Field "Trip"

We have a sweet group of kids this year, and I like them very much.

Sweet, yup... they're sweet.

Very sweet and thank goodness for that.

So we had our field trip today, and as usual it was a fun-filled day for everyone.

(cough cough)

We piled our sweet little kiddos onto the busses and headed off to learn some science at the local estuary.

We worked hard to get ready for the trip before we left, learning about ecosystems, wetlands, and how organisms interact with nonliving things in their habitats.

But what I SHOULD have been teaching them what a bird is.

The Naturalist: Ok, boys and girls. Think of an animal that is NOT a bird that can fly.


Kid 1: A duck!


The Naturalist (cheerily): Good try, but that's a bird.


Kid 2: An eagle!


The Naturalist (less cheery):  Another good try, but that's a bird too.


Kid 3: A penguin!


The Naturalist (now confused): That's a bird AND it can't even fly.


Kid 4: A hawk!!!


The Naturalist (exasperated): Also a bird...


Kid 5: A pterodactyl!!


The Naturalist (suicidal): uuummmm. Ok? I guess that works.


Kid 6: A monkey!


The Naturalist (defeated): Really?


She then handed out binoculars for bird watching and allowed them plenty of time to watch everything within 1/4 mile that wasn't a bird. They looked in each other's ears, into local homes, at bugs on the ground, and at me pointing out ALL the birds surrounding us.

Oh Well!

My teaching partner said that his group wasn't too with it either.

The naturalists play a game with the kids while we hike called "Reporter." One student stands in front of a plant or other interesting thing and repeats a fact about it (given to him/her by the naturalist) while the line hikes past.

For example, Timmy points at an anise plant and repeats, "These seeds taste like black licorice. These seeds taste like black licorice. These seeds..." You get the idea. He does this until the line of students hikes by and then he joins the end of the line.

Artie, a student who struggles to pay attention which is why he was placed in a group with a teacher, pointed at a plant, was told his fact and then and repeated, "I forgot what I'm supposed to say. I forgot what I'm supposed to say. I forgot..."

You get the idea.