HELP... I need to put together a "Caving Presentation"

[bronzzhorse]

Myself and some of my fellow grotto members have been asked by one of my friend's student's teacher to please come to the school and "talk to the kids about caving".... I am NO TEACHER, and im not really sure how to go about putting together a presentation about caves and caving in general. does anyone know of a link or site that i might find something along these lines at?? anyone have an old one they dont mind me using?? HELP!!!!!! I really want to go and do this, but i dont want to just ramble on about stuff thats UNIMPORTANT while leaving the more important things behind, and there are so many different areas to cover, i dont really know how to narrow it down and weed out the less important.
Im not really on a time constraint as far as getting it together, but were probably looking at anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours discussion time... it will be on a friday afternoon, and we all know how friday afternoons are at a high-school...... Please, any help GREATLY appreciated
CHEERS,
Josh

[Phil Winkler]

Josh,

How old are the students? That can help you create a lesson plan.

A lesson plan starts with an outline of the various topics you want to cover:
What is a cave? How are they formed? Where are they, etc.
Importance of training and equipment, conservation (Take Nothing, Leave Nothing, Kill Nothing (but time).
Associations, how to get started, commercial cave, local chapters/grottos, the web, library, etc.

Being able to display photos via a laptop projector would be useful. Most schools have them. The Audio-Visual Library at the NSS Office might have a program or two also. I think the library is online. Yep. Right here:
http://caves.org/service/avlibrary/

Hope this helps you get started. A lesson plan is a valuable tool to ensure your presentation flows and you don't get lost.

[David Grimes]

There is also a powerpoint presentation on the NSS website aimed at youth groups that could probably be tailored to your needs here:
http://www.caves.org/youth/safecavingproject.shtml

You could also use info and pictures from the many NSS brochures to build a slide show presentation.
I would say the best topics to cover would be:
-General geology of caves
-Safe caving practices
-Cave conservation
-Bat conservation

I know those are not all the areas of caving but I did lump other cave dwelling animals into cave conservation. I feel the bats need their own topic since they are the cave dwellers that are affected most often by vandals. A good resource for bats would be the "Bats" brochure and the "Whats killing our bats" brochure. All of the brochures are available online for download.

EDIT: Phil pretty much made the same points while I was writing this but hopefully it helps.

[bronzzhorse]

Phil and David,

Phil, the kids are high schoolers, but Im not EXACTLY sure which grade. I started putting together what seems pretty close to the "lesson plan' you spoke of, but i wasnt sure about how much rambling on it contained. I pretty much copied and pasted the Wiki articles for both "Caves" and "Caving", then picked out what seemd to be important without getting too far "over their heads" in technical/scientific jargon or info, or getting too deep into one particular aspect.
pretty much i just have what i would consider the Basics of Caves and Caving.
Topics i have NOW are:
1.What ARE caves??
2. What types of caves are there and how do they (different types) form??
3. Cave bilogy. The different categories of Troglo-species,(including accidentals) and how they differ, with a couple/3 examples of each.
4. A special section on bats and the risk the live with, including WNS and people, pllution, insecticides and more.
5. Speleology. and the difference in the SCIENCE (speleology) and the ACT OF (caving)... dont want them thinking of cavers as SPELUNKers!!
6.Conservation WHILE caving, both of the cave AND the biological presences.(Especially bats)
7. the HISTORY and DEVELOPMENT of modern caving.
8. Safe practice, and equipment
9. An expanded section on cave safety.
10. The risks, and challenges of caving.
11. a small section on surveying, and how it can be usefull both above and below the surface.

Have i got too much??? anything that SHOULDNT be there??? anything i am missing??

David,
I tried to get that PPT presentation to work for me yesterday and today both, but it keeps telling me that my version of PPT is too new...????
i opened it as an HTML and tried to C+P it but it wouldnt let me format it for printing... again

Also, I have the DVD of "Planet Earth: CAVES"... I was thinking of taking it for some extra Audio/Visual.....Just dont know about the timing issue
Thanks for the quick response guys... Happy Caving!!!!

[David Grimes]

It sounds like you have a pretty thorough presentation. I do not know what your time requirements are for this presentation but I just assumed it would be 20-30 min. I also tried to view that powerpoint file and recieved an error but I just figured it was because I was using Office 2007 but maybe there is something wrong with it. I was also assuming it was younger children so your current collection may be a better choice anyway. It seems like you have all the info you need and a basic outline, now you just need to figure out what your going to say and organize the outline in the order you want to present them in.

[bronzzhorse]

Ok... if you guys think it seems like a good lesson plan.,.. i think i will go with it....I got pretty much everythign figured out that i want to say for each topic... mad a little outline of it for reference DURING the presentation.... Thanks again fellers!!!
Josh

[pub]

Howdy Josh,

Don't know if you considered but I think a "show & tell" would be good too...

You can show actual basic caving equipment and then the specialized ones like vertical and surveying gear, etc. To get them thinking show them your pee bottle!

[bronzzhorse]

PUB,
i was actually thinking about a little show and tell.... but on a slightly different page... I have a small commection (about 75 pieces) of speleothems that people have given me through the years. I have a couple that a guy gave me 'cause he felt bad for having them after he took them out of the cave. Another few of them came from this old lady that had them from when her grandson used to go caving. Any time someone has given me some sort of formation they have come across (I dont ask questions about where) I have always taken it, considering that i may need it for something just such as this one day.Here are the pieces I was thinking of taking


This piece in particular, I found about 100 yards OUTSIDE of a cave.... apparently the rock quarry that blasted open the cave threw this piece out in one of the blasts
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I have a few Cave Pearls, some stones covered in spar, a few little pieces of slivered crystal, a couple nice stalagmites, and 5 or 6 little stalactites.
REMINDER...I DID NOT REMOVE ANY OF THESE ITEMS FROM CAVES.
THEY WERE ALL GIFTS or DONATED!!!

[pub]

Those would definitely be good to bring...

Another suggestion is to start off asking your audience how many have gone caving before and ask them about their experiences. From the posts on this forum I noticed many cavers started in their pre-teen years and you may have some experienced cavers in your audience.

Looks like you have all the bases covered. Good luck!

[amaddox]

So, how did the presentation go????

[bronzzhorse]

Havent done it yet.... its still in the planning stages..... you know... working with a public school system, you have all kinds of red tape to deal with... I will post a report when it DOES go through though.!!!

[wyandottecaver]

not to rain on anyones parade... but this is an official NSS site. The official policy of the NSS is that real cave formations should never be collected or displayed from ANY source for ANY purpose even for educational use since it might encourage others to collect irresponsibly. (responsible, direct research on collected speleothems is allowed since it does not involve displays and is generally not seen except by the researchers) If you are an NSS Member and you are doing these things you might want to consider the implications...........

having said that, I too have speleothems collected from a quarry site before they became driveway gravel....but I do not use them in my educational talks, nor display them at home. (yes that means I'm violating NSS policy and they serve no real use but I hated the idea of them being blasted to smithereens..... since there was no virgin passage behind them :) )

Back on the main topic.... I have given many presentations in schools and it generally has consisted of them saying can you talk about caves on day X and time Y and me saying yep then showing up. No paperwork, red tape, or nothing. In fact, they didn't even collect info to do a background check in case I was an axe murderer or something and I could have carried in an uzi in my cave gear.....

[bronzzhorse]

not to rain on anyones parade... but this is an official NSS site. The official policy of the NSS is that real cave formations should never be collected or displayed from ANY source for ANY purpose even for educational use since it might encourage others to collect irresponsibly. (responsible, direct research on collected speleothems is allowed since it does not involve displays and is generally not seen except by the researchers) If you are an NSS Member and you are doing these things you might want to consider the implications...........

You are probably right about not using them in the presentation. With young folks it probably WOULD convey the wrong idea.... But I have one comment about the rest of your reply.. As I said, ALL of the items (except the one we found at the bottom of the quarry) were GIVEN to me, and most before I was even involved in caving.(I was a big "rock hound" for a while)... So according to what youre saying, because I joined the NSS, I am now just supposed to throw all that stuff out in the driveway so I dont get in trouble??? Its not something I have on "display"... they sit on a shelf in the back corner of my bed room, and as far as I know NO-ONE besides me, my wife and the people I got them from have ever even SEEN them.
You're dead on about the using them as educational pieces, and I concur, but I think when they say "Collected" I REALLY dont think they are telling you to go throw out anything you may or may not have. "Display"...I agree, having them out for everyone to see DEFFINATELY conveys the wrong idea...(Thats why i dont HAVE them on dipslay), but I dont think the powers that be are really going to BAN someone (as you seem to be implicating) over hanging on to something from their past....Sheesh.

having said that, I too have speleothems collected from a quarry site before they became driveway gravel....but I do not use them in my educational talks, nor display them at home. (yes that means I'm violating NSS policy and they serve no real use but I hated the idea of them being blasted to smithereens..... since there was no virgin passage behind them :) )

That is NO different than me taking a speleothem as a gift from an old man so he didnt chuck it in as fill dirt.....You "saved" them from what you didnt want to see, and so did I///Oh... the difference is I didnt remove them from their natural site....

Back on the main topic.... I have given many presentations in schools and it generally has consisted of them saying can you talk about caves on day X and time Y and me saying yep then showing up. No paperwork, red tape, or nothing. In fact, they didn't even collect info to do a background check in case I was an axe murderer or something and I could have carried in an uzi in my cave gear.....

Most of the "red Tape" is waiting on the teacher to decide on when they want us to be there. They are about to get their christmas break, and i think the teacher is trying to decide wheather to do it before or after break......I'm really not sure.. just waiting on a phone call...I dont really know, as this is my first experience with workin with the school system.
Why am I EXPLAINING why i havent given the presentation yet??? This is rediculous.
Come to think of it, seems like nearly EVERY time I post something here, SOMEONE ends up calling out some point of what I have said and making it into something to make me look bad...im just here to chat and trade ideas and thoughts....I dont HAVE to use cave chat...My Dues have been paid (both litteraly and figuratively) I have no desire to subject myself to belittlement. Hope iI'm not coming across as an a@@, but sheesh....I'm starting to feel like i always have a bulls eye on my back here.

[amaddox]

.........

Come to think of it, seems like nearly EVERY time I post something here, SOMEONE ends up calling out some point of what I have said and making it into something to make me look bad...im just here to chat and trade ideas and thoughts....I dont HAVE to use cave chat...My Dues have been paid (both litteraly and figuratively) I have no desire to subject myself to belittlement. Hope iI'm not coming across as an a@@, but sheesh....I'm starting to feel like i always have a bulls eye on my back here.

This does happen on a public forum. Don't take it too seriously. But if it does count, I do appreciate what you are doing for the kids. It's well worth it, even if for just one of them. Just have fun with the project. The kids will pick up on that and see how much you enjoy caving. Hopefully at least one of them will become a caver. But at the very least your making a positive impact on some kids who will soon be adults making adult decisions.
If you enjoy giving the presentation, like I said, I'd like to hear about it. This is the type of program that the Youth Group Liaison Committee is trying to focus on and could use a few good people like you.

Allen Maddox
Chair, Youth Group Liaison Committee

[Phil Winkler]

Josh,

Stay around and try to ignore the troll habits of some. I wonder if some of those who are so critical of others up here would behave the same if they were talking to someone in person?

Most of us are very appreciative of your efforts, too.