You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Fieldtrips' category.
This is year four of our bi-weekly trips to Daystar Retirement Village. It is beautiful, awe inspiring, moving and oh so real. The kids just fall in like leaves in the wind, without hesitation, without over-thinking etiquette or age. It often sends me to tears just to watch the innocent meet innocent. What a lovely way to spend our days – spreading love and genuine joy and affection.
Then we go to Castle Park to play. It’s always a mad dash to the park. The sun has been such magic this year and we are drawing every last bit out of this beautiful weather that we can. And Vega – I’m so impressed at how long you worked on getting across the swinging bars.
I know, I say it all the time, every year, weekly, sometimes daily – but I have the best job in the world. Just look at what I get to witness on a moment to moment basis.
Pure love.
YAWP. “I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world” ~Walt Whitman
On our trip to Camp Long this week, we took some to write some poems. We’ve been reading and writing poetry since our last Camp Long trip, when Asher spontaniously wrote a beautiful poem about nature. This time we returned to intentionally stand tall and yell our poems to the trees and the leaves and the sun and the wind…
(Thank you Eric for video taping. Not everone wanted to read aloud, no matter how much we encouraged and some of the video was cut off but we tried to get everyone – we’ll be doing this again though…)
I often hear “This is the best field trip ever” on many of our field trips but this one seemed extra special and I heard it every time I turned around. Maybe it was because it was our first trip to Camp Long of the year. This is such a special place with so many memories and good times.
We took Whitney with us this time. She has a degree in Environmental Science and it was nice to have her perspective. We also played many “trust” games, rock climbed, hiked, went on a scavenger hunt, drew from nature and then Asher wrote a poem that has since inspired an entire poetry jam in our classroom – emergent curriculum in action.
We will be returning to Camp Long this next Thursday to view a special art project we took part in (more on this later). We just can’t get enough of art, nature and poetry!
I have a little catching up to do. Some beautiful, incredible stories happened before I left…
One of these stories happened at Daystar. We arrived as usual with our crafts and songs and stories. But as we walked in, there was a crowd of seniors surrounding the piano. There were guest musicians playing the Ukulele and the piano.
We sat down as they played. Gayle, the coordinator I work with, came up and told us this was a special tribute for Dottie who was in the late stages of cancer. They were taking her requests and then the piano player asked us what we wanted to hear. I asked if he knew, “Bicycle Built for Two” and he did, so he played as our class stood up and sang. As they sat down, Dottie, in her delirium, busted out with another verse of the song (a little on the dirty side) which was kind of funny and sweet.
Georgia got an extra special “Georgia On My Mind” serenade.
He then asked if any of the kids played an instrument and Jackson said, “I play the piano.” I looked at him like “what are you talking about.” He then proceeded to walk to the front of the room, sit down and play the most beautiful piece of music in all seriousness. We were all stunned. It was incredible. The gifts of music and love in the room that day was palpable.
Then Oliver came in late with baby Ben and we walked the baby around so everyone could touch his little head. There was so much beauty in the room that day. It was one of the moments you can just reach out and touch. The kind of day that you know, while you’re living it, that it will replay in your memory and the memory of everyone else, for always.
Then Charlie’s parents met us in the park with watermelon. It was so nice to sit back and reflect on that day, in the sun, appreciating all that we have and how lucky we are to be a part of our larger community and to be able to witness, first hand, all that life has to offer.
So we finally spent our puppet show prize money. We took the bus to Lincoln Park, where Trisha met us with ice cream, extras and a brand new gutter to eat from (I hope the health department doesn’t read this).
We played and played.
Ate ourselves into a coma.
Then played and played at the beach.
And then crashed!
A perfect start to summer!
“Are those poison berries in your hair Michelle?”
“Yep!”
“She’s a weird teacher, you gotta respect that.”
~Jackson
Talin has been with us since he was two and a half. This feels like a huge part of us is leaving. But he is going off to discover a new island with his memories of us and his sturdy walking stick.
On the last day of class, he chose the field trip for the week and we ventured on the bus to Lincoln Park – one of our regular haunts. A fitting goodbye to our nature lover.
Send us stories and much snake documentation.
Much love from Mystery Bay
Our first bus trip of the year. We spent some time reading before we headed into story time.
Story time was packed. The theme was pollution. The librarian read Abigale and the Happy Whale by Peter Farrelly, Wilson’s World by Edith Thacher and Clement Hurd and a book called River but I cannot seem to find the author’s name.
On the bus ride back we relaxed and dreamt of lunch.
On our walk back from the bus, we got to see the sanitary truck driver that use to come get our garbage and who we always passed treats to through the window of our classroom before we ever moved out. It seemed fitting to see him now since we are back in that room. Jackson was so excited to see him. It was always such an important part of our Thursday mornings.
Another day out and about in our community!
This is our third year going to Daystar. There are two seniors whom we have visited the entire time but many have come and gone for varies reasons. Having this bi-weekly visit is one of my favorite parts of our class. I met some of the seniors when they came to see a play at the school and when I started this class, I knew that I wanted to make a permanent connection, build relationships and feel at ease around people who are much older than us, who may be in wheelchairs and who need us just as we need them.
This trip was a first for a few of our new students but it felt just like old times.
We made cards for everyone and chatted a bit.
(Deloris LOVES the kids so much.)
(Russ is a favorite, we’ve known him for as long as we’ve been visiting.)
Brigit and Harriette sang a few songs. When they sang “Daisy, daisy” a couple of the seniors sang along, so we sang it again.
Amalie read a story she had written in class.
Alex told a story.
Sam told a story.
And Zavier (for the first time) told a short story.
Then Brigit read How Dog Began (Jackson is the official word helper).
It was nice to be back. They had missed us so much while we were on break that they called the school to find out when we would be back. When we are in school we consistantly, rain or shine, visit the first and third Thursday’s of the month.
Then we head over to Castle Park to run our little legs off.
(This trio has been magical since the beginning of the school year.)
(Zen master.)
Oh, how beautiful are these kids in this world of ours.
Share Your Thoughts