Here is a slideshow of two of the final field trips, Colossal Caves and Lake Pleasant. Hope everyone had fun, it was a pleasure to meet all of you! Have a great summer!
http://www.joshuawhitephotography.com/fieldtrip2/
Mr. Josh
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Special Kids Graduate from All Field Trip University
Seriously, what adult in their right mind would sign up to take nine different field trips on a school bus over the span of twelve days with a group of twenty kids? Oh, and did I mention that one of the kiddos had autism and epilepsy, as well? Turns out it is your right brain that leads you down this sort of path, the road less traveled.....your rational, analytical, logical left brain would never go there.
What first presented as a challenge or a problem for me turned into a wonderful opportunity. I signed all three of my kids up for All Field Trip University. My oldest son is a special kid who often needs a little more help because autism and epilepsy get in the way of him being able to fully participate in some activities. I fully intended to have an aide accompany him but as things turned out I became that aide.
We traveled more than 1000 miles on that school bus. Our adventures took us north of Flagstaff to the Wupatki National Monument and as far south as Vail to the Colossal Cave Mountain Park. We learned about ancient peoples at the Heard Museum and got to witness the miracle that is the birth of a new calf at Superstition Farms. Every trip offered the opportunity to learn new things, enjoy the beauty of Arizona, and appreciate the rich geologic and human history of our state. We learned a lot by experiencing, exploring and absorbing and adapting.
And through it all this wonderful group of explorers welcomed a boy who could not talk, who often acted strangely and who always had to have his mom hanging around. For some of the children it may have been the first time thay spent that much time in the company of a "speciall kid", others told me they had friends or classmates who had autism or where otherwise different than them. They asked questions, they made comments, sometimes they just had to stare and puzzle over how someone could be like that. But most of all they simply accepted and ultimately embraced that boy who was always quite a bit different than them.
To the parents of all the children in All Field Trip University - you can be proud of your young people. They were avid explorers and genuinely nice to be around. To parents of other "special kids" - think about this opportunity for your children. Sure, it may not always be easy, some modifications and contigency planning was needed, but I think we worked it out so everyone had a good experience. Your children are in great hands with Ms. Liz. She gives Miss Frizzle of Magic School Bus fame a run for her money.
What first presented as a challenge or a problem for me turned into a wonderful opportunity. I signed all three of my kids up for All Field Trip University. My oldest son is a special kid who often needs a little more help because autism and epilepsy get in the way of him being able to fully participate in some activities. I fully intended to have an aide accompany him but as things turned out I became that aide.
We traveled more than 1000 miles on that school bus. Our adventures took us north of Flagstaff to the Wupatki National Monument and as far south as Vail to the Colossal Cave Mountain Park. We learned about ancient peoples at the Heard Museum and got to witness the miracle that is the birth of a new calf at Superstition Farms. Every trip offered the opportunity to learn new things, enjoy the beauty of Arizona, and appreciate the rich geologic and human history of our state. We learned a lot by experiencing, exploring and absorbing and adapting.
And through it all this wonderful group of explorers welcomed a boy who could not talk, who often acted strangely and who always had to have his mom hanging around. For some of the children it may have been the first time thay spent that much time in the company of a "speciall kid", others told me they had friends or classmates who had autism or where otherwise different than them. They asked questions, they made comments, sometimes they just had to stare and puzzle over how someone could be like that. But most of all they simply accepted and ultimately embraced that boy who was always quite a bit different than them.
To the parents of all the children in All Field Trip University - you can be proud of your young people. They were avid explorers and genuinely nice to be around. To parents of other "special kids" - think about this opportunity for your children. Sure, it may not always be easy, some modifications and contigency planning was needed, but I think we worked it out so everyone had a good experience. Your children are in great hands with Ms. Liz. She gives Miss Frizzle of Magic School Bus fame a run for her money.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Every Thing
I've had a lot of fun on all the field trips. I would like to thank my friends Derek, Jonathon, Maria, Asher, Alex, and Griffin!!!!!! The person I would like to thank the most is Ms.Liz because she is great, funny, and allways smilling. Also Mr. Josh because we was nice and allways making me laugh.
Sincerely, Anthony Silveri #22
Sincerely, Anthony Silveri #22
All Field Trip University!
All Field Trip University was so much fun! I can't wait until next year. I might go. I made new friends had a great time. I only went for a week, but I had a great time. I'd like to thank my aunt for paying for me to go. THANK YOU!!!! I'll miss all my friends that I made like Shannan, Hannah, Jonathon, Derek, and our awesome teacher Ms.Liz!!!!!!!
Maria
Maria
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Arizona Science Center
July 8, 2009
I thought that the Science Center was okay. I had been there for five days straight already, so I knew it inside out.
It was fun to go with friends, and friends made it different than my five days. That was cool.
It was so nice to be indoors too because it was so hot outside.
There are many interactive activies that kids can play with.
Yeah! I like the AZ Science Center.
Hannah
I thought that the Science Center was okay. I had been there for five days straight already, so I knew it inside out.
It was fun to go with friends, and friends made it different than my five days. That was cool.
It was so nice to be indoors too because it was so hot outside.
There are many interactive activies that kids can play with.
Yeah! I like the AZ Science Center.
Hannah
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
McDowell Aquatic Park
July 7, 2009
I thought that this water park was so much fun, especially because it was hot, and it was a good way to cool off.
There was a water slide, a lazy river, a pool that was really shallow then became about four feet deep. This was a very enjoyable water park.
You should go!!!!
Hannah
I thought that this water park was so much fun, especially because it was hot, and it was a good way to cool off.
There was a water slide, a lazy river, a pool that was really shallow then became about four feet deep. This was a very enjoyable water park.
You should go!!!!
Hannah
Monday, July 6, 2009
No Field Trip Is Without A Little Drama...
We have had a great time this year with All Field Trip University. If you have been reading our blog you know we've seen a ghost town, been stranded on a bus for a million hours, and seen some incredible art at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts. It's been a great time, and I had a hard time believing that this week could top last week. I was wrong.
Today we climbed aboard our very air conditioned school bus and headed over to Mesa to see the Superstition Farm. What an adventure. We began our tour with a bit of information about dairy cows. We were told what they eat, how much they eat (50 lbs per cow per day), and how much milk they produce. We saw how big their pills are when they are sick, and saw how big the needles are when they have to have a shot. The pills were at least 2 or 3 inches long and an inch thick and the needles were 5 times the size of a needle we would have! Neither pill or shot looked particularly pleasant. We looked at the types of foods they eat, and we learned that each of the 1000 cows on the farm have a large magnet in their stomachs' to help if they should swallow any foreign things. There were buckets of ground wheat, distilled corn remains, and the most surprising, cotton seeds. We were told that the cows eat a lot of things that are left from other things, such as the corn. It was incredibly interesting. These cows are vegetarian cows. Afterwards we took a hay ride around the grounds and saw where they keep the hay and grains for the cows. We also saw a big tank that was filled with molasses and learned that the farmers use that to mix additional vitamins for the cows. On our tour we spotted a baby calf that had just been born. It was pretty exciting.
After our tour we found ourselves standing outside a pen of assorted animals. There were two miniature goats, two big goats, a donkey, and a sheepish sheep named Dory. We all got a few handfuls of food and got to feed the very hungry and greedy animals. A few of us also got to brush them. In addition there were a multitude of chickens that were calm enough to hold, and a couple of bunnies that we got to cuddle.
The highlight of the trip came when one of the farmers noticed that yet another cow was in labor. We were lucky enough to walk over to the fence just in time to see the baby be born. It was a beautiful baby girl and the farmers let us name her. As a group we decided the best name for the new baby calf was Summer.
No trip to a dairy farm is complete without tasting something from the cow, so we bellied up to the milk bar and had ourselves a delicious taste of flavored milks such as peach, cherry vanilla, orange cream, and lime. We also had the pleasure of having a taste of ice cream. It was a perfect way to end our perfect tour.
Before heading back to the bus, we made one more trip to see Summer. At just a few hours old she was able to take a few steps. We were all very happy to see her wobble around. We thanked the very nice people at the farms for a great day and climbed back aboard our bus. Many thanks to Superstition Farms for a wonderful day.
-Ms. Liz
Today we climbed aboard our very air conditioned school bus and headed over to Mesa to see the Superstition Farm. What an adventure. We began our tour with a bit of information about dairy cows. We were told what they eat, how much they eat (50 lbs per cow per day), and how much milk they produce. We saw how big their pills are when they are sick, and saw how big the needles are when they have to have a shot. The pills were at least 2 or 3 inches long and an inch thick and the needles were 5 times the size of a needle we would have! Neither pill or shot looked particularly pleasant. We looked at the types of foods they eat, and we learned that each of the 1000 cows on the farm have a large magnet in their stomachs' to help if they should swallow any foreign things. There were buckets of ground wheat, distilled corn remains, and the most surprising, cotton seeds. We were told that the cows eat a lot of things that are left from other things, such as the corn. It was incredibly interesting. These cows are vegetarian cows. Afterwards we took a hay ride around the grounds and saw where they keep the hay and grains for the cows. We also saw a big tank that was filled with molasses and learned that the farmers use that to mix additional vitamins for the cows. On our tour we spotted a baby calf that had just been born. It was pretty exciting.
After our tour we found ourselves standing outside a pen of assorted animals. There were two miniature goats, two big goats, a donkey, and a sheepish sheep named Dory. We all got a few handfuls of food and got to feed the very hungry and greedy animals. A few of us also got to brush them. In addition there were a multitude of chickens that were calm enough to hold, and a couple of bunnies that we got to cuddle.
The highlight of the trip came when one of the farmers noticed that yet another cow was in labor. We were lucky enough to walk over to the fence just in time to see the baby be born. It was a beautiful baby girl and the farmers let us name her. As a group we decided the best name for the new baby calf was Summer.
No trip to a dairy farm is complete without tasting something from the cow, so we bellied up to the milk bar and had ourselves a delicious taste of flavored milks such as peach, cherry vanilla, orange cream, and lime. We also had the pleasure of having a taste of ice cream. It was a perfect way to end our perfect tour.
Before heading back to the bus, we made one more trip to see Summer. At just a few hours old she was able to take a few steps. We were all very happy to see her wobble around. We thanked the very nice people at the farms for a great day and climbed back aboard our bus. Many thanks to Superstition Farms for a wonderful day.
-Ms. Liz
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