Transitions and field trips

We were talking to my daughter about our grandson finishing his elementary school year and moving on to grade seven. Transitions to high school is a big step forward for any young person and it can be scary, challenging and fun. However, before he moves up, he has one more field trip to take. In his school since he has been in grade four the school has held a yearly field trip for each grade, he has been in. Every year the grade six class gets to spend five days in Ballarat touring the city and the town of Sovereign Hills. They leave in about a week and the children will get the chance to o relive the Gold Rush of the 1850s and ’60s and learn about the significance of the Eureka Stockade. They will try their hand at panning for gold and discover through re-enactments and artifacts the days when gold nuggets could be unearthed with a pen knife! My wife and I visited Ballarat and Sovereign Hills about five years ago and there were hundreds of elementary school children enjoying the day. It will be a trip my grandson will remember for the rest of his life.

As we talked about the upcoming field trip for him, I thought about the memorable field trips I had been on when I was in school. we did not do overnight field trips when I was in school. The trips we had were day trips, but they were memorable. The most exciting trips I went on were arranged by our Science teacher. We were able to climb to the top of our local mountain and visit the Fire Look Out station. It was a full day trip, and it was fun as we walked up an old trail to the top. Near the top, all of us boys would race to see who would be the first to the top. Our own king of the castle. I think it was to impress the girls and I remember I never was first; I usually was in the top five. We did this trip three years in a row.

It was so much fun that when my wife (girlfriend at the time) came to my town to visit for the first time, we hiked up to the mountain. A great time and I think I impressed her as we were married two years later.

Another trip was for our year end party at the end of grade 9, we were all transitioning to the high school, so our teachers arranged a day at a resort on the south side of town. There was a swimming pool, a beach, picnic tables and a good time was had by all. What field trips leap to your mind when thinking about your school life?