Week 6: Post-trip Report
LeighAnn Burney-Bauer
Third Grade Teacher
Garrison Elementary
Dover, NH
Our third graders study Weather and Climate in Dover, so when Janet Gnall found this opportunity to extend our exploration of weather to the top of Mount Washington, I was more than willing to try this adventure. Although I had been to the top of Mount Washington several times over the years (mostly through hiking), I had never gone up via Snow Cat!
Building up to this experience, my third graders had studied weather and climate in our city in comparison to places around the world. We also had a visit from Hayley Lapointe, a meteorologist from WMURTV to deepen our understanding of weather forecasting. As we began to research our states’ infamous mountain, the children began to understand how different it is on the top of the mountain. Only one student of mine had ever been to the top of the mountain, so I wanted them to get a picture in their mind of how extreme the weather could be. We checked daily weather, which included temperature, precipitation, wind speed and observations we found on the MWOBS website. Some of the summit videos we watched raised questions about why it was so cold at the top and revealed shocked faces at the wind speed that occurred regularly.
As we got ready for our trip, Janet and I realized it was going to be a beautiful day. You can’t plan for blue skies on the top of Washington, but it was happening. We both secretly wished that it had been a typical Mount Washington day with high winds and storms, but grateful for the view from the top. We were even more grateful for the time we had with the kind, knowledgeable staff that we met and worked with that day. Weather Observer Ian Bailey was our educational guide on the way up, answering our questions, and sharing stories of the mountain! All the observers were super helpful, and intern Chloe gave us a great tour, explaining the history of the weather instruments they use, and why Washington gets its crazy weather. We also went to the top of the observatory tower, which was a highlight of the trip. It was so great to see how many different instruments they used on the mountain to make sure their readings are accurate.
Another highlight of the trip was communicating with our students via video conference. Tom and Ian provided students with some enriching information that focused on the mountain’s weather that day, and some facts that really excited the students. Our students asked some questions and then, of course, they all focused on learning more about Marty, the cat!
All in all, a memorable trip to the top. I know that on the ride down, all I was thinking about was when and how I can get to the top again!
Third Grade Teacher
Garrison Elementary
Dover, NH
Our third graders study Weather and Climate in Dover, so when Janet Gnall found this opportunity to extend our exploration of weather to the top of Mount Washington, I was more than willing to try this adventure. Although I had been to the top of Mount Washington several times over the years (mostly through hiking), I had never gone up via Snow Cat!
Building up to this experience, my third graders had studied weather and climate in our city in comparison to places around the world. We also had a visit from Hayley Lapointe, a meteorologist from WMURTV to deepen our understanding of weather forecasting. As we began to research our states’ infamous mountain, the children began to understand how different it is on the top of the mountain. Only one student of mine had ever been to the top of the mountain, so I wanted them to get a picture in their mind of how extreme the weather could be. We checked daily weather, which included temperature, precipitation, wind speed and observations we found on the MWOBS website. Some of the summit videos we watched raised questions about why it was so cold at the top and revealed shocked faces at the wind speed that occurred regularly.
As we got ready for our trip, Janet and I realized it was going to be a beautiful day. You can’t plan for blue skies on the top of Washington, but it was happening. We both secretly wished that it had been a typical Mount Washington day with high winds and storms, but grateful for the view from the top. We were even more grateful for the time we had with the kind, knowledgeable staff that we met and worked with that day. Weather Observer Ian Bailey was our educational guide on the way up, answering our questions, and sharing stories of the mountain! All the observers were super helpful, and intern Chloe gave us a great tour, explaining the history of the weather instruments they use, and why Washington gets its crazy weather. We also went to the top of the observatory tower, which was a highlight of the trip. It was so great to see how many different instruments they used on the mountain to make sure their readings are accurate.
Another highlight of the trip was communicating with our students via video conference. Tom and Ian provided students with some enriching information that focused on the mountain’s weather that day, and some facts that really excited the students. Our students asked some questions and then, of course, they all focused on learning more about Marty, the cat!
All in all, a memorable trip to the top. I know that on the ride down, all I was thinking about was when and how I can get to the top again!
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