I remember when I was in pre-school
visiting the city jail and fire station when I was four years old. One of the
most vivid memories of this trip was the fact that both of these facilities
were located across the street from the church school I attended and our whole
class had to walk across the street. That must have been a big deal for me
because I still remember that to this day, but I also remember meeting the
police officers and fire fighters and the big red fire truck in the station. It
was neat to look around the stations and walk through the jail. I remember
feeling quite scared and holding my best friend, Sara’s, hand. She was never
scared of anything. I think it is important for children to get out in the
world and see these things first hand like we used to.
When I taught in the public school,
I was discouraged every year as field trips were cut to fewer and
fewer until we just had one due to budget cuts. It is really sad that when
there’s a budget crunch, it always seems like the most beneficial forms of
education get cut (field trips, the arts, etc.).
It makes me happy that I home
roadschool
Caleb and Lily Anne. They really get to see and be out in the world first hand.
Today, was a field trip day to the Children’s Museum of the Highlands. They
have a “Tot Time” where a teacher reads a book, sings songs, plays some games,
and does a craft with the kids. It’s a really nice
program. Today was Caleb’s first day and while he didn’t participate too much
this time, I know with another visit or two he will be taking over the
classroom. I watched him as he observed the other children dancing with
scarves, studied the teacher’s reactions to him (she was
great by the way) and listened to everyone singing. He was
absorbing it all in. One area he did jump right into was the craft, probably because we do so many
together at home he felt very comfortable with this, not that we don’t sing and
dance, but there aren’t any other children around except Lily Anne…
After “Tot Time,” he explored the
museum. It’s a lot like the Interactive
Neighborhood for Kids that we visited in Gainsville,
GA about 2 months ago. It has a grocery store, a train that moves when you push
the button, a real airplane, race car, fire truck, mail jeep, a water play
area, life-size bubbles area, and so much more! He played, he explored, and he
learned more than I know in these few hours. It was a good day…
But that was just the planned field
trip… As we were walking down the street
to a local diner for lunch, Caleb pointed and said, “Fire truck… Wooo
Wooo.”
We all looked down the street and there was a fire truck pulled out in front of
the station. We weren’t in a hurry, so we walked down to get a closer look. We
met two firemen working on the truck. One offered to let Caleb sit in the fire
truck. I whipped out my camera and started taking pictures when he offered to
get a picture of the whole family. Then, while we took a look at the ladder
truck, rescue truck, and 2 other fire trucks they had stationed there, the
fireman ran inside and got Caleb a sticker badge and fire safety magnet. Caleb
wore his badge proudly all day! The fireman gave us a brief tour inside the
station where there are poles to slide down and more trucks out back! It was a
very exciting day!
I encourage homeschooling parents
and even public school teachers to contact your local civil services to see if
they provide tours and can talk to your child(ren)/students
about their profession. It is so much better to see these community helpers
first hand in their place of business.
Blessed Learning ~
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