Five Senses

On January 11th, I was able to join the PCS freshmen cohort to visit the Tonto National Monument as part of their project based learning activities. I enjoyed being out of the office and with the students at the Monument. I really liked the hike, and the sun shining on my face! I enjoyed seeing the students get interested in everything from the Salado's "gum" to finding old corn cobs on the cliff dwelling floor. I enjoyed my conversations with Deb and Kim on the way to and from the monument. We were all so excited about the possibilities that we could bring to this project that it was hard to get a word in edgewise. We were talking about the ability to bring in new class ideas like a cooking class that focuses on using the food from the land like the Salado did. We also discussed different ways to help the students and make connections to their own areas of interest. I enjoyed the input the students had with the Rangers that helped to connect to the student's own knowledge of the land from their own personal experiences. It was a really good day! I can’t think of anything that I didn’t enjoy.


This experience really appealed to my the five senses. I love to see the lake as we hiked up the trail to the Upper Cliff Dwelling. I'm always in awe of how beautiful our area of the state is and appreciated not only the opportunity to be outside and hiking to the Upper Cliff Dwellings but the beautiful view that accompanied it. As we hiked I heard the conversations of the kids, the wind, the trickle of water, and the scatter of little birds or animals in the brush. I tried real hard not to touch anything in the cliff dwellings which was difficult. :) I was able to touch the artifacts that Ranger Jen handed to us. It was cool to hold the squash end, the corn cob, and the Salado gun in my hand. To think that was in someone else's hand 700 years ago. It's kind of cool! Nothing distinct stood out for me when it comes to my sense of smell. It smells like nature, which is good enough for me! And thankfully, I didn't taste anything, no gum, no corn cobs, nothing. And that's just fine with me.

I'm excited to go back to the Monument. When we go back, I would like to learn if the Salado had a political system and if so how it worked. I would also like to learn how their tool trade system work. It would be interesting to know what they used for currency too. I am really looking forward to our continued work with the rangers of Tonto National Monument.