Crossing America visited Mammoth Cave National Park on Monday, November 18th at 1 pm ET. We had a very special LiveStream at the iconic Sloan Pond with Ranger Jennifer and Friends! 🎥✨You can watch it below.
We dove deep into the fascinating history of Sloan Pond, exploring how this unique water feature came to be, its importance to the park, and why it continues to play a vital role in Mammoth Cave's ecosystem. Together, we took a virtual journey into the pond’s ecosystem, discovering the amazing creatures that call it home and what the future holds for this iconic place.
📚 We also introduced an exciting Engineering Design Challenge: Could you create a pond ecosystem that helps restore wildlife and balance the environment? Ponds like Sloan are sometimes manmade to bring back ecosystems that were lost. The challenge was to design a pond that supports local species, improves water quality, and becomes a thriving habitat. Students thought about how we can engineer nature back to life!
Thank you to everyone who joined this amazing virtual adventure into one of Mammoth Cave’s hidden treasures! 🐾💧
We dove deep into the fascinating history of Sloan Pond, exploring how this unique water feature came to be, its importance to the park, and why it continues to play a vital role in Mammoth Cave's ecosystem. Together, we took a virtual journey into the pond’s ecosystem, discovering the amazing creatures that call it home and what the future holds for this iconic place.
📚 We also introduced an exciting Engineering Design Challenge: Could you create a pond ecosystem that helps restore wildlife and balance the environment? Ponds like Sloan are sometimes manmade to bring back ecosystems that were lost. The challenge was to design a pond that supports local species, improves water quality, and becomes a thriving habitat. Students thought about how we can engineer nature back to life!
Thank you to everyone who joined this amazing virtual adventure into one of Mammoth Cave’s hidden treasures! 🐾💧
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Click on the Marvin & Huck graphic below to learn about Sloan's Pond through their eyes.
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CLICK BELOW FOR THE ENGINEERING
DESIGN CHALLENGE! 
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Pond Proportion: Scale and Area
Objective: Help students understand how the size and shape of ponds affect the ecosystems they support.
Activity:
Objective: Help students understand how the size and shape of ponds affect the ecosystems they support.
Activity:
- Show students images of Sloan Pond and discuss its size and depth.
- Provide students with measurements of the pond and challenge them to calculate its surface area and volume.
- Have students measure a nearby object (like a classroom aquarium) and calculate how many times it would take to fill Sloan Pond.
- Have students create a scaled drawing of Sloan Pond on graph paper, paying attention to proportions of area and depth.
Ecosystem Balance: Biodiversity and Sustainability
Objective: Help students understand the concept of biodiversity and how restoring ecosystems like ponds creates balance.
Activity:
Objective: Help students understand the concept of biodiversity and how restoring ecosystems like ponds creates balance.
Activity:
- Discuss the types of plants, animals, and organisms that thrive in healthy ponds like Sloan Pond.
- Have students create a food web that demonstrates the relationships between species in a pond ecosystem.
- Ask students to analyze what happens if a key species is removed or an invasive species is introduced, and propose solutions to restore balance.
Historic Habitats: Past, Present, and Future
Objective: Connect students with the history of Sloan Pond and the importance of maintaining it for future generations.
Activity:
Objective: Connect students with the history of Sloan Pond and the importance of maintaining it for future generations.
Activity:
- Provide students with a timeline of Sloan Pond, from its creation to present-day conservation efforts.
- Ask students to research the history of other restored ecosystems and present the key milestones in the restoration process.
- Have students create a project proposal for the future of Sloan Pond, imagining what it will look like in 50 years and what steps are needed to preserve it.
Water Works: Hydrology and Ponds
Objective: Teach students about the role of water in pond ecosystems and how changes in water quality affect life.
Activity:
Objective: Teach students about the role of water in pond ecosystems and how changes in water quality affect life.
Activity:
- Show students data on water quality from Sloan Pond (e.g., pH, dissolved oxygen levels, temperature).
- Have students simulate water quality testing in a classroom experiment, testing samples for different properties.
- Ask students to compare their results with healthy pond conditions and suggest ways to improve water quality, such as through restoration efforts or habitat management.
