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FreshPlans checked out Strataca, a museum at a working salt mine in Hutchinson, Kansas. We had the opportunity to go 650 feet down below the surface and see part of the mine. We learned a lot about salt!
There are still salt miners working in Hutchison, mining salt used on icy roads. This part of the mining industry, the nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying industry, is not expected to grow in the future, but it’s essential work right now and an important part of the history of Hutchinson.
In fact, it’s an important part of the history of the Midwest, way back when it was under water. If your school is located in the middle of North America, chances are good that the land where it sits was once under the Permian Sea.
Is your school’s location on this map? Does it look as though the land where your school sits used to be under the sea?
If so, you might have salt somewhere in your neighborhood, too.
The salt mine in Hutchinson, Kansas, is part of the Permian Wellington Formation, formed about 275 million years ago when the Permian Sea dried up. At 27,000 square miles, this is one of the world’s largest salt deposits.
The deposit was discovered in 1887 by a prospector who was looking for oil. He didn’t find oil, but he did find salt. By 1923, the salt mine we visited was producing salt commercially. It still turns out about 500,000 tons of rock salt each year.
It’s called “rock salt” because the salt is in rocks.
This giant piece of salt is fun to touch. The walls and ceilings in the salt mine are also made of salt. We got to ride in a little train through a part of the salt mine that is no longer in use. There we had a chance to see the places where the miners worked, the miners’ bathroom, and even a part of the mine where layers of salt had fallen from the ceiling to the floor. It was interesting to think about what it might have been like to work in a salt mine.
The Kansas Salt Museum at Strataca has some great resources for educators.
Here are some more online resources for a study of salt in the context of basic chemistry:
- A lesson on dissolving salt in water from PBS provides hands-on experience with ideas about solvents, solutes, and solutions, with study materials for high school students.
- Study Ladder has a whiteboard presentation on the subject of salt production.
- ScienceNetLinks has a lesson that uses salt to work with magnification. If you’ve got magnifying glasses and microscopes on hand, this lesson gives you a simple way to put them to work.
- The University of Colorado offers a Java simulation with lots of resources on salt and sugar solutions.
If you have a chance to visit Strataca, you should. If not, think about our field trip and spend a little time exploring salt in your classroom. Lunch will never be the same!
The post FreshPlans Visits a Salt Mine appeared first on FreshPlans.
{{ I am chronicling 48 days of writing before my July 31 travel. If you are chronicling your summer writing/days and would like to share, please link or comment so we can all cheer one another through. Strength to your sword arm! }}
Two days off. I'm took my Fourth vacation early. Jim and I plan to work through the July Fourth weekend. We often do this sort of thing in order to avoid crowds, and because it often works better with our schedules,
the writer and
the musician. I've always told my kids that I'm not particular about celebrating holidays on a pre-arranged culturally-approved day (although I do love birthdays!), and I like making my own holidays.
Although I must say, I loved all the Fourths we spent at
Antietam Battlefield with the National Symphony Orchestra, and the
Fourths we spent at Baker Park in Frederick, MD., and even the Fourth I spent with Lisa and Jason on the George Washington Parkway in 1976, with thousands of other stranded motorists hoping to get downtown on the National Mall for the
Bicentennial Fourth. We did go to the Mall for years, for concerts,
for Fourths, when my first two kids were little and we lived closer to D.C. Oh-so-many years ago.
On Wednesday (day 19) we said goodbye to Roger, who has worked here -- off and on -- for almost a year, doing odd jobs and necessary jobs and major foundation work and much-needed water management on our little property. We worked with Roger on Wednesday as he finished a brick walkway so we could get from the front to back yards with a wheelbarrow (and on foot), and we moved mulch and bricks.
There's still a lot to do here, but Roger got us started, the trees are down (still plenty up), sun shines on the yard, the water flows away from the house, and we can keep going with the edible landscape project now. We'll see Roger again this fall.
Yesterday we went out out OUT. My mind needed a rest. So after we put our bodies to work on Wednesday in the yard, we took off on Thursday and went berry picking and then swimming at
Hard Labor Creek State Park. We've been to Hard Labor Creek before, and remembered it as a sandy-bottomed lake with good floating. Still is.
The heavens opened up as we slid into the cool lake water, and we got drenched as we ran out and gathered our things, waited out the storm in the van, and then, when the skies were sunny again, got back in the lake for a long float and chat and swim and silence. Almost no one else was there.
We took back roads on our trip, so it took us a long time to wend our way home. We had a good meal at the
Blue Willow Inn in
Social Circle before our blueberry picking at
Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm, and we had breakfast for supper on the way home at a diner that caught our eye. We got lost in Jersey, Georgia, in the middle of nowhere, where our Waze app took us down dirt roads. But I got that great capture of "Final Draft" that's on the masthead now -- whatever this place is... there are winches and contraptions out front that make it look like a construction or equipment repair place. I've been looking for a new photo for the blog, FB, and Twitter, now that REVOLUTION is well-launched, so getting lost was a plus.
Today, day 21, I'm back at work on Rachel, mind rested, words on the page. Let's see if I can get to the end of a revision. I'll bet I can. Sometimes you just need to get away, to unwrinkle your mind. And this is our favorite way: pick a place and go. Field trip!
Happy Independence Day to all! xoxo
by Sally Matheny |
| photo courtesy of Wikipedia |
The lazy days of summer are about to plop on the sofa. As comfy as it is, we know it's not healthy to veg out all day. It's time to plan some fun activities for the children. Here's an idea that'll make your kids smile.
If you've ever watched The Beverly Hillbillies,you may remember musicians Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. Occasionally, they sauntered through the Clampetts’ mansion door pickin’ and grinnin’. If you missed their appearances, you didn’t miss out on their music. Scruggs and Flat also performed the theme song for the show.
You can share the history of the toe-tapping, bluegrass music with your children by visiting a wonderful museum in western North Carolina. The Earl Scruggs Center, which opened in January 2014, is located on Lafayette Street in Shelby, North Carolina.
My local homeschool group recently visited the museum, housed in the former 1907 Cleveland County Courthouse. An array of activities provided opportunities for learning the history, music, and cultural traditions of western North Carolina.
Presented with complimentary ear buds upon arrival, each visitor is encouraged to plug in and participate throughout the museum. Receiving a set of ear buds, to keep as their own, brought immediate delight from the children in my group!
At the museum, you’ll learn about the legendary banjo player, Earl Scruggs, known for popularizing the three-finger playing style. Through live demonstrations, short films, and exhibits you’ll discover how Scruggs continually stretched music boundaries by learning new techniques to grow with the changing times.
 |
| The Common Threads Table |
The museum is definitely pushing the edge with fascinating technology. One of the most popular, interactive exhibits is the Common Threads table. Touch screens, the size of your dinner table, make different instruments, various music styles, and musicians come to life. The students in our group found the hands-on learning extremely fun!
Another exhibit allows participants to adjust the speed of a banjo picking visual so they can actually see the placement of each finger and the sound it produces. Very cool.
In addition to the evolution of banjos and playing styles, the Earl Scruggs Center also houses exhibits on other aspects of N.C. history, such as the cotton industry, cooking, and the advancements of technology.
I want to go back and read all the interesting tidbits I missed. Someone, excited to go see the next exhibit, kept tugging me away. I know Earl Scruggs recorded some Christian bluegrass at one time. I'm curious to see if there is anything posted about how his faith influenced his music.
All ages will find things of interest at the Earl Scruggs Center. The exhibits are best suited for children over age five, but those under five get in free.
Special events occur at the center on a regular basis—from southern cooking demonstrations to outdoor performances. You can find out what’s taking place as well as the hours and prices on the website: www.earlscruggscenter.org
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| That's me with my fifth cousin, Earl Scruggs. |
Allow plenty of time for your visit. We went with a group of sixty people and stayed about three hours. We still didn’t feel like we explored it fully and look forward to returning.
Pull the kids off the sofa. They may not be guitarists or banjo-pickers, but I'm confident they'll leave the Earl Scruggs Center grinning.
Assessments may not feel far enough in the past (or perhaps haven’t even started!), but the end of the year is fast approaching and field trip planning is in full force!
It can feel like a scramble. For our final science unit in third grade, my colleagues and I wanted to teach our students about animal adaptions by raising trout in the classroom. It was an incredible opportunity to study the behavioral and physical adaptions of a specific species, but timing their release with a scheduled field trip was tricky. We didn’t know until a week ahead when the fish would be ready for release, which led to a mad rush to book buses.
In case you want to plan a field trip with more than a week of planning, here are some ideas with book pairings to get you ahead of schedule and your students excited!
If your unit is…
- Habitats, Ecosystems, & Biodiversity
NYC field trip: Central Park Zoo
Book Pairing: Puffling Patrol
How to find puffins near you (if outside of NYC): Association of Zoos & Aquariums makes it easy to find a zoo or aquarium close to your school. Most zoo and aquarium websites will list the animals they have.
Virtual field trip: Puffin burrow bird cam from Explore.org
The art and facts are stunning in this Lee & Low book where children can learn about puffin adaptations and their life cycle. After reading about the adorable creatures, fall in love with the real deal: tufted puffins at the Central Park Zoo.
- The Solar System & the Moon
NYC field trip: Hayden Planetarium or Hudson River Museum
Book Pairing: A Full Moon is Rising
How to embark on moon exploration near you (if outside of NYC): Go-astronmy.com has put together a national map to search for local planetariums.
Virtual field trip: Amazing Space
Alongside the science, students love to study folktales and mythology from around the world featuring and explaining the solar system and moon. Introduce the significance of the moon in world cultures, with this Lee & Low title which gives readers a world tour of diverse celebrations and beliefs regarding Earth’s only natural satellite.
- Plant Adaptations
NYC field trip: Queens County Farm Museum and other farm field trips from GrowNYC.org
Book Pairing: Rainbow Stew, Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! America’s Sproutings, and Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic
How to find a garden near you (if outside of NYC): Check out Better Homes and Gardens’ Garden Locator and the National Gardening Association’s Public Gardens Locator
Virtual field trip: My First Garden from University of Illinois Extension program
Share the joy of growing healthy food and the experiences of working the land with these Lee & Low titles!
- Life Cycles and Animal Adaptations
In NYC field trip: The Butterfly Conservatory at the Natural History Museum
Book Pairing: Leo and the Butterflies, Animal Poems of the Iguazu, and Butterflies for Kiri
How to find butterflies near you (if outside of NYC): Discover a butterfly house in your state. Also, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums makes it easy to find a zoo close to your school.
Virtual field trip: Butterflies and Moths of North America, Journey North with monarchs, and Wildscreen ArKive
What better way to celebrate these amazing creatures than to marvel at their incredible adaptations up close?
- Natural Resources, Human Impact, & Sustainability
In NYC field trip: Hudson River Park
Book Pairing: Water Rolls, Water Rises and I Know the River Loves Me
How to find a body of water near you (if outside of NYC): The National Park Service has created the Find a Park search tool to discover a park by location, activity, or topic.
Virtual field trip: Interactive animation, “The NYC Water Story,” from American Museum of Natural History’s Water: H2O=Life exhibit
Foster respect and a sense of responsibility about the environment with hands-on, outdoors learning and these stunning stories that pack a powerful message about one of our most precious resources.
- Recycling
In NYC field trip: Sims Municipal Recycling: Sunset Park Materials Recycling Facility in Brooklyn
Book Pairing: The Can Man
How to find a recycling center or landfill near you (if outside of NYC): Many recycling centers and landfills offer student tours and you can find one near your school here. It is recommended to call to see if the nearest one to you does school programs.
Virtual field trip: My Garbology from Naturebridge.org
Learn about the impact of recycling on the environment and human relationships.
- Physics: Forces & Energy
In NY State field trip: Baseball Hall of Fame or professional baseball stadium
Book Pairing: Silent Star: The Story of Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy, Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream, and Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer
How to find a baseball stadium near you (if outside of NYC): Maps are available to find the nearest major league baseball stadium and most offer student discounts or field trip tours. Minor League Baseball also has a map for its stadiums. For the most accessible option, check here and you can find a local baseball field for students to play themselves or see community members try out the laws of physics.
Virtual field trip: Exploratorium’s Science of Baseball
Long considered America’s “national pastime,” baseball has had major historic milestones paralleling societal changes and attitudes. Readers of all ages delight in learning about overlooked, but nevertheless significant, pioneers in the sport and trivia like the origins of baseball coaching signals.
Pair a Lee & Low title to your beyond-the-classroom-walls adventure to deepen background knowledge and create an interdisciplinary, multi-media experience. Young learners will never forget the time you made the book come alive with a visit to any one of these sights.
You may have a dozens of reminders set, but here is a thorough list to help you plan and execute a successful field trip from the educators at Learn NC.
Field Trip Funding:
- DonorsChoose.org –For inspiration and proposal models, be sure to study what other teachers in your area and around the country are requesting for their field trips
- Target Field Trip Grants—These are accepted in August and September only, but this grant option is one of the most popular for teachers around the country
- ClassWallet
- Every Kid in a Park—new initiative to help all fourth graders and their families explore our national parks for free
- Ticket to Ride—National Park Foundation’s answer to transportation costs to and from the national parks and monuments
- Student Achievement Grants—from the NEA Foundation
- Road Scholarship from Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Foundation—financial aid for individual students unable to afford to travel
- PTA—your local PTA may have additional opportunities, ideas, and grants to fund your field trip
Local funding options:
Resources for virtual field trips:
Free ipad Apps for Virtual Field Trips from Edutopia
What are your experiences and tips on bridging a field trip with classroom content? What books have you used in the classroom or at home to begin or culminate a learning adventure? Share with us!
Jill Eisenberg, our Senior Literacy Expert, began her career teaching English as a Foreign Language to second through sixth graders in Yilan, Taiwan as a Fulbright Fellow. She went on to become a literacy teacher for third grade in San Jose, CA as a Teach for America corps member. She is certified in Project Glad instruction to promote English language acquisition and academic achievement. In her weekly column at The Open Book, she offers teaching and literacy tips for educators.
The Sternberg Museum of Natural History is a bit of a surprise.
Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Hays, Kansas, the museum is unprepossessing from the outside. It grew out of the local fossils collections originally housed at the Kansas State Normal School, founded in 1902, which later became Ft. Hayes State University.
George F. Sternberg was in charge of gathering all the exhibits together into a museum that could share this wealth of specimens and knowledge. Sternberg found his first major fossil, a complete plesiosaur, in 1892. He was 9 years old at the time.
Here are the FreshPlans guys at the museum that bears Sternberg’s name. They’re feeling uncertain about this field trip.
Once inside, they see that the museum is definitely worth a visit. Here’s Mr. Sternberg himself — or at least a model of him — showing how archaeologists and paleontologists work. All dirt and dust has to be cleaned away from the fossil very carefully so there’s no damage. Fossils tell us more all that we can know about what life was like before human beings were around to see and record the world. Being very careful and accurate is super important!
There are a number of permanent exhibits that show what Kansas looked like long before people came to see it. The “Titans of the Ice Age” exhibit shows the prehistoric animals that lived here during the last Ice Age, along with some modern animals that are similar to them.
The modern lion, for example, is similar to the ancient lion which we know only from fossils.
Before the Ice Age, dinosaurs roamed what would later become Kansas. Pteranodons are a special focus at the Sternberg, which has an exceptional collection of materials relating to these flying dinosaurs, the forerunners of modern birds.
You can also play video games designed to help visitors understand what like would have been like for the dinosaurs, and to get a sense of these large animals as animals, rather than cartoon monsters. Using joysticks, visitors can make decisions based on the environment and the sensory information available to the dinosaurs.
Traveling back even further in time, we come to the days when Kansas was under the sea.
It can be hard for kids to imagine that the places where they live were once covered by oceans, but the Sternberg has extensive interpretive materials which help visitors understand this more fully.
There are also temporary exhibits. When FreshPlans visited, there was an exhibit about rattlesnakes.
There were live snakes as well as interpretive exhibits that explained about the morphology, habitat, and habits of the rattlesnake, as well as their relationships with humans.
There were quite a few more live animals, and it was nice to see the modern animals along with those that are extinct. The sheer variety of exhibits kept the interest level high.
The Discovery Room is a great hands-on area with lots to see and do. There are many educational programs, from guided hikes to sleepovers, for schools and for families.
If you find yourself in Hays, do not fail to visit the Sternberg.
The post FreshPlans Visits the Sternberg Museum of Natural History appeared first on FreshPlans.
A recent visit to San Francisco inspired me to think about oral story telling, publishing, an persuasive writing. Here are five things my trip left me thinking about. PLUS, leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win a copy of a new picture book from Chronicle Books.
We have blogged about our field trip adventures before - Library Stars for 2nd graders (now in it's third year), and our two new additions: Library Sneakers for 2nd graders and 7th grade tours. These intensive field trips aim to introduce the kids to the library and its resources in a fun (but focused way) that is choreographed so expertly it looks like we are making it all up as we go. Let me talk about this from the perspective as a manager of our department.
The field trips take a ton of hidden-to-all-but-us work and preparation. We get class lists from the school, look up each and every student for fines and whether they have a card, drop off and pick up new card registrations, set a 2-month storytime hiatus to accommodate the twenty + tours, forgive all but cost-of-book fines for all children – and offer “Fresh Start” cards and forgiveness to parents of kids with COBs – create special bookmarks, write the scripts, recruit from among staff outside the department to have the 3 field trip leaders and desk coverage (and few, if any, twelve hour days or split shifts).
On the day of the field trip, each librarian guide knows her part and is committed to hitting their mark. Classes are split in three and rotated among the librarians (one does book talks, one does a YS intro tour, one does a “secret background”). If we stray off the clock, one group has to wait. Uh-uh. Not gonna happen. There is also improvisation (the group is late but has to leave at the same time; the kids can't focus so we decrease the time free-exploring the books and collections) that flows smoothly because the staff is ready.
The results are worth every bit of background prep - seeing new faces at the library, knowing kids understand just a bit more about how we work and the way accompanying parents and teachers get excited and look forward to these trips. We get an excellent rate of returns (kids who come back get book bags or a special star), the preschool parents who have to forego storytime are grudgingly understanding and staff throughout the library are super supportive.
Our first year was grant funded; our second funded by the schools and the third year our school coordinator and I had talked about the library splitting the costs. The financial pressures on the district are as keen as those we feel at the public library. It's a small thing to prioritize this support . Shall we spend, for each grade level, $500 of our programming money on busing that reaches 1200 kids or hire 3-4 performers for the same cost, far fewer in attendance and no message about libraries or what we do? Hmmm. Snap! We know the answer to THAT!
And then you get this message below (in answer to our query on what we owe for half of this year's busing) from the school coordinator and every piece of this is even more powerful:
I'm so glad everything went well and that our families are finding value in our community libraries. I know you sincerely want to help with the cost, but it is not necessary. We budgeted for the buses and all went well. The time your staff spends with our students and staff at our elementary and middle schools more than covers the 'in kind' cost of traveling to get to the libraries! Your work with Central HS is also very appreciated and we're working on the ways to get you connected at Logan High as well for next year! This is how partnerships work, in our humble opinion.
We'll budget for the trips again next year -- it is so worth it for our kids!
(and in a PS to our director, she wrote:Iknow that you are fully aware of the value of your staff, but I just want to tell you once again what a great group of professionals you have -- their commitment to our community is over and above most. If at anytime you want to highlight this partnership at one of your library board meetings -- happy to stop by and have our teachers/kids tell their stories!)
As a manager, I am intensely proud of my whole crew. I open doors and support their work, play devil's advocate to hone the process, help connect the right team member to the work or piece of the work that best fits their skills and talents. All the rest, ALL THE REST, is done by the team. To step back and see them all step up is what I am there for. And, as a manager, to read that support for their efforts from our school peers is all I need at the end of the day. Thank you Linda, Celine, Sara, Brooke and Emily (and my management colleague Jen) for what you do.
By the end of next week, most of the schools are out for summer. My stepson has his last day TODAY! One of my best friends and her kids are already on their way to Disney World. So what are you doing this summer?
I’m hoping, especially if you are a teacher/parent reading this blog, that your plans include reading. I was just thinking today about what we are going to get my stepson to read this summer. He is a bit of a reluctant reader, and I may just grab graphic novels at the local library. This way, he can read, and we can still discuss story elements–but it won’t be a battle each time. How many of you are doing a summer reading program? For your kids? For yourself?
One REALLY cool program that actually doesn’t have to do with books, but I think it is super cool AND EDUCATIONAL, so I am sharing it here anyway is. . .Blue Star Museums. From the website about BSM: “What is Blue Star Museums?”
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment of the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,500 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 28, through Labor Day, September 3, 2012.
Yes, you read that correctly–if you are currently active duty, you can go to any of these museums and pay NO ADMISSION for up to 6 people (military and five family members–including grandparents, aunts, uncles). That is amazing and quite a savings. This means children’s museums, fine arts museums, history and science museums, zoos, and more. For more information, go to the website: Blue Star Families. You do need a military ID to take advantage of the discount.Please pass the word on to any military family you know!
Even if you are not military, consider taking your children or summer school class to these types of places a few times this summer. GO ONLINE before you go–to the website or do a Google search–and find discounts. Often, children’s museums, zoos, science centers, etc will have certain days or hours with free admission or even coupons for special exhibits/parking and so on.
I’d love for you to come back and share with us here anything you do, any opportunity you find, and so on–anywhere in the US. I have readers across the country!
So, this summer–happy reading and happy museum-going!
We are going full-tilt with our
Library Stars 2nd grade field trip adventures. By the end of the week we will have seen kids from five of the eleven schools who will eventually come before May. We are super happy that all the thought and planning has resulted in a great program and many return visits so far from our "Stars".
By dividing each group into three, all kids get to experience each piece of the tour as a small group which leads to alot of spontaneity and sparks interest. That brief 15 minutes per "station" provides a glimpse at the collections in Youth Services; some lively booktalks of high interest books, and a background look at the parts of the library that only staff gets to see. I want to expand on this last component because it has been such a fun part of the adventure.
We start at Circ and let the kids see how a book comes through the book drop into a comfy, lined bin. They learn that over 3,000 books a day are checked out and returned and get to see the busy Circ workroom where books are staged to go back on the shelves or shipped to other libraries with faraway names like Black River Falls, Mindoro or Viroqua. We open the door to the outside bookdrop and let them know that we empty those books every four hours to avoid puking bookdrops.
Then, on to the adult area where they walk past the Reference desk and into the back storage shelves for both Reference and Archives. That's where we have the slick movable shelving with hand cranks. We explain that this is where we keep lots of the history of our community but the shelves are scrunched together - only Harry Potter's Knight Bus could get between the shelves unless we crank them open. They love that demo.
We head over to Tech Services to see the boxes of new material ready to be opened (like Christmas every day!) and the carts of new books ready to get cataloged and "dressed" with labels, stamps and plastic jackets. We tell them that we choose all the books, CDs and DVDs to buy for the library and spend about $8,000 every month on new materials. If we have time, we open the door to the busily humming server room, show them the old mini dumb waiter elevator used for book delivery and then whisk them back down to the Children's Room.
The kids are wide-eyed amazed to see what goes on in the library and staffers in those departments enjoy having a spotlight on their often unseen and under-appreciated work. It's fun to insert a few facts along the way as well.
Do you have favorite background tours? What stuff do you show?
Next week marks the beginning of our field trip adventure for all second graders in our community.
The idea was hatched at a meeting between our public library youth librarians and our school district's LMC folks. Our LMC colleagues came up with the grade level suggestion and we looked into how to make it happen. We wrote and received a mini-grant from our local Community Foundation (combined with a small starter grant from our local Parents magazine
Coulee Parenting Connection) to help us fund buses for so all kids could visit the Main Library Youth Services area. The schools collaborated by providing us with class lists so we could forgive outstanding fines and send library registrations out before the tours.
When we wrote the grant, we noted that only 25% of our community's kids participate in SLP. And no wonder - as we are going through the school lists, almost half the kids don't even have cards. Those are statistics we want to turn around.
We are making this into a mega-big deal. We want to introduce the kids to the library but also encourage return visits to check out books. We are calling the kids "
Library Stars" and using that as a thematic thread. Stars are on the specially designed registration forms, bookmarks and in the room. Kids who return to the library once and check out material will receive a cool flashing star pin. After three return visits between the time of the tour (scheduled in February - May) and August, families can enter their names into a drawing to win a free night at a Marriot Hotel.
The nuts and bolts of the
field trip: we plan to welcome the kids and then divide the groups in three, with each group rotating between the three activities: a tour of the Children's area; booktalks/stories; "background" tour of Tech and Circ. And, of course, there will be free time just to explore as well.
We have created a simple database to trace return visits and see if this kind of initiaitive results in better use of our library. We think it will!
By: Maryann Yin,
on 12/19/2011
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Scholastic has launched a special educational website called “Teaching with Brian Selznick.” The free site offers virtual field trips of New York City’s American Museum of Natural History, the inspiration for Brian Selznick‘s latest illustrated novel, Wonderstruck.
The website also contains classroom resources for both Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabret. In the video embedded above, Selznick takes viewers a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum.
Here’s more from the release: “The virtual field trip, which is also available in closed caption, is hosted by Selznick and museum president Ellen V. Futter, and takes students on a tour through three exhibits in the museum: the Wolf Diorama, the Ahnighito Meteorite, and the Giant Anopheles Mosquito, all prominently featured in Wonderstruck. Students will also learn about the museum’s history, exhibits, and collections from a museum curator, an exhibitions manager, and a senior scientist.”
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Where have I been? Around. Just not around the computer, I guess. Now that the computer isn't in the Family Room, I just...forget about it more.
We took a (relaxing) vacation to AZ, where the kids swam every day, several times per day.
We've gone on some field trips. This is the Place Heritage Park is shown below.
Mostly, though, we're just following our homeschool routine, while my belly continues to expand. I'm quite round, actually. Ask my doc. Baby is poised to about 9 pounds, and apparently I'm at the upper limit of fluids in there, too. So, until Christmastime, I'm doomed to waddle.
I do have some things to say, though. Don't I always? And new books to review. So, I'll still be around. And next time I waddle into the office, I'll drop in to say hi. :)
Our Sub Zero Ice Cream field trip was AWESOME. Honestly, it was up there with my favorites. Playing with liquid nitrogen was exciting and educational...and something I never would have attempted with the kids at home...even if it didn't cost hundreds of dollars.
The manager, Royal, gave each group a small bowl of liquid nitrogen, which was placed inside a bigger stainless steel bowl. Everyone took turns touching it. You have to be quick. If you touch it too long, it will hurt, and then freeze your finger off...literally.
We froze some little candies and marshmallows and then threw them to make them shatter.
This picture was right after Bubs spilled liquid nitrogen on himself. Um, yeah.
Did you know that liquid nitrogen boils below room temperature? It's crazy! While it sat there in the bowls, it slowly rose to a boil...although it was still
15 Minutes Outside: 365 ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids
by Rebecca P. Cohen
There is probably a guide for just about everything with 365 ideas. Usually they don't interest me very much.
This title caught my eye, though, because who doesn't want to spend more time with their kids outside?
Unlike most 365 idea guides I've seen, I pretty much read this one straight through. It is packed with motivation for getting the family out into the sunshine (or rain or snow).
Rebecca Cohen decided to take her children outdoors every day for a year. The results were better than she expected. They created hundreds of positive family memories and the kids learned to get along better.
Her ideas are simple and easy and done with things most people have around the house. They are organized by month and day. The book is geared toward parents with young children.
A few of the ideas that stood out include...
January 21st: "Stage a Flashlight Drama Outside. If you have flashlights and glow sticks at home, your kids can stage a fantastic outdoor display after the sun goes down."
September 18th: "Make Time for Reflection. On occasion, I will suddenly notice a beautiful reflection of puffy clouds in a window I pass by on the street, or my kids will notice their reflection in my sunglasses. Raindrops, puddles, or a nearby pond or a creek offer beautiful reflections too. Play a game where you count how many reflections you can see...The kids can draw pictures of their favorite reflections."
October 7th: "Create then Hide Pumpkin Faces...Each child pains a face on her pumpkin. Then, take and print photos of each face or draw quick renditions on paper. While the kids are busy with snacks, hide the pumpkins. Give each child the picture of their pumpkin that they need to find."
Scheduling1. Call the venue where you want to go in advance. Some places require a lot of notice, and some aren't ready far in advance. Your best bet is to call a month or more before, and then if they don't plan that far out, you call again as the desired date approaches. Be open to their schedule if possible. Be prepared with an estimate of the number of participants. Ask about group rates/field trip rates.
2. Give everyone a calendar of scheduled events, and then remind them as the field trip approaches. On the schedule, be sure to include the name of the venue, the address, the date and time, the price, and any other important info. Also include your contact info in case they get lost or need to cancel.
3. When my kids were little, I led a playgroup. Every other week was a field trip, while the alternating weeks were park days/play dates in homes. It was a great experience, but the field trip costs added up. I tried to incorporate as many free activities as possible, such as nature walks.
Now I organize a monthly field trip for our homeschool co-op. Once a month feels like a better amount for my family at this time.
Collecting Money
Some venues require that everyone pay as a group. This can be the hardest part of planning an event. If you have to pay together, have everyone mail you or hand you their money in advance. Keep a list of everyone you are expecting, and check off their names as you receive their money. I also like to keep a tally of the total number of people for ease of paying. If the price is different for adults and children, keep separate tallies for them. You may want to require that everyone pay you in cash so you can include it when you pay for the group.
Discuss Respect
Sometimes it is necessary to briefly talk to the kids about how they should behave while on the field trip. On a recent visit to the police station, it was necessary to be very quiet, so we wouldn't disturb the dispatchers. Talk about showing respect for your guides and following their rules.
Have Fun
Stay together. Have plenty of adults. It helps if the adults are engaged in the field trip, as well. Their interest will rub off on the kids.
Does anyone else have tips for planning field trips for large groups?
Robby likes to joke that we can't buy a house that isn't near any museums. That's not actually far from the truth. We love our field trips. Here is a list of some we have enjoyed...
1. Visit a fire station. Call ahead for a tour.
2. Police station. Watch out...they might lock you up.
3.
California Pizza Kitchen. Ask about tours and making personal pizzas.
4. Museums. Obviously. We are near several Universities, all of which have museums.
5. Local Grocery store. We have one nearby that does tours through the store, into the storerooms, and through the refrigerators. Then, they give everyone soft serve! It's a big hit.
6.
Sub Zero Ice Cream. This one is coming up. They freeze your ice cream in front of you with liquid nitrogen. Makes a great science lesson! And the fresh ice cream, Oh My. So Yummy.
7. Beautiful places in nature. Ours usually include Daddy and water with fish in it.
8. Plays.
9. Library events.
10. Pumpkin Patches/Corn Mazes in fall
11. Farms.
12. Factories.
13. Churches.
14. Historical Sites.
15.
Pick-Your-Own produce places. This is an all-time favorite for us!
16. Tumbling gyms.
17. Model Train show.
18. The zoo.
19. The aquarium.
20. Train rides.
21. Skiiing
22. Roller Skating.
23. Ice Skating.
24. Nickel Arcade.
25. Space center.
26. Small airports.
27. Aviaries.
28. Mines.
29. Printing Presses.
30. Newspapers.
31. TV stations.
32. Planetariums.
33. State capital.
34. Bakeries.
35. Fish hatcheries.
36. Candy factory.
37. Gardens.
38. Hospitals.
39. Water parks.
40. Ice castles.
41. Christmas light displays.
42. Water treatment facility.
43. Caves.
44. Nature trails.
45. State parks.
46.
Deseret Industries or other thrift stores/donation centers.
47. Soup kitchens.
48. Local fairs and carnivals.
49. Post Office.
50. IMAX movies.
51. Dollar movies.
52. The Symphony.
53. Choir shows.
54. Disneyland.
55. Farmers Market.
56. Nursing homes.
57. Colleges.
58. Animal festivals. We have a llama fest, sheep shearing festival, dairy festival...
59. Waterfalls.
60. Trails.
61. Banks.
62. Ethnic restaurants.
63. Nursery.
64. Dams.
All, right. There are a couple here we haven't done yet.
Here's a picture of our latest...
Disneyland. Looks exciting, huh?
Tomorrow, I'll share tips for planning field trips for large groups...which I've done a LOT. See you then.
This summer (which is insanely almost over!!!), the boys (excluding Y) went on their yearly backpacking/fishing trip. It looks like a lot of fun, doesn't it? On the way home, Robby called, and when I asked how it went, he said, "Ohhhh. It couldn't have been a more perfect trip."
I'm glad they had such a fun bonding experience.
Next up, I get to bond with Robby. He's planning to take me on a backpacking/fishing trip sometime soon. I'm excited (and a little nervous....) He says I have to leave my books at home because we are going to be doing some serious fly fishing.
I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sneak one in, though.
I'll let you know how it goes.
We took a field trip last week to Daddy's work, because the Y-Y--that boy LOVES trucks. He pretty much said, Oh Wowowowowowowowowow! the entire time (except when Daddy pulled the big horn...oops.)
Daddy's a salesman...a good (and not-annoying) one. BUT, sometimes he likes to refer to himself as Crazy Bob, the Used Car Salesman.
The other night, we were all talking about Crazy Bob, when Y-Y got in on the action and started saying, "Bob, Bob, Bob". We were all highly amused, so Y calls everything Bob now to make us giggle.
The convo usually goes like this...
Mom: What's you name, Y?
Y: Bob.
Mom: Who are you calling?
Y: Bob.
Everyone: Snicker. Snicker.
We went to this gorgeous apple orchard. Usually the family sells their apples. This year, they have decided to let anyone have them for free because of the hard economic times. They should go straight to heaven when they die. They are angels.
I'm sure I'll be posting some apple projects and recipes soon!
I organized this homeschool field trip to Cornbelly's. It didn't seem like a big deal, until SEVENTY people showed up! I'm happy to live in a place where there are so many homeschoolers to befriend!
Before our little last minute trip, we spent hours dreaming at VacationRentals.com. We rented
this adorable (if tiny) beach house, which by-the-way, (if you have a million dollars laying around) is for sale.
If you are spur-of-the-moment people like us, you can get a great deal by calling around to places with a few open days right away. We also went THE DAY rates turned to 'off-season' prices...hence, perfect summery warmth for fall prices.
Beach House v. Hotel
This was my first experience with a beach house. I loved the privacy of it all. The quaintness. The not-walking-down-an-ugly-hall-to-an-ugly-room. The fifties style. The full kitchen.
And, above all, the homey feel.
One of the great side-effects of homeschooling/having an entrepreneurial husband is that you can wake up one day and say, "Let's go to the beach."
Laguna Beach, CA to be exact. Ahhhhhh. Beautiful. Rejuvenating. Warm. Peaceful.
Perfect.
(More about our trip to come.)
As schools across the country throw open their doors to millions of smiling and anxious faces this fall, Target is helping to ensure that these smiles are not dampened by our challenging economic climate.
Since 2006, Target’s Field Trip Grants program has promoted the importance of enhancing students’ studies outside the classroom by providing more than 729,000 students with the opportunity to go on a field trip. With 5,000 grants of up to $800 now available, Target is seeking to “Take Education on the Road” by covering the cost of transportation, entry fees, supplies and resource materials for classroom field trips. Educators are encouraged to apply online at Target.com/fieldtrips through November 3, 2009 for the opportunity to receive funding.
This effort continues Target’s ongoing commitment to supporting education and bolstering communities. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks to hear about First Book’s exciting work with Target this fall in Title I schools across the country!
We were thrilled when Uncle Terry and Aunt Marissa invited us to go raspberry and blackberry picking with them. We made the short drive over to McBride Berry Patch in Mapleton. You can find the info here at PickYourOwn.org.
The day was cold and rainy, but we were all way to excited to be deterred.
I told Welly to wear long pants, so she asked, "Can I at least wear a skirt over my pants?" :)
Anyway, we picked tons of berries at 3 bucks/pound. (Anyone have a great recipe they want to share?)
Then (while I fed Why-Why in the car), the troops ventured into other parts of McBride farm. The McBrides (who I totally adored, by the way) told them to help themselves to some tomatoes and onions.
Don't these look awesome? Oh yeah, the onions, too.
We had such a lovely time. Truly. That was one of my favorite family outings EVER. Go check out McBride Berry Patch if you're local.
I'm sure we'll be going back!
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Is your school’s location on this map? Does it look as though the land where your school sits used to be under the sea?
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