Monday, November 1, 2010

Day 1

I am going to copy Middle Name Marie from Always a Reason to Run.  In her own words:
Last year, during the month of November, I completed 30 days of Thanks on my blog.  I am going to start it up again today.  Everyday during November, I am going to post about one thing I am thankful for: it can be serious, silly or simple.  I have so many reasons to be grateful; I want to share the gratitude.  I invite you to try it on your blog, too. Visit her blog to see how she began her thankful journey. I don't typically post every day so I may have to combine some days but here is my beginning. 


I am thankful for school field trips that go well.  Today we took our kiddos to visit  a museum which is an olden days working farm.  This may seem like an odd thing to do in Vermont but it is no longer the state with more cows than people and many kids never get to a farm.  The day was great from a peaceful bus ride (words I did not know could go together) to well behaved and interested kids at the farm.  


They learned about chickens and eggs.  Why are eggs a certain size and color? How many yolks does an chicken have at one time?  How long does it take to grow the shell?


They watched a cow being milked and learned the typical number of gallons of milk a cow produces in a day. Before we went into the barn the guide told them they would be seeing cows pee and poop so they could all go "Ewwww" and get it over with.  Of course some still had to exclaim inside or they wouldn't be 8 year olds.  The milk from these cows is mostly used to make Cabot cheese which hopefully some of you have had the pleasure to have.




They learned about ewes and rams and had the chance to pet a sheep.


At another station they watched a woman use a spinning wheel and they had the chance to practice carding wool.


We had one station inside on this very cold day where they used a churn to turn milk into butter. Later the butter was sampled on crackers.


And last but believe me not least they took a wagon ride behind two draft horses.  All thoughts of being cold vanished in the pleasure of this ride.


Then the bus ride home where I actually - GASP - fell asleep for a bit in the warmth and "quiet" of the bus!





18 comments:

Pahla said...

What a wonderful field trip, I think I would have enjoyed that one, too!

Christina said...

I always loved field trips when I was a little kid. :)
Sounds like a very educational school trip.

racing dawn said...

I love elementary school field trips! Especially when the kids are involved and interested! Love the November idea! So many things to be thankful for. :)

Chris K said...

I wish I could have gone on that field trip. Looks super neat.

kizzy said...

This post is great...looks like I'm also having a field trip by just looking at the pics...

--Kizzy marmot

Johann said...

Now that sounds good and certainly something to be grateful for. Great idea for the 30 days of November.

Ewa said...

I spent my childhood summer vacations on my aunt's farm. Best vacations ever. Now farms like that are gone and so is some simplicity and wholesomeness of farm life.
I like the gratitude idea.

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

Looks like a great school day! I just can't believe you fell asleep on a school bus!

Teamarcia said...

Love the thankfulness idea!
What an awesome trip!

Molly said...

I can't believe you fell asleep! That butter must have been gooood!

Anne said...

I used to always go when they asked for parent volunteers...loved field trips :)

Marlene said...

Falling asleep in a school bus filled with students is nothing short of a miracle!

RobinLK said...

Love field trips! I still plan them for my colleagues and teachers I support since I'm not in the classroom anymore. Learning experiences are F-U-N! And falling asleep just means you trust your little darlings. Always a good thing. :-)

I had been thinking (and writing drafts) about gratitude lately... would love to take yours and Middle Name Marie's lead and carry the Thankful 30 over to the Turtles blog. I'm seeing the idea turn up on a few others, too. Maybe we can start a movement.

*hugs* from Orlando!

Lindsay said...

Such a cool trip! I know I'm only 26 but I feel like kids these days aren't learning about and appreciating the past enough!

Katie A. said...

Just getting caught up! You have been busy!
I can't believe you a) have snow already! and b) you rode your bike in it! Let alone with out pants! Hard core!
Love the 30 of thanks, I'm going to keep this in the back of my mind all month, too.
I'm a total city girl, but that field trip looked fun!

RunToTheFinish said...

i love everyone that is doing this! how great to read such uplifting posts

i totally miss being able to get out of the city

Kate Geisen said...

It sounds like a GREAT field trip! And when they go well, ahhh, such a good experience. I love taking our students on field trips (field trip--singular--anymore), but I always breathe a sigh of relief when we're all back safe.

Anonymous said...

What a great trip! Thanks for bringing the kids to one of Cabot's cooperative farms. It was very educational for them, I'm sure!

~Jacquelyn