Last September, Dr. Kim Walter, the digital teacher librarian at Shelton Elementary School in Golden, reached out to tell us she wanted to use Colorado Postcards with her students.
She contacted Colorado Postcards creators Gillian Coldsnow and Jon Pinnow, who met with the students virtually to kick off the project. Then, the kids got to work researching topics, writing scripts, creating artwork, editing and eventually recording their own postcards.
From these recordings and drawings, Gillian and Jon chose two topics to turn into Colorado Postcards. They then visited the school in person with recording equipment to record about two dozen third graders reading the scripts.
Enjoy "Yucca" by the third graders of Shelton Elementary School. For more from these students, check out "Moose."
Transcript:
A yucca is not a cactus. Found across Colorado, these balls of spiky green leaves are actually related to the asparagus. One clue is when the yucca blooms, it shoots up a tall spear of flowers, and that looks like asparagus. The yucca doesn't need much water and it has roots to grow deep. Those roots are used for medicine, and Native people also use the Yucca for making sandals, baskets, even soap and shampoo. Yuccas and yucca moths also have an amazing relationship. When the flowers bloom, the yucca gives these little white moths a place to stay and lay eggs. And then the moths pollinate the yuccas. Back and forth, season after season, one wouldn't survive without the other. This is the third grade at Shelton Elementary, and this is a Colorado Postcard.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
