Today North skipped school and with Skyler and Reed met myself and the Woodside preschool class at the pumpkin patch.I always feel nervous before the first field trip of the year. I don't know how the class as a whole will behave, how helpful the parents will be, if I have remembered all the drinks, extra clothes, emergency forms that make up the large bag I carry with me. Today things went well. The kids were so well behaved. I always knew I had a great class this year, taking them on this trip has solidified my feelings about them. The kids listened well, found their pumpkins with the utmost care and participated in the weighing and measurement project. It was a great day.
We walked through a short corn maze before reaching the pumpkins. Our guide pointed out butterfly cocoons and stinging nettles on our way.
Snack time with our pumpkins. Doesn't North look like a little preschooler? I swear, from the first day we took him to his school, he has matured into this whole new, older person. He articulates his ideas differently and forms elaborate thoughts about a world that he sees. He loves, LOVES his teacher ( I can tell him that Jillian won't let him go to school if he doesn't...fill in the blank..... I love doing that.) But I haven't been sure about his understanding of me working as a teacher. He told today at bedtime that he knew that I was teaching preschoolers and I had invited him to attend our field trip, so the understanding is mostly there.
After the pumpkins, we had a little extra time before noon, so I called ahead to have the horse carousel opened early at the local car dealership. Most of the kids had ridden before with their families, but I still felt concern about the speed of the ride. I made sure each child was paired up with a standing adult next to their horse. No flying kids on my watch! Reed got a kick out of his conversations with the kids sitting with him on the bench. The yellow bench seats are good for the few kids that feel nervous. Once the ride had been going for awhile, these two kids perked back up and were all smiles. What a field trip; bravery and pumpkins all on one day.