Teachers Field Trip Guide to Capitol Reef

This Field Trip Guide was gifted to NTTC volunteers from the National Park Service. Although a bit out of date, this guide has activities for K-6 that match up with core curriculum. Activities range in topics from flora, pioneer life, and geology to ecosystems, Native American cultures and conservation. These activities come with step-by-step instructions, some including worksheets. This is an excellent example resource that shows how to match core with experiential education. Selection of the following links will open the chapters of the field guide.

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th & 6th Grade

Thistle, Utah

What grabs a young student's attention more rapidly than tales of a Ghost Town?

In 1983 Thistle, Utah was eliminated by the most costly landslide in United States history. It is estimated that the disaster cost over $200 million dollars.

This is an incredibly interesting piece of Utah history. The Thistle Landslide is a great opportunity to show children the impacts that nature can have in a direct light. There are many photos available of the remains of Thistle, and it is treated in several documentaries, including the one below. Additionally, Thistle is fairly close to home for most Utah Valley students, so while it may not be worth a class trip, students could certainly visit the ghost town with their families. 

This video is just part of a documentary. This portion focuses on Thistle, Utah and the landslide of 1983. The original documentary is found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNkJoifqcLM