Learning Arapaho in the park

Kids get language immersion at Arapaho schoolThe 20 or so pupils of the school that allows only Arapaho language spoken within its walls in Arapahoe took a recent trip to the park to play and learn.

"It's part of the immersion. We're bringing them to the outside to expose them to the trees and the grass," Hughes said.And:The teachers took their preschool through first-grade pupils to Jaycee Park in Riverton for more exposure to nature and the tribe's language outside of the classroom environment.

Hughes recalled the children's interaction with Arapaho language on the playground, "telling each other 'I want a drink of water' or 'I need to go to the bathroom,' things they know."Below:  "Northern Arapaho tribal elder Laura Shakespeare rests under the shade of trees at Riverton City Park recently, while Arapaho Language Immersion School students Ilana Anderson and Dimikko Yellowbear, both 3, play nearby." (Martin Reed/Riverton Ranger via AP)