Last week was field trip week for both Dylan and Cameron so I had a lot of fun! First was Dylan’s class field trip to downtown Santa Cruz. We visited the Library, the Fire Station and the Museum of Art and History.
I love going on these field trips, not only because I get to know the kids better and I get to hang out with my own kid, but I also get to learn a bunch of stuff…even if I think I’ve been somewhere, kids get special treatment and insider info that most folks don’t bother to offer up for grown-up visitors!
I actually missed about half of the library program because I’d forgotten my camera in the car and I went to go get it. From what I gathered, though, they read some stories about the Gold Rush and racism against the Chinese. After story time, they got to browse books and color.
Going to the fire station was probably my favorite part. We got to check out the trucks and the pole as well as the living quarters. We learned that they mix the water from the hoses with a foam that allows the water to soak in much faster! We learned about their daily schedule and saw their big tv room with 3 or so rows of large recliners that none of the first years (probationary firefighters) even get to sit in! We also learne that there is currently only one female firefighter on the crew, she is one of their rescue swimmers and she’s been there for about 7 years now.
It was also very sweet to hear the dispatcher welcome the students over the PA system! At first, everyone thought there was an emergency!
The last part of the trip was eating lunch in the courtyard near the MAH and then checking out their main exhibit areas–one on local Santa Cruz history and the other a gallery featuring the work of 3 artists. One of the exhibits happened to be a critique of factory farming.
The following day, Chloe and I accompanied Cameron on her field trip to the Seymour Marine Center. It was a cold and windy day, but a beautiful and enjoyable one nonetheless! I love seeing this girl so happy.
This one loved posing behind this little picture facade! She kept going back and then she got all territorial whenever any other kid went back there! She also kept requesting that I take her picture, so I have lots of variations of this, but I’ll limit them to a few selections here!
For some reason, the kids like to bonk themselves on the head while they chant, “hey, who hit me? You!” and then they point to someone else! Well, Chloe picked up on this right away (as she does with everything that Cameron engages her in).
It is actually neat how the bigger kids include the littler ones, generally speaking, and the littler ones just join right in so seamlessly! Chloe really thinks she’s one of the big kids!
Here’s Chloe picking up rocks…an “interest” she’s picked up from both Cameron and Dylan. They’ll pick up gravel and declare it a special treasure! I like that they like nature, but it is not always fun to encounter piles of common rocks everywhere in our house!
So grateful that work is currently still flexible enough to allow me to join the kiddies on their trips! It was a fun week!
