On Friday May 18th, Barret Miller came and helped us out with our interpretation skills. We went over and discussed the stations that we are going to be doing on Tuesday May 29th and Thursday May 31st. In the classroom he went through the stations with us and tweaked a few things on the program as well. When my group was going over our station, he suggested that we play a different game that would hopefully be easier to explain to the kids called Plankton, Perch, Pike and Planaria. He also suggested that we try to provide more examples and relate to the kids more often so they better understand he concept. Also to get them thinking about what things they already know about in the wild. Some things that Mr. Miller told the class altogether is not to worry about how the kids will act because if you speak clear, slow, and get to the point, they will pay attention and not get as bored. Once we had finished going over all of stations, us and Mr. Miller all walked down to the wetlands and took a little tour around.
Mr. Miller started off talking to us about how to bring the kids into your zone where everyone can hear what you are saying and also what way to stand. We are to stand with the sun in our eyes, the wind in our faces and to speak loud and clear if it is a windy day. We were also told on some good places to stand where for example if it were cold and windy, to find a hillside, building or trees to block the wind. Also, for the Adapt or Die station, which my group will be doing the second day, to get rid of the game and do a little tour of different spots around the wetland and not to go into too much depth when we are talking. Finding areas where you can see that activity has taken place such as where a beaver has chewed down some trees can be a good place to stop and let the kids explore how things are done in the wild while you are briefly explaining.
Once we got to my station and where it was going to be, he talked more about what he had said to us in the classroom and showed us how it is to be done. We also played the new game he showed us and showed us how to explain and play it smoothly. It was way easier to play than the other game we originally had. We learned that having a sound machine of some sort is an easier way to get the kids to listen rather than trying to talk over them. I learned that using popsicle sticks instead of colourful chips is better for the environment if some of them are lost in the grass, because they are degradable. The one thing that we will really have to make sure to always be aware of will be the birds that have made a nest in the watershed. We will have to make sure that the kids are leaving them alone and not becoming agitated.
After we were finished giving the tour around the wetland, we walked back to the school and Barret Miller asked us if there was anything that we liked that would better improve our interpretation skills and make our station a lot more fun, once he had spoke to us about them. He shared some stories to us about him as an interpreter and a few were pretty funny and he also said some things about different types of bugs and animals and what they do to get food. Overall, I was very glad to have had Barret Miller come and help all of us out with our interpreting skills and hope that everyone will be successful when the day comes.
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