Eco-Detectives Envisioned The Eco-Detectives program was born from the desire for a new, experiential learning opportunity for local youth between the ages of five and twelve. We aimed for a pro- gram that local youth would enjoy in the natural setting of the park, learn something new, and come back for more. With these goals in mind, three main learning objectives
were developed to incorporate various levels of learning: • Participants will identify characteristics of wildlife that can be found in the area.
• Participants will analyze those characteristics through multisensory, discovery-based experiences.
• Participants will compare elements of those characteris- tics to draw conclusions.
Structure of Event Series The series consists of three mysteries to be investigated each
on separate dates throughout the fall. Each session in the series begins with a story presenting the participant with the latest mystery to be solved in which they are tasked with helping Beth the Brown Bear (the lead investigator) reach a conclusion using facts and clues acquired throughout the activity. Upon arrival to the park, participants check in at Detec-
tive Headquarters and receive a guidebook that includes guidelines for the activity, the scenario, a list of characters to be investigated, a map of the station locations, a page for each station activity, and room for them to make a predic- tion. At each facilitated station, participants receive new information regarding the case and then complete an activity using this new information to eliminate one suspect. At each station, participants are required to record some information in their guidebook and get it stamped by the facilitator to authorize its completion. Once a participant completes all four stations, they
should return to Detective Headquarters, show the facilita- tor their stamps from each station, and report their answer. Having solved the mystery and arriving at the correct answer, they receive a button specific to the case to reward them for their accomplishment that they got to make them- selves using our button maker.
Facilitation Consistency in facilitation across all the stations and activi-
ties will allow participants to develop competency in the flow of the event as they participate in the series. Because of this, each station should follow the same structure for facilitation. Participants arrive at the station and read the displayed clue poster. They then complete the activity individually or in small groups depending on the number of participants at the station and, once the activity is com- pleted, the facilitator should lead a short interpretation of the activity and additional talking points. This last step is crucial to experiential learning as it allows for individuality in each learners’ experience. Finally, the facilitator stamps each participant’s guidebook once the activity and interpre- tive sessions are complete. We suggest designing the station activities so that they
do not need to be completed in sequential order. Depending on the number of participants at each event, either inform them to visit each station in any order, or assign a specific
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order. This will allow you to manage the location of partici- pants and prevent one station from being overwhelmed.
Description of Activities With three events in the series and four stations with each
mystery, a total of twelve station activities were developed for our program. A complete lesson plan was developed for each of these twelve stations and one lesson plan has been included in full for your reference. Additionally, the case overview of each event and the general guidelines of our favorite station activities are described below. Feel free to borrow and alter these activities to suit the needs of your participants.
The Case of the Sightseeing Adventure Beth the Brown Bear enjoyed a wonderful day observing
local marine life during a wildlife cruise. She was able to identify most of the animals that she observed, but could not identify one that she continued to see throughout the day. She needs your help to figure out what type of marine mam- mal she observed during her adventure.
Profiles Participants are provided with profile cards used to identify different marine mammals. They examine those cards and compare them to the different animals that Beth the Brown Bear saw during her adventure. Participants match the pro- file cards to a profile board which includes profiles of vari- ous sea mammals that were spotted at the sightseeing loca- tion that day. They will identify the character whose profile card does not match one of those found on the board and eliminate that character from the list of those Beth poten- tially sighted.
The Case of the Lost Egg Beth the Brown Bear was enjoying a walk along the beauti-
ful Totem Trail in Sitka National Historical Park (replace with the name of a trail in your own park) and stumbled upon a lonely egg lying on the ground near the trail. With no one around to ask about the egg, Beth the Brown Bear has decided to investigate the situation herself to ensure the egg is returned to the right mother bird.
Birdcalls Participants will listen to a recording of a birdcall for each of the five birds being investigated. They will compare these birdcalls to a recording from the scene of the found egg that incorporates four of the suspects from the activity. Partici- pants will be able to eliminate one of the birds once they determine which call is missing.
The Case of the Stolen Lunch Beth the Brown Bear just interviewed Victor the Vole, who
has come into Detective Headquarters to report a crime; his lunch has been stolen. In the fall, voles often gather and store food and it seems as though someone has broken into Victor’s stash and eaten a part of his lunch. A crime has been committed and Beth the Brown Bear needs your help to catch the culprit.
GREEN TEACHER 113
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