Home Education at Caprock Canyon State Park

One of the things that the children loved about Caprock Canyon was the Discovery Center.  The Discovery Center is where children and adults can go to learn and to observe the wildlife, plants, and people who have called Caprock their home.

One day at the Discovery Center, we learned about the Native Americans that once occupied the Caprock region.  The children learned how the Native Americans used Bison for food, utensils, and weapons. They learned about the Native Americans way of writing and telling stories, and their way of life in the canyon.

At the end of our lesson, the children drew a picture using Native American symbols on a piece of paper shaped like a Bison hide. Then they shared their story with the rest of us.

The children are holding up tools made from the bones of a Bison. We learned what each tool was used for and the item it would compare with today.

Another day at the Discovery Center, we learned about the mammals that call Caprock Canyon home. Sierra was able to get in an hour of a Biology Lab during our stay. She learned about the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat...

...then had to label it's skeleton.

Yes, this is Mule Deer Scat (poop). We learned to identify different scat from animals found in the park. I know they learned this lesson because while hiking the next day, Joshua and Melissa found scat from Mule Deer, and a Coyote.

We also learned to identify mammals by their skulls. Sierra learned the different parts of the skull as part of her lab.

As Sierra worked on her lab work, the other children learned how to make rubbings of animals. The park had plastic raised pictures of the animals, that we learned about, and instructions on how to make the rubbings. They also had games that reinforced what we learned, as well as, books for us to read.

Thanks Ranger Karen for all your hard work at the Discovery Center. We discovered that school at Caprock Canyon State Park was educational and fun.