North Dakota Road Trip
Following final exams, the Little Shop of Physics (LSOP) Crew headed north for our last school visits of the 2014-15 Tour! We travelled to two different schools on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, which is home to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations, known as the Three Affiliated Tribes.
This was the first time Little Shop of Physics visited Fort Berthold, and the first time in North Dakota for some of our crew. The members of the tribe were very hospitable, and put the entire crew up at the Four Bears Casino in New Town for the duration of the trip. Additionally, we he had thought-provoking cultural experiences, including a guided tour of the traditional Earth Lodges which were common to all three of the Affiliate Tribes.
Over the course of week we visited 550 students at two different schools. Edwin Lowe Elementary School is located in New Town, ND. With it’s population of over 2,000, people New Town is the largest city on the Fort Berthold Reservation. White Shield School is a K-12 located in White Shield, ND. With it’s population of over 300 is considered the primary community of the Arikara Nation. The students and teachers at both schools were excited for the opportunity to work with our 100+ hands-on science experiments.
Thanks to a grant from the Halliburton foundation, each student also received a Science at Home Kit, so that they could continue to explore science after LSOP had departed. The kits contained experiments including a reusable hand warmer, Chromadepth 3D glasses with colored pencils and postcard, a UV sunburn bracelet, reaction time ruler, reaction thunder stick, color change pencil and inflatable air bag.
Check out our photos from Edwin Lowe Elementary and White Shield School.
