2024 IESO Family Activities & Field Trips
During the Beach Ecology Fieldwork exercise, which is mandatory for Competing Students, Friends and Family Extended Option Participants will have the chance to take part in a Beach Ecology Walk on a separate part of the beach. Local naturalists will share their interpretation of the beach environment, along with its flora and fauna. The duration will last just over an hour, so families will have some time to enjoy the beach on their own.
Puerto Rico is home to hundreds of species of native birds, including dozens of species that will be on the island in December, but who migrate to the mainland USA and Canada to breed in the spring and summer. That makes December a perfect time to get to know Puerto Rico’s birdlife on this walking tour early on the first full day of IESO on December 28. We will leave at 6:30am sharp, and return at 9:30am in time for the Opening Ceremonies. That will give us approximately 90 minutes to explore a rainforest environment at the start of the day when birds are most active. David Madden, IESO Founder and IAC Founder and Executive Director, and an avid birder himself, will co-lead this walk with local naturalists. We will have binoculars and field guides available to help us see as many species as possible. This video provides a short introduction to the island’s avifauna, and shows some of the species that we may hope to find.
Note that the Birds of Puerto Rico Trip is the only trip at IESO with space limitations (as bird watching in a forest environment in a group of over 30 people is impractical), and it is limited to 25 participants, not including IESO staff. Priority will first be given to students who have taken the National Ornithology Exam and one accompanying adult; thereafter, remaining space will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis during the Event Selection Period.
For centuries, Spanish sentries stood guard at El Morro in the watchtower. In 2024, someone new is on the job.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro (known commonly in San Juan as El Morro) is a castle fort overlooking the entrance to San Juan Harbor. Situated on a promontory with the Atlantic Ocean to its north, and the harbor to its south, for over four hundred years, the castle guarded the harbor, San Juan, and Puerto Rico – and during the Spanish colonial period, the approaches to the entire Spanish empire in the Americas. It is one of the iconic sites of Puerto Rico, and one of the most impressive forts anywhere in Latin America or the Caribbean. As a National Historic Site, the castle is open to visitors, and we will include a visit to it for early arriving competing students and participants in the Family and Friends Extended Option on December 27.
As families will be arriving at various times throughout the day, we will not be able to provide transportation to El Morro from the school, but note that Ubers and other rideshares are ubiquitous and cheap throughout San Juan. A IESO staff member will be situated at the entrance to the castle from 2pm-4pm; Competing Students and FFP Extended Participants can then ask the staff member to pay for their tickets (which cannot otherwise be purchased in advance).
During the Written Exam on Day 1, Family and Friends Program Extended Option Participants can participate in an optional Environmental Science picture quiz, which will be given out on the beach close to Robinson School. This event does not require prior registration; the quiz itself probably will take only about 20-25 minutes to complete. The quiz is not an official medal event (as ensuring tight question security is not possible), but we will have some small prizes for the top family teams. Note that Competing Students are not able to compete in this event, as they will be busy with the Written Exam at that time.
The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico is the primary museum dedicated to Puerto Rican art and artists. Located just a ten minute walk from Robinson School, Family and Friends Program Extended Option Participants have the option to visit the museum during the afternoon of Day 2 (December 29) while the Competing Students are busy with the second portion of the Beach Fieldwork Exercise (which is done at Robinson School and is not open to spectators). The museum trip will provide a window into Puerto Rican culture and history as seen through the work of its artists throughout the centuries.
This past summer, we opened the International Geography Championships in Vienna with a Family Scavenger Hunt, which combined sightseeing, quizzing, and some cultural activities in a fun and family-friendly way. We’ll continue this budding tradition by offering a similar Family Scavenger Hunt in the heart of Old San Juan on December 27 from 4:30pm-6:30pm for early arriving families who have at least one member who is taking part in the Family and Friends Extended Option. Families must compete on their own and are not permitted to combine with others to provide a fair competition. As we cannot ensure tight question security, this is not an official medal event, but we will have prizes on offer for the top families.
This is a picture of the beach which is just a five minute walk from Robinson School.
Robinson School lies just five minutes from a nice beach that all families and Competing Students can visit when not competing. The beach of course is open to the public and unlike all the other field trips here does not require Family and Friends Program Extended Option or Competing Student enrollment. While it’s possible to swim there, there are no outdoor showers or bathroom facilities available at this beach. However, there are bathrooms available at hotels and restaurants within a short walk of both the school and the beach. Other beaches in San Juan do have outdoor showers, including at Escambron Beach, often considered the best beach in the heart of San Juan.
The Parque de las Ciencias (Puerto Rican Science Park) is reopening this fall after an extensive renovation. The park features numerous exhibits on many aspects of science, including astronomy, physics, wildlife conservation (including a zoo), and more. Currently the website is only available in Spanish, but an English-language version will debut shortly. The Park is a great option for families with younger children in the Family and Friends Extended Option program, though Competing Students are welcome to attend as well on December 30 or December 31. More information will be available once the park officially opens (it had been heavily damaged during Hurricane Maria and is nearing the very final stages of a years-long renovation) by October 2024.
Puerto Rico is famous for its beautiful rainforest environments which historically blanketed most of the island, and still cover extensive areas, some of which are close to San Juan. With local naturalists as our guides, we’ll explore one or more rainforests on an interpretative hike lasting approximately 2.5 hours. We’ll leave early in the morning at 7:30am, and return back at 12:30 in time for lunch. The rainforest hike is offered on December 30 and 31 so that each age division can take part in it without missing any other competitions. In fact, during the return trip on the bus, participants will have a chance to take the Climate Change Exam (on December 30) and the Meteorology Exam (on December 31).
During the hike, we’ll have an up close look at the rainforest ecosystem, with its abundant plant and animal life, and beautiful forests, river systems, mountains, and more. Depending on the recommendations of our naturalists, we’ll visit either the El Yunque National Forest, the only rainforest in the US National Park system; a research station conducting experiments and monitoring the health of the environment; or other suitable and comparable rainforests.