Yosemite Institute

Yosemite Institute

During the second week of my trip I visited Yosemite Institute in, you guessed it, Yosemite National Park. The Yosemite Institute has a couple of locations within the park. I visited them at their Crane Flat campus on Tioga Road. Yosemite Institute works in similar ways to the Environmental Volunteers in that they teach in a very hands-on, experiential manner. The trails of Yosemite are the classrooms for the students

Here's a view of Half Dome from Tioga Road. Like Half Dome, most of the rock in Yosemite is granite which is very strong.

My visit was made possible by Kim VanKuran who is a field instructor for Yosemite Institute. She also happens to be an old friend of mine and made my me feel very welcome. I actually spent a whole day on the trails with Kim and a group of sixth graders from the People to People Ambassador Program who were doing a week long program in Yosemite. What a fortunate group!

Yosemite Institute emphasizes three main concepts. The first concept is a sense of place- the cultivation of a connection with the natural world and how humans effect the environment. For example, during a snack break a discussion broke out as to whether it was O.K. to throw away apple cores in the forest since they will decompose. Kim had the kids debate both sides of the issue. It was finally decided that it was not O.K. because apple trees do not grow in Yosemite. Animals might start to rely on eating garbage from humans and forget how to forage for food on their own.

The other two concepts are interconnectedness and stewardship. All things (humans, plants, animals, earth, etc) all have an effect on one another and to keep things in balance we must learn how to take care of the natural world and our communities. Yosemite Institute does a wonderful job of giving kids a feel for nature in an awe inspiring setting.

<Here's Kim leading us on the trail.

They also do a lot of team building games which helps them learn how to work together to accomplish tasks. I saw the group of kids I was with figure out on their own how to get all 12 of them to stand on a 2' by 2' platform without touching the ground long enough to sing Row, Row, Row your Boat. I was amazed at how quickly they were able to do it! It's not easy.

Towards the end of our hike we visited a grove of giant sequoias. While we sat amongst the trees we were given the excercise of writing about five things we see, four things we hear, three things we touch/feel, two things we smell, and one thing we know. Some of the children eagerly shared their responses. Giant sequoias are the largest living things one earth in the past or present based upon their volume. To learn more about the giant sequoias see my page about them in the Education section. Click here to go to it!

Here is a word jumble with two sentences that the kids had to solve as a group: Seek and you shall find. Magic awaits the brave and adventurous.

Yosemite Institute runs programs for all ages, from elementary students through adults. You can get more info about Yosemite Institute at www.yni.org or call 209-379-9511.

Mike@Kahncious.Net

Environmental Volunteers
3921 E. Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 961-0545, (650) 961-0548 fax
www.EVols.org, info@EVols.org