Students from Merced City School District are learning to appreciate nature!

All 4^th graders recently had the opportunity to visit Yosemite National Park, courtesy of the nationwide Every Kid in Park initiative.

They gazed at Half Dome, learned how El Capitan was formed, how snowmelt feeds Yosemite Falls and to appreciate the culture of the Ahwahneechee tribe that once called Yosemite Valley home and still uses it for cultural ceremonies.

Many of the students encountered wildlife.

Some of them came within 30 feet of deer and watched patiently as the animals grazed, snapping pictures with their smart phones.

Guides took them on educational hikes to Lower Yosemite Falls for a lesson on hydrology and geology.

Now they know where the water comes from that is used by farmers on the Valley floor to irrigate the crops they eat.

The children also trekked through a meadow in Yosemite Valley, where they learned how the animals, plants, water and soil all coexist.

They also got a kick out of the way Ponderosa Pine tree bark smells like vanilla. 

UC Merced students studying to become park rangers, visited schools to give 4^th graders lessons on the importance of preservation and conservation of national parks, both before and after the field trips.

Every Kid in a Park provides a free pass to all 4^th graders in the country, so they can experience and learn to appreciate the natural beauty of the millions of acres of national parks, set aside for all to enjoy.

For more on Every Kid in a Park, click here.