On April 20th, 4th graders at Killip Elementary had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon. For some students, this was the first time that they were able to get a good look at Arizona’s famous hole in the ground! STEM lessons from the previous month finally came to fruition when they were able to observe first hand the many layers and iconic geology of the landscape. Our wonderful park rangers talked and guided us through D.U.D.E (Deposition, Uplift, Downcutting, Erosion) as we were taking a walk along the rim. I was so pleasantly surprised to hear students use vocabulary that we used throughout the year, using terms such as sedimentary or metamorphic, or describing various types of Earth processes and depositional environments. They participated in several activities that included modeling erosion in a forest ditch, identifying several rocks from each layer of the canyon, and discovering fossils from within each layer. As a graduate with a degree in geology myself, my heart was full of pride in what each student brought forward on the field trip. Witnessing students bring forward and apply knowledge that you were speaking about in the classroom is a moment that I will never forget- maybe not as unforgettable as their first looks at the canyon, but memorable nonetheless!