My First Field Trip

Leah in the Blacksmith House
Today I did something I've never done before ... I was a real field trip chaperone.

It's something I've always wanted to do. And I never could get the time off of work or get my act together quick enough to plan it out.

There have been a lot of field trip opportunities over the years of daycare and school. And they beg me to come along or be that mom at the classroom holiday party, but it's not usually possible, mainly because I hear about it at the very last-minute. Or I just can't get the time off.

But this time Leah's third grade teacher sent the request for chaperones in October! With three months notice, and a January date when I have all my vacation/personal days to spend, I jumped on it. Leah was thrilled!

This Cabin is Older Than ME! 
This field trip was to a park nearby that recreates the experience of the early settlers in the prairies. There was a log cabin, a blacksmith shop, an estate house with a working kitchen and stables. There was also a little cafeteria and cute barn to meet in. And it was utterly and fantastically freezing. And with no central air, the buildings were drafty.

The guides/recreationalists were great about giving the kids plenty of hands-on activities and less on lectures. We were constantly moving around stations and learning by doing. We dipped candles, churned butter and tried to weave. Each chaperone was given six kids to manage, and mine were really tuned-in, so it worked.

Beating a Rug
Not to mention, it was enlightening to see the social dynamics of a third grade class and where my daughter fits into it. I got to meet all the kids I hear about at night around the kitchen table -- putting faces to all the stories. Of course, it was fun to hangout with Leah, too.

Also, I'm so GLAD I don't have boys.

OHMIGOSH

Seriously.

Those boys were in constant motion, touching things, talking, moving, not listening. Chaos. I can't imagine how much more crazy my household would be with little boys.

Lastly, two third-grade classrooms on one bus -- whoa -- that's a lot of energy! Were school buses always so loud? It's been a few decades since I've been on one. The other chaperone and I were exhausted after the trip. And all so glad we didn't become teachers.

But, YES, I was a field trip chaperone! I did it!



Related posts:
More adventure stories

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The $80 Kitchen Pantry Update

Image
It took two days and about $80 in supplies, and now our kitchen pantry is REBORN! Here's a quick review of the project in pictures, starting with the BEFORE pictures: My main issue with the wire shelves were bottles or anything "thin" would tip over. And with my commitment to bulk, I wanted to store glass containers in here but knew they wouldn't be "safe." I foresaw broken glass at some point. Plus, it's a great space, so I knew I could add more storage space if I was strategic. Last, wire shelves are ugly. So then I demo'd the pantry and painted the walls (which was just primer) with leftover paint from the rest of the house. It's called Polar Bear. I paid an electrician to install an outlet at "counter height" in the pantry, so I could move the dumb microwave off the counter. (The electrician did a slew of other small jobs around the house, not just this outlet, including a motion-activated light in this pantry. Tres Fancy
Keep reading »

Family Calendar Improvement

Image
 Made a quick improvement at the start of the school year that I'm pretty excited about.  And yes, I'm probably the only one excited about it, but here goes ...  Here's our "command central" in our kitchen. This is a good landing spot, and a central place to all look at the family calendar ... it's that huge wipe board in the middle of the photo. All our activities are supposed to be written on here and our electronic family calendar on Google.  (Brief aside: my family is the WORST at writing their plans down in either calendar and Dave still doesn't share his events on our Google Shared Family Calendar consistently, which makes me nuts. And they all ask me "what are we doing today?" instead of looking at the calendar, usually directly behind me. But, that's another post.) I went to so much trouble putting this little area together and that huge calendar with wobbly writing was really killing the sophisticated look of that space. PLUS, we don
Keep reading »

Basement Shiplap Project

Image
The guys left me all the unused shiplap from the bathroom and I've been trying to think about where to use it. I had so many ideas but not a lot of shiplap, so I eventually settled on this corner of our basement. It's where the exercise mats and treadmill live, right behind the sofa. And also where the Marvel-themed bathroom with shiplap is located. So it made sense. It took much of a rainy Sunday to cut and nail up the new boards ...    I even had enough to do on the "backsplash" of our little kitchenette in the basement I've been slowly building out.  Next up will be to patch all the nail holes and calk around the edges for a clean look. And then the best part ... picking out paint color. Since this is a "free" project, I'm hoping I can find a color in my paint cabinet.  I'll keep you posted. 
Keep reading »