Field Trip Day! Yeah, you'll laugh...and then be glad it wasn't you!

Oh Mylanta!  Actually, it's more - Oh, Aleve!  

I AM SO TIRED!!!

...and to think, I didn't even have all my students today since in March the office gave us permission to have families sign a behavior contract.  

Basically it meant that parents needed to sign a sheet of paper that said they understood their child would not be eligible to attend the field trip if their child received 2 or more referrals, or a suspension before the field trip.  It was written by the entire grade level as well as administration.

  Those ineligible kids stayed behind with their soon to be next year's teachers (but they don't know that part yet) to complete the 7 hour Roller Coaster Sub Plan.  It was so easy having this as their project of the day.     

So between 2 non eligible children, 1 child who never brought it back signed, and an absent child, I only had 28 children that went with me (and 5 chaperones) on our field trip to our state capitol.

Last year we got to be fancy and ride on a charter bus - complete with air conditioning and a DVD player since the school busses were completely booked.  This year we were told that we had to take a school bus.  Needless to say it wasn't as comfortable a trip.  

But it was $100 cheaper, so we lived with it.

A little about my trip - I'm sure someday I will smile :)

*We were on the freeway and the trunk of the bus flew open - 

so we had to pull off on the shoulder to have the driver get out to shut it.

*At the first museum it was interesting, though freezing cold, and the kids had fun wandering around with their chaperones doing a scavenger hunt.  I never take a group since I'm the official fixer-of-all-problems. 

totally not my picture...

*Even with the big museum of wonder, I think the kids most liked looking out the window and seeing a policeman riding a horse.  It was random, at least until we realized what was going on down the street.

*I bought a ton of stuff but I justified it as I am using it to further my 

future students' educational experiences.

another totally not my picture - but imagine this covered with tents.  Can't show my own picture with all the cute kiddo faces.  

*  We did the block walk down to the capitol - which had a ton of tents up.  Don't know what they were protesting/celebrating/etc... don't know if I really want to know.  Just glad to be able to take my picture of the kiddos with the capitol in the background.  Instant student gift!

*Then we went onto our next stop - the State Indian Museum which is located right next to Sutter's Fort.  We didn't get to go into the fort today, but it was alright.  Instead we saw the tiniest woven baskets in the world - seriously, you need a microscope to view them.  There was other cool stuff too.    

*Before we headed inside the museum we ate lunch at the park.  Lots of kids actually listened to me when I told them to pack a plastic garbage bag to sit on.  My bag became the trash bag for everyone.  It was during lunch that a random duck decided to walk by, and then the poor bird was chased by half my students.  I never thought I would have to yell, "Stay away from the duck!"  

All in all a good day!