angie Babbit, Joyce Steiner, Rex Powell, and Stephanie Barrows. These outside events ran from 11 to 2. Between set-up and take-down, these folks worked on behalf of GHF in the Kansas summer heat for a straight 4 hours or so. Together they provided a combined total of 24 educational contact hours.

Also, shout out to Sue Holcomb for providing cut plants from her garden as well as a wonderfully diverse bag of supplies for the "insect mechanics" activity. Thank you to Mackenzie and Tabitha Reber for helping collect plants and insects. A special thank you to Rex for his brillant placement of giant butterflies and GHF's "Rolling Prairie".

The Learning Labs are strongly adapt for young people. GHF has scheduled several adult class offerings through the Lawrence Public Library this fall. (see below posts)

Fine Tuning for 7/19

Lawrence Public Library 9:30 - 2:30, stagger lunch
Confirmed - Rex, Angie, Alison

Activities:
Insects - Angie's bringing the insect display materials from KU; NEED LIVE SPECIMENS

Forbs - Alison will bring odds and ends, for sure black-eyed susans, queen anne's lace, bergamont, compass plant, & misc blooms as I come across them

Grasses - Alison will bring odds and ends - timothy, big & little blue stem, brome, kentucky grass, maybe oats, maybe love grass, spartina, & whatever else ends up in the bucket

Insect Mechanics (art) - Sue's bringing some things, I've got some odds & ends, the library's got some stuff as well; NEED SCOTCH TAPE

Dragonfly Story Tree - this was the weakest section last time mostly because we never had enough people to make up an audience.... however, I think I want to keep it in the mix because kids seemed to enjoy having a chance to look at books while sitting on a quilt under a shade tree.

Insect Vision - we need a better way to rope off the area & a better way to demark the pollen trays

June 28 Pictures

Angie's flickr pictures from the 6/28 RPLL

RE: Little Green Festival, Lawrence KS, August 2

Kim,

The Grassland Heritage Foundation, the Kansas StreamLink Program, and the Wakarusa Wetland Learners Project would like to work together to provide a “Rolling Prairie Learning Lab” during the Little Green Festival on August 2. I had the event penciled in on my calendar. J

Right now I’m serving as event coordinator for GHF – purveyors of the Rolling Prairie Learning Lab. I also head up the Kansas StreamLink Program and the Wakarusa Wetland Learners Project. StreamLink is a statewide watershed education program. Wetland Learners is primarily known for upper elementary field trips to local wetland areas. Currently these projects are all housed at the Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance office at 412 East 9^th Street. Each parties will have promotional materials available.

The Learning Labs include several activities that should appeal to a range of ages. I’m hoping you can help us out with our table needs.

The activities are likely to be something like this:

1. Plants - A table of fresh plants for people to id, draw, look at with magnifying glasses, etc… I actually divide the plants into grasses & forbs so we need 2 tables side-by-side.

2. Insect Mechanics - An artsy table with odds & ends for kids to create their own insects (this fits in with the library’s summer reading program) I’ve also got paper dragonflies for kids to turn into puppets and paper “pollinator” masks for kids to decorate. (2 picnic tables ideally)

3. Dragonfly Story Tree – I actually don’t have a tree but I do have a large dragonfly puppet that sometimes likes to tell stories from a blanket under a tree.

4. Mammals – touch & feel fur, bones, and maybe even some models of scat…. (need a table)

5. Pollinators - a veritable obstacle course for kids to try out insect vision (need a small table and an area we can rope off – maybe 10’x10’??)

6. Soil Tunnel – a shade tarp with a table of soil samples for kids to match up (need a table)

7. Wakarusa River Valley – Gravity & Clinton Lake (need a table)

These are just my chicken scratches; some of what actually falls into place will depend on the help I recruit.

Please give me a call when you get a chance – 218-5106. Just to say “hi” & so I can sort out a couple of questions I have about setting up.

Many thanks!! -Alison Reber

Grassland Heritage Foundation

Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance, Kansas StreamLink, Wakarusa Wetland Learners

---

Final Details for 6/28

Just some quick jots:

> The library seems to have all of the tables & such sorted out.

> Prairie Park Nature Center, as a standard policy, does not share or lend its equipment or materials. (That makes it even more important to recognize the assistance the Museum of Natural of History has provided.) Angie is making a trip to The Toy Store to purchase some of the cheapy insect eye prisms.

> The dragonfly puppet is at the KVHA office. If people have odds and ends to add to the mechanics box it'd be great. I've got sticks and t-shirt ribbon. I've got a collection of toy box curio for heads, thorax, wings, etc... We've also got some line-drawing dragonflies (almost life size) photocopied on bright mixed colored paper & markers/crayons/colored pencils & scissors pulled together.

> I've got a bucket of plants - nothing spectacular but enough to make it interesting. I tried to key them out. Below is a list my daughter made as I was telling her what was there -- I thought people might get a kick out of her phonetics, etc...

Goldenrod, Yellow Sweet Clover, Dasy fleebain, Spiter milkweed, Bbalm, Black eyed susens, Red Clover, Cartrig pee, Bindweed, White sweet clover, Depford pink, Sunflower, Parrie parsnip, Rye grass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Big Bluestem, Smooth Brome, Johnson Grass, Timothy, Pendant Bulrush, Flat-stem Sike rush

> Between Angie & I we've got enough insects to make it interesting.

> I'm not going to worry about the land planning activity until I have a chance to do more brainstorming with Andrea.

______________

Confirmed for tomorrow: Alison, Stephanie, Angie

Jeff isn't able to be there tomorrow.

I'm hoping a few people will be able to stop by between 10 & 11 to help us set up.

More Details on 6/28 & 7/30

On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Alison Reber wrote to Joyce Steiner, Lawrence Public Library: Hi Joyce! I'm helping out with Grassland Heritage Foundation's Rolling Prairie Learning Labs this summer. These are topics we anticipate having activities for the June 28th & July 30th:

1 - insect vision; We plan on having some insect eye glasses and be able to talk with people about how insect vision differs from human vision. We'll have something resembling an obstacle course. I'm not sure how elaborate it'll be yet but the goal will be to be moving pollen from one area to another. We need a space we can rope off for kids to wander around with the glasses. We don't need a table for this; just a designated space. (The library will handle this.)

• Stephanie Barrows is tracking down the glasses.
• We need some of those footies they wear at hospitals, white flour (to represent pollen), and some kind of treat (to represent nectar).
• We need a couple buckets of plants with flowers - grass is fine.
• We'll need to brainstorm the obstacle course.

2 - dragonfly morphology; We have a large dragonfly puppet (4 feet) made out of found objects. There'll be an opportunity for people to construct their own dragonfly puppets with found objects - this won't be a craft project. The point will be to think about how dragonflies are put together and to do some creative problem solving. Any odds and end craft supplies you've got would be greatly appreciated - no glue. Any extra kid scissors you can add to the mix would be fantastic! We'll need 2 tables for this - ideally picnic tables but tables & chairs will work too. (The library will handle this.) Anyone with mechanical talents interested in helping out with this activity? I have visions of tinker toys crossed with a recycling bin.

3 - prairie sounds & storytelling; The kids will be making sounds with their hands & such to round out a story about a prairie adventure. I'd like to stage this under a tree and somehow incorporate the puppets they've made. We don't need a table for this; just a designated space in the shade. I'm thinking we can adapt "Going on a Bear Hunt" to include whatever facets of prairie life we feel are more important. I would love help compiling ideas about cool things to include.

4 - prairie plants; This will be a touch & feel activity for kids to look at and handle prairie plants from a pollinator perspective. There will be live specimens to dissect, look at under magnifying glasses, draw, do plant; rubbings, etc.... Two tables would be ideal for this activity - one for specimens and one for activities. (The library will handle this.) This is pretty straight forward. Any related materials - plants, etc... would be greatly appreciated --- as would volunteers for this activity station.

5 - insect exhibit; We'll have an assortment of live insects for kids to observe & perhaps draw, etc... One table should be sufficient. (The library will handle this.) The activity table will share with the prairie plant table (so they should be close together). This activity should be shaded so we don't bake the bugs. :) I caught a couple of dragonflies this morning - never done THAT before!! We'll probably have to let them go before next week but it would be helpful if folks can start stashing insects that can be kept for a week in jelly jars (be safe, etc...)

6 - bug habitats; This is a land planning activity for people to move around "habitats" and figure out where different kinds of insects might be able to survive. I'm envisioning this being like a magnet board but it might end up being slightly different --- we'll see. ANDREA -- Do you still have those pictures (both the prairie & urban planning) you mentioned last night? I have magnet "paper" we could print them on. If we can track down a couple of magnetic white boards we'll be set! I have several different art easels we can use to prop the boards on and either line them up so its like on long landscape or have individual work stations.

This is really much more detail than I typically have sorted out going into an event so you'll need to give us a bit of creative latitude for the day of.... If I've misunderstood what I'm supposed to be doing or what the libraries role will be I hope people will speak up. I'm looking forward to seeing this fall into place.

Many thanks! -Alison Reber

6 Rolling Prairie Learning Labs

Right now I don't have information about Schultz grant RPLLs that have already happened.

When does the Schultz grant have to be closed?

Additional Lab Event Ideas:

> Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Musuem (?) has an ice cream social in July; they've also got an event happening there later in June but I don't think there'll be many kids plus we want a prelude promo

> Lied Center Community Event in August 22nd Family Arts Festival

> Mormon Battalion Trek (re-enactment) in August

> Douglas County Free Fair in August

> Quantril's Raid anniversary in August

> River City Reading Festival at Lawrence Art Center in September

> Pendleton's have events in the late summer, also in October there's the Douglas County Farm Tour

I focused on Douglas County. Are any of these more/less desirable??