81 | Expedition Yellowstone: Science Education in the People’s Classroom | with Beth Taylor

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most iconic spaces in the United States, if not the world, due to its unique geography and, increasingly, the sheer size of undeveloped land. Yellowstone also happens to be one of the most incredible classrooms in the world, and today we’re going to learn a little bit more about that.

Our guest is Beth Taylor, the Youth Education Program Manager at Yellowstone National Park. One of the park’s hallmark programs is Expedition Yellowstone, a residential curriculum-based education program for 4th-8th grade classes. Teachers bring their class for a week or weekend of exploration and learning, and kids are exposed to science education in a way that is immediately tangible and relatable. But even if you live thousands of miles away from Yellowstone, Beth still has some great advice for how you can bring science into your classroom or home.

We unbox:

• The greatest classroom in our country
• Bringing your classroom outside
• Learning about your role in nature
• If you can’t go to Yellowstone, you can still (virtually) bring a Park Ranger into your classroom
• What it’s like when you’re participating in Expedition Yellowstone
• Why NASA has done research at Yellowstone
• The most exciting part of science: we don’t know it all!
• Learning the skills of science vs. the facts of science
• Beth’s advice for bringing science into you classroom and making it tangible for students

Resources:

• Distance learning opportunities and activities
• Learn more about Yellowstone National Park