Thursday, October 24, 2013

Three Things Thursday

1. We went on a field trip today.  It started out quite good but then not so much.  My students' behavior was not what it should have been and made the day rather stressful when it should have been great.  We talked about it when we got back and tomorrow we're going to come up with ideas for a field trip contract.  Can't hurt to try.  Everyone agreed behavior could have been better. You always feel badly for those who do follow the rules and represent the school well.
A day in the woods should be pure delight full of new
learning and discoveries.


Look for the bird one of the students discovered.

This relay was a favorite that brought forth many broad smiles.

Today I learned how to measure the height of a tree with a
simple clinometer.  Pretty cool!

2. Today was freezing. I got up early to run and it was 27 degrees. IN.THE.DARK.  Which seems colder to me!  I wore more clothes than I have worn in quite some time. But that was nothing compared to what I wore on the field trip.  I knew we would be standing around outside for hours with no break. So I got out my long underwear. I wore heavy socks.  I had on thickish pants.  Then I wore a long underwear top, a long sleeve shirt, a 3/4 zip top,  a lightweight fleece jacket and a down jacket. Sounds ridiculous but it worked. I also wore mittens, a headband and a turtle fur.  
My plan was to ride my bike after school but I was THRILLED it was raining.  I was chilled for awhile and had no desire to go out biking. Will I get that ride in this week?  Who knows?  The weekend is supposed to be cold but then I can at least wait until the middle of the day when it is somewhat warmer.

3. I have discovered that I really like my in the dark early morning runs.  Once a week is enough but it's a nice break from my after school trips to the gym.  Today I was able to catch up (sort of) on a few things since I didn't bike after school and I had already run.  Next week is going to be very busy with parent conferences  and getting ready for a trip to the Pacific Northwest!!!  I'm telling myself it doesn't matter AT ALL what workouts I get in next week.  Are you anal about getting all the workouts you expect yourself to get in?  I am trying to get  better at realizing the world won't end if I miss one or two.  I just need to keep enjoying running, biking and swimming. I have no big races coming up which is making running more enjoyable right now as I have no need to get in long runs.  It's been too busy to get in long bike rides which I enjoy but that's how it is.  

I really got off my original topic with that last one........those fun in the dark runs.

10 comments:

Jill said...

And the behavior doesn't get any better at the high school level!

Johann said...

We were talking about bad behavior just last night. The kids have no discipline anymore. I love my cold, dark lonely early morning runs! :D My best runs!

christa said...

I don't like cold dark runs. Did it snow at your house yesterday?

Anonymous said...

Bring back the paddle! That'll learn 'em!

Kandi said...

I love the photos from the field trip, especially the woodpecker!

Char said...

I like the idea of a field trip contract. I think you should include something like 'if your behaviour is deemed undesirable by the teacher or any member of the public you will be tasered.' That might get them to smarten up their act without any loss of life. And just think of the fun Youtube videos you could post.

Cinthia said...

I missed my workout tonight and I'm sitting here eating popcorn, after just finishing off a big bowl of ice cream, and I don't feel one bit guilty. I will tomorrow, of course.
Love how much you wore for your field trip--too funny! Sorry the kids didn't behave. Maybe the cold weather brought out their wild streaks, eh?
Cheers and have a great weekend.

Half Crazed Runner said...

It hit 30*F in NJ today! I am not ready to run in this cold weather! The kids look adorable! Looks like a great field trip!

Black Knight said...

Beautiful photo of the field trip.
I like to run in the cold dark and also when it's (a little) rainy but I am sure that our cold is very different.
Have a good week end.

Fran said...

I don't really like running in the dark but I do it because I'm always glad I had my run in before work and don't have to worry about when I'm going to do it the rest of the day. Same goes for my other workouts: I do them early in the morning.

I used to feel guilty when I missed a workout but I don't anymore. I do want to pick up my running schedule again and I don't want to miss anymore runs from now on. But if necessary I switch a run to the next day and skip a home workout instead.