Mighty Goat Visitors
WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE SCHOOL
Our First Visitors – December 2023
The first visitors to Mighty Goat were 2nd grade students from Williams Elementary & Middle School in December, 2023. The second-graders interacted with the animals by first spending time with them at four different MG stations: nutrition, friendship, hand hygiene and yes, poop! Nursing students from Northern Arizona University served as Mighty Goat scholars and taught conversational lessons at each of the stations.
The 4 Stations
- Nutrition Station
The first station was about how goats digest their food and because they are ruminants, they have four compartments in their stomach to help them break down all of the fiber they eat. Conversely, humans have only one compartment in their stomach.
- Friendship station
The second-graders then moved to Theo and Oliver and learned about the strong friendship that they have because they are a bonded pair, which means they really should never be apart. Humans also have strong friendships that are essential to their well-being.
- Poop Station
At the third station, students learned about the different types of poop that animals in the Grand Canyon produce and how from their poop we can understand their diet.
- Hand Hygiene Station
Finally, at the hand hygiene station in the barn, the students used glow gel to test whether they washed their hands well after petting all of the Mighty Goat animals. The day ended with making friendship bracelets with donkey and goat charms!
Williams High School
April 2024 Visit
Williams 11th grade Honors Students visited Mighty Goat in April, 2024. NAU nursing students again served as Mighty Goat scholars and taught conversational lessons on environmental health and how to reduce, reuse and recycle. Students then made shopping bags by recycling goat and donkey feed bags. Remarkable!
Students also participated in a trivia game focused on mental health, the importance of sleep, assertive communication and food insecurity, all topics related to the health and well-being of the Mighty Goat animals and to the lives of many high school students.
CAMP CIVITAN
Visitors Since 2023
Campers at Camp Civitan have visited Mighty Goat since 2023. Camp Civitan is a place in Williams, AZ that is dedicated to adults with developmental disabilities. It’s a place where they can experience the outdoors, put on plays and have water fights during the summer. They also visit Mighty Goat during their time at Camp Civitan – Mighty Goat is only seven miles from their camp. Nursing students from NAU create short, interactive educational lessons on topics such as nutrition, friendship, hygiene, exercise, digestion and heart health, all of which connect human health with the health of the MG animals. Campers end their time at Mighty Goat by voting on their favorite MG animal….Oliver the mini donkey is a clear favorite. 🙂