Well after a few days to rest and reflect, how else can I say it but “Wow, what a great time, doing amazing things, with the best kids around!” Both of the 5th grade trips were wonderful. The trip to Williamsburg was full of incredible sites and images, including Mrs. Ferebee on trial for theft, but thankfully her jury of 5th graders found her not guilty and she is back in Fort Worth. One of the greatest highlights must have been the 3 Puritan ships at Jamestown that the students were able to board. They also enlisted in the military for an hour or so as well as got to see how difficult it was to live before electricity. The weather could not keep this group down…I think it fueled them to keep going and see what else was out there for them to conquer.
On the trip to the Outdoor School in Burton, those students came, saw and conquered different types of tasks, like climbing walls, help mazes, Cool Things in Nature and the all-important, trust in teambuilding. These junior scientists captured arthropods and then identified them using the Insects and Spiders of America catalog. They also got to walk through many acres of beautiful scenery, identifying flora and fauna as well as looking at their interactions. After these observations, they were challenged to make Art in Nature with the things that they could find, such as leaves, sticks, rocks, sand…leave it to their imagination and beautiful artwork was created!
There was no wrong choice here…I only wish I could have cut myself in half and regenerated another Mrs. Wilson, just like a planarian, so that I could have been in both places at once!
Barclay Wilson – 5th Grade