Nat Geo Wild<\/a> offers three-hour livestreams twice daily to give viewers, like these TOES fourth-graders, a front row seat on a safari.\u00a0Some schools are scheduling times to ask guides questions while watching, enhancing the educational experience.<\/p>\n\u201cAs a global passport school, we are constantly looking for ways to link our curriculum to our global community, and Safari Live is one way to accomplish this,\u201d said Kathryn Shuffler, TOES gifted resource teacher.<\/p>\n
Hendry continued greeting his TOES safari companions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re coming to you from the northeast corner of South Africa. We\u2019re all the way across the Atlantic, and then all the way across another continent many, many thousands of miles and whole hemisphere away from you broadcasting live,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease ask as many questions as you like about the animals we\u2019re going to see. I hope we\u2019re going to see lots of different kinds of animals. But first of all, let\u2019s have a look at these lionesses,\u201d said Hendry as the camera view returned to the sleepy animals.<\/p>\n
No prodding necessary for the fourth-graders to ask questions. Students began sharing questions with adults circulating the classroom at the first sight of lionesses. Wuesthoff typed their questions in a live Skype session viewed by Hendry and a second safari guide, Sam Chevallier, in a different part of the park.<\/p>\n
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Students soon learned that even though they were thousands of miles away, they were driving the day\u2019s lesson with their questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cBen, a very clever question from you straight away,\u201d said Hendry, prompting a big grin from Ben and envious glances from peers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou say, \u2018What is the most common animal to find on a safari?\u2019 Ben, it very much depends where you have your safari,\u201d answered Hendry. \u201cIn South Africa, where we are, the most common animal to see on your safari is an impala, which looks a bit like a deer but it isn\u2019t a deer – it\u2019s an antelope. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re going to see one on your little safari this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was afternoon for Hendry in South Africa \u2014 4:15 p.m. under sunny skies. For TOES fourth-graders, it was 10:15 a.m. on a rainy day in Virginia Beach.<\/p>\n
Hendry continued, \u201cImpala are often eaten by lions, leopards, wild cheetahs and even jackals catch impala every so often. That\u2019s a nice question, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd just to give you an idea of where we are here,\u201d added Hendry. \u201cWe are sitting in the Kruger National Park. Of course, it is very famous around the world. If I were to compare it to something in the United States, I suppose it would be compared with Yellowstone National Park. Although the Kruger, where we are sitting now, is three times the size of the Yellowstone National Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitting in rapt silence, students watched the live broadcast while Hendry, primarily speaking off camera, masterfully wove students\u2019 questions and his answers into his narration of the safari, always identifying students by name.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd Destiny, I\u2019ve spoken about that lioness who has gone off to give birth, and you want to know how many cubs she\u2019ll have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan, you\u2019re interested in who hunts \u2013 the males or the females.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, Rylie, you want to know how long lions live for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBen, you ask a very good question, \u2018Why do lions flip over to their backs?\u2019 Ben, do you move when you sleep? I bet many people do. I move when I sleep,\u201d said Hendry before offering two reasons and relating it to how humans sleep for students\u2019 better understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, Kaitlin, you\u2019re wondering, \u2018How long does a lion sleep for a day?\u2019 Kaitlin, you won\u2019t believe me if I tell you, a lion sleeps for up to 20 hours of the day,\u201d answered Hendry, eliciting a group \u201cwow\u201d\u00a0from his viewers in Virginia Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember there are 24 hours in a day, so for only four of those hours the lion is awake,\u201d Hendry said. \u201cThe rest of the time they are fast asleep \u2014 doing nothing at all. If they\u2019ve got a big kill, let\u2019s pretend they killed a big giraffe around here, they would be asleep for more than 20 hours. They only wake up to have something to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
More questions and detailed answers continue before Hendry tells the fourth-grade audience he is going to search for other animals to show them. Fellow safari guide Chevallier takes over the live broadcast in another area of the park, where he is near buffalo in a watering hole.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGood afternoon Mrs. Gowen, Mr. Connery and Three Oaks Elementary! It is fantastic to have you out here in the bush this afternoon,\u201d welcomed Chevallier. \u201cHopefully we\u2019re going to be able to bring you into the experience of this place to show you some of the birds, flowers, animals and potentially talk a bit more about communities and populations of animals and how ecosystems work.\u201d<\/p>\n
New scenery and new animals means more questions from the students which Chevallier answers with the same personal touch and expertise of Hendry. Water, weather, buffalo and plants are all covered.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrace would like to know what trees grow in this area,\u201d began Chevallier. \u201cThe trees coming into focus here are two different trees. We\u2019ve got a bush willow, that\u2019s on the left, the bigger one there. That\u2019s a delicious meal for an elephant. On the right of that, look at all those thorns on that tree. It\u2019s an Acacia<\/em> tree and that is a tree that is loved by some of the elephants out here. Look at the size of those thorns. You don\u2019t want to get one of those in your foot because it is exceptionally sore. I\u2019ve had one of those.\u201d<\/p>\nChevallier\u2019s cameraman zooms in to show thorns and branches of a tree that have been snapped off by elephants.<\/p>\n
Elephants become the focus of the safari when, 10 minutes later, Chevallier receives word that Hendry has spotted several herds. \u201cLet\u2019s go see how he is doing,\u201d Chevallier told students.<\/p>\n
![\"elephants\"](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/elephants-1024x683.jpg\")
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\u201cAwwww,\u201d cooed fourth-graders collectively at the sight of the first elephant.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there, everybody, is the true king of the jungle, the bush, the wild. The great African elephant,\u201d remarked Hendry. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole herd of them having a drink at the dam there. There are some next to us eating. It\u2019s probably three or four different herds together.”<\/p>\n
While observing the herd, including a student-favorite baby elephant, the feed stops in the middle of a response to a question about elephants\u2019 growth and size.<\/p>\n
The students\u2019 adoring \u201cawwww\u201d earlier turns into an audible \u201cawwww\u201d of frustration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s OK,\u201d reassured Shuffler. \u201cWe told you there might be a little glitch. It\u2019s all right. You can be thinking of questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The live feed resumes quickly with a switch to Chevallier who is driving.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re going to see if we can find ourselves some antelope,\u201d said Chevallier before explaining the technical difficulty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason you are with me and not James anymore is because sometimes we lose signal because we\u2019re live. And we\u2019re out here in the bush and sometimes we have a problem with our technology,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why you cut to me after the elephants. There are two teams out here working to see if we can find you animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
The student audience is forgiving. After all, they know \u201ctechnical difficulties\u201d happen to them daily \u2013 and they aren\u2019t in the middle of a game reserve.<\/p>\n
Chevallier notes different animal tracks he sees, including those of zebras,\u00a0and plans to follow when he transitions the safari back to Hendry who is speaking in a whisper.<\/p>\n
![\"elephants](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/elephants-close-1024x683.jpg\")
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\u201cSo we\u2019ve got to talk very quietly now everybody because the herd of elephants is going to come past us and I don\u2019t want them to be frightened by the sound of my voice. So I\u2019m just going to speak quietly like this and we\u2019ll get a lovely view of this herd of elephants led by the female. I think that\u2019s the matriarch. She will lead them as they go around trying to find nice plants to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Questions about an elephant\u2019s vegetarian diet leads to the biggest thriller of the safari for students \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t involve animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrace asked how elephants can eat thorns on the branches,\u201d said Hendry. He explains that elephants\u2019 large, rubbery tongues prevent them from being harmed and then demonstrates it would not be the same for humans.<\/p>\n
![\"thorns\"](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/thorns-1024x683.jpg\")
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\u201cIf we take this thorn, look how sharp it is. You see that? It\u2019s very sharp \u2013 right into my finger,\u201d Hendry said pushing the point of the thorn into his skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh wow! Look at that!\u201d students said to one another while others simply gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee how brave I am here,\u201d said Hendry chuckling. \u201cKids please don\u2019t do that where you are at home. I just wanted to show you how sharp it was. I didn\u2019t draw any blood, it\u2019s not really sore. I just put it into the skin. Don\u2019t go home and start sticking thorns into yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The safari returns to talk of animals, ecosystems and the best part of being a guide.<\/p>\n
After almost 45 minutes, it ends with a cliffhanger \u2013 courtesy of a final technical glitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to show you something up here,\u201d Hendry told students while driving down a tree-lined path. \u201cThere was a leopard around here today, and he killed something and he put it in a tree. I just want to show you what he did. We don\u2019t know where he\u2019s gone, he\u2019s disappeared from here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Heydan also disappeared. The live feed buffers and then stops, giving teachers Gowen, Connery and Shuffler the perfect opportunity to debrief with students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think, guys?\u201d asked Gowen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so cool,\u201d said several students together.<\/p>\n
Gowen praised, \u201cYou all had some amazing questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
What surprised or amazed them most?<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it was when he stuck that thorn in his finger,\u201d said one student. \u201cHe was so brave since it was so sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised that in the morning it gets really cold and in the afternoon it\u2019s like 100 degrees,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised that elephants will eat almost anything out of the ground,\u201d said Sam.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised at how the girl lions were just sitting there and being so calm while we were watching them,\u201d said Grace.<\/p>\n
Nate added, \u201cI was quite surprised that they sleep for over 20 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aidan noted his awe that he and his classmates could go on a live safari from their desks in Virginia Beach.<\/p>\n
He remarked, \u201cIt was amazing that they could actually send pictures of stuff from the other side of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As students took their seats for the 8,000 mile journey to a South African game reserve, Three Oaks Elementary School instructional technology specialist Gayle Wuesthoff let the safari guides know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[46,140],"class_list":["post-5188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-technology","tag-three-oaks-elementary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5188"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5765,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5188\/revisions\/5765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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