* What a FUN Field Trip * 

This year at co-op I'm teaching WA State History and this field trip was a must!!! I have 11 kids in my class ranging from 8th - 10th grade. Great group of kids :)

Our day started bright & early * 1 of the parents couldn't make it and so I offered to pick up her girls ~ they are pretty much on the way so it was no biggie. Then we headed off to Tacoma ~ it was a bit of a drive but with it being Friday my husband said that traffic would be light and......light it was! We made great time and we found the 'Free' Parking Garage! Love the FREE! And then we hopped on the FREE light rail which is right outside the parking garage and it took us right to the museum! So Love the FREE!!! Parking at the Museum costs around $8 for under 5 hours and about $11 for all day! So with that said my morning was starting off GREAT!!!

We were a bit early ~ because I was SO afraid of being late -- they said in TWO emails, and I quote, "If you are late to your scheduled lab your lab will be canceled." That's crazy but it is what it is. So needless to say we were early. It wasn't that bad at all -- we walked the "Glass Bridge" which was amazing and beautiful and something we will DEFINITELY go back to -- well not the "Glass Bridge" but the Glass Museum will be a MUST this school year! Everyone made it before 9:30 and we were escorted in the Museum and they went through all the rules. No coats, purses, backpacks, lunches.....yadyadyada.......so we put everything on a cart, got on our special museum tags and were off to the Facilitated History Lab.

It was a fun hour & 45 minutes -- I like that it was facilitated by a Museum "Teacher". The kids had a lot of fun - working together, trying to find clues to the MYSTERY of the VANISHING CITY......the parents had a different mystery to solve but the kids didn't know that it was different so they were kinda funny when we would walk by them. Some would jump up and down so we didn't see a clue they found it was funny. A bonus to the History Lab was our 'school' had the whole lab to themselves, so that was nice. Then we had lunch and visited for a 1/2 hour.

After that it was off to the "REAL" Museum......the layout is as big as a football field * BIG! It's awesome inside, kind of hard to describe because it's hands-on and then again it's not. I had a worksheet for the kids in my class which included 6 questions and 12 items for a Scavenger Hunt -- who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt :) I do! I do! I also gave the siblings who came a Scavenger Hunt that would take them through the entire museum -- that was so fun because it gave them something to do ~ ~ ~ smile!!!

The hardest part for my class was the last assignment they had -- I assigned them names of people, some were real people and some were made up people living in real times. They had to find these people read all the information about them and the time that they lived in and then answer certain questions about them. Sound easy? Well some of the answers aren't out-right given to them. They had to put themselves in that person's shoes -- read all about the time that they lived in and in some cases 'assume' certain things -- for example one of the questions was, Who are your friends? Well it doesn't say who your friends are -- you have to think about it. I found that the kids really wanted to have the answers given to them, not like they didn't want to work but they wanted to get it right....black & white. I basically spent a good hour going around to everyone encouraging them to 'get into that person's shoes" or "put on that person's hat" (wink!) All in all it was a good activity.

This Monday they have to come to class prepared to introduce themselves as the person they were assigned. It'll be fun to see their presentations. They have 2-5 minutes.

I was extremely blessed today ~ my husband was able to stay home with our youngest 2!! They had a great day together ~ going on a walk together *  they even took the dog!!! Playing outside in the          unofficial / official sandbox and E even got a nap! It was a FUN day with Dad for Noah & Elijah!

The weather is BEAUTIFUL ~ another PERFECT fall day out here!!!

Blessings,
EMichelle