​Day 3 | Sitka STEAM in the PARK

Day 3 started with Heart of a Tree with Ambassador Jenny, and it was such a good way to begin the morning. Thinking about trees, connections, and the stories that live in a place fit perfectly with so much of what we have been talking about this week.

Then we pulled out the LEGOs for our CCC Connections activity. We talked about the Civilian Conservation Corps, the work these young men did across the country, and all the ways LEGO can be used to bring content to life in a classroom. And then the conversation suddenly became personal. We found out that Robyn’s grandfather was in the CCC, and Fred shared that his father was, too. I love when history stops being something in a book and becomes part of the people sitting right there in the room with you.

The Adaptations Auction was next, and the new animals that came out of this group were ridiculously cool. There was a lot of laughter, some serious negotiating, and plenty of defending exactly why an animal absolutely needed a particular adaptation to survive. From there, we moved into Sitka Rescue, where teams had to work through challenges connected to this place and then bring their ideas to life through skits. I’m pretty sure some of these performances will be talked about long after we leave Alaska.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Sheldon Jackson Museum. The museum houses an incredible collection of Alaska Native cultural materials representing Indigenous peoples from across Alaska, including clothing, tools, baskets, carvings, ceremonial objects, and pieces that tell stories about daily life, tradition, artistry, and survival. It is also a place that brings up important conversations about how these objects were collected, whose stories are being told, and how museums care for and interpret cultural belongings today.

We especially loved listening to Curator Jackie. She made the collection feel alive. We could have listened to her for hours as she shared the stories behind the objects, the people who made and used them, and the deeper history connected to what we were seeing. There were so many moments when you could look around and see everyone completely focused on what she was saying.

Tonight it was all about the National Parks Adventure film, which felt like the perfect way to bring us back to the bigger picture of why these places matter and why we keep finding ways to connect educators and students to them.

And somewhere between all of that were bear sightings, otter sightings, people stopping to look out toward the water, and lots and lots of conversations. Those in-between pieces have become such a big part of this week. Someone notices something. Someone tells a story. Someone makes a connection to their classroom or their family or something they experienced years ago.

Day 3 in Sitka was full. Full of history, creativity, animals both real and make believe, stories, laughter, learning, and people getting to know one another a little better.

And we still have more Sitka ahead of us.