Antarctica Special Assignment

Bozeman elementary students learn about MSU expedition (Antarctica Special Assignment Part 8)

Posted: Feb 25, 2013 11:48 AM by Suzanne Philippus
Updated: Feb 25, 2013 11:49 AM

Bozeman elementary students learn about Antarctic expedition(Antarctica Special Assignment Part 8)

Montana State University scientist and Weddell seal expert Bob Garrott recently returned to a Bozeman elementary school to teach children what he has learning in Antarctica.

Seals and penguins are a big hit with the second grade class at Hawthorne Elementary.

"Part of my job, remember, I told you when I came back, is that I was going to see how much you guys learned about Antarctica," Garrott told the students.

These young students already know quite a bit. Since October, they've been following Professor Bob's team on the ice through weekly emails and pictures.

"You put up flags everywhere you go, so that if there's like a big storm... if you can't see where you are going you have to stop and make camp," one girl said.

"It's colder in Antarctica because the sun is closer to the Arctic," one boy said.

"I think if you have to tag the seals when they're born, so you know when they were born," another girl said.

And it's the seal tags that these students are interested in.

"So everybody gets a tag from a seal because you learned so much about Antarctica, and I really have fun coming in every year," Garrott said.

The students count their tags and compare with other students.