Below you will see student responses to a couple of questions I posed this morning. You will notice a range of answers. There are the answers we hope for, and answers that are truthful, and answers that remind us that the students are ten and eleven.
Something that is important to think about when we go on overnight trips are all the "side lessons" that are learned. While the farms, Little Kutztown Chapel, and Gettysburg were our destinations, how we got there and what we expected students to do when we were there are important life lessons.
On the bus students were expected to entertain themselves. They could bring books and crossword puzzles. For the many students who get carsick, self-entertainment brings its own challenges. They invented games, took naps, chatted, and watched the scenery roll by. For some students self-entertainment came easily, others truly struggled knowing what to do with themselves without electronic devices. Given our tour of Gettysburg, students were on the bus much longer than other years. We did decide to watch movies on the way home. And this provided students with a communal experience and much laughter instead of ending the trip grumpy and "bored".
What will you think of first when you think of 5th grade farm trip?
Memories of this year's farm trip
A cow
A trip to the farm
Ghost in the graveyard, flashlight tage, merry-go-round, volleyball, tetherball, Gettysburg
Gettysburg and farms
Mule eating another student's farm trip book
Cow Manure
Game night, fun, farms, Little Kutztown Family Dinner
flashlight tag and ping-pong
Why can't we sleep in?
outdoors
Sleep
Holding the rabbit
Ghost in the graveyard
Smell
What was the most important/valuable part of the farm trip?
Having a cabin and teachers
Learning about a different place or environment
Food food and budget
The money, because otherwise we wouldn't have been able to go on the trip
For me, Gettysburg was the most important
Gettysburg
The movies; they were fun.
Learning about farms, learning how they live, money (we wouldn't be able to go), sleep (we would all be cranky without it), food (we would be complaining about being hungry)
Fun, because if there was now fun, it would have been a boring trip
The most important part in my opinion was Auntie Joyce's. We had a lot of experiences working on a farm.
to enjoy and have fun, also learn about farms and Gettysburg
Sleep
Going to the Little Kutztown family dinner because 1) the mule wouldn't have eaten the student's homework 2) It was the best chance to see different lifestyles 3) We ate.
Going to Aunt Joyce's farm for the last time :( It was valuable to me to see her for the last time and saying goodbye, and being able to enjoy the memories of being there.
The learning: Geese don't like to be held, Eggs
