By Kearsten Hymer —
COARSEGOLD — On Thursday, April 25 ,Coarsegold Elementary welcomed Golden Gulch Adventures. Students from Mrs. Hymer’s, Mr. Jones’ and Mr. Medley’s classes were able to go back in time to the Gold Rush Era. The day started with an entertaining and interactive presentation. Students got to help act out the moment gold was first discovered in California, the various struggles the miners faced, and the science behind how to know if it’s real gold or fool’s gold.
After that, 4th and 5th grade students explored different historical and science stations. These stations included panning for gold and gemstones — and getting to keep some! — building electromagnets, making candles, learning about sound waves, exploring fossils, and learning about erosion. At each of these stations, students learned how these things related to and impacted the Gold Rush Era.
It was so exciting to see their history books come alive as students progressed from activity to activity throughout the day. Students were expanding on what was learned in class, and learning brand new things, too.
One student said his favorite part of the day was, “…mining for gems and gold. It was cool — I got to actually mine like they did back then, and really exciting that I got to keep my gold!”
Another student shared, “Making candles was a lot more work than I thought it would be. We had to work together to dip the candle into the wax and water over and over again.”
For the teachers, the best part was that all their students were fully engaged, participating and having fun!
Thank you Gold Gulch Adventures for the unforgettable afternoon.
Kearsten Hymer teaches grades 4/5 at Coarsegold Elementary, part of the Yosemite Unified School District
