A Tale of Two Field Trips

Since I am probably feeling just a tad guilty for being unable to go almost anywhere with my children for two months (if you're new to this blog, read this), I signed up as a chaperone for both of their recent field trips.   (Note:  A gecko just ran across the wall as I'm typing this!) 

So bright and early last Monday morning, I headed to the school to join Sophia and her 4th grade class on a trip to the Marina Barrage.  STOP...back up...Monday morning?  I don't even schedule a hair appointment on a Monday morning.  Even if we we have to eat cereal with water for dinner, I'm not going to the grocery store on a Monday.  Yes, yes, yes, I know Jason has to go to work, but let's face it - I'm useless on Mondays.  Putting on make-up and having to converse with 9 and 10 year-olds who are not mine is not on my to-do list.  However, watching the Vampire Diaries is.

Anyway, I got to the school and found a cozy spot in the outdoor "Parent Cafe" to sit and *wake the heck up* with a latte.  I've given up daily coffee here because I refuse to pay for it, so this plan actually worked! Forty-five minutes and some friendly conversation with another chaperone later and we we headed up to the classroom.  Sophia's teacher, Mr. Wood, then spent some time explaining the field trip.  The children were to bring their iPads, take pictures and notes and then later use the information to answer some questions.  Techonology in action!

So a short bus ride later we arrived at the Marina Barrage.  The Marina Barrage is a dam built at the confluence of five rivers and is Singapore's 15th reservoir. It provides water storage, flood control and recreation attractions.  It is also a popular place to fly kites!  The students had been studying how the distribution of resources affects communities, so this fit in nicely with the unit.  The facility really is impressive.  It includes huge outdoor spaces (with great city views), fountains for the kids, an art trail and a high-tech "Sustainable Gallery", which showcases the country's efforts to become environmentally sustainable.  Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly and he took the classes (two came, the other two were going another day) on a one-hour tour.

The tour guide discussing sustainability.

Sophia's friend, Saga, thanking the tour guide for the class.

The kids were very well-behaved and seemed to be interested in the tour.  Shockingly, not one iPad ended up in the reservoir.  Or was used as a weapon.  I did, however, catch one sneaky kid playing a game on his while the guide was talking.  Nice try though.  And I had to tell another one about 15 times to lower his voice.  The Jennifer you know (and hopefully love) is still alive and well. 

Today was Cooper's field trip (Thursday!!).  The day started out the same (Parent Cafe...latte to wake up), but the destination was different.  This time the buses (all five second grade classes attended this) headed to Changi Beach for clean-up duty.  Each grade has a volunteer project and the second grade will be doing three beach clean-ups throughout the year.  Armed with gloves and trash bags, the little ones set about to pick up "anything they could identify that wasn't broken glass".  I was hoping they wouldn't happen upon some used syringes, but we're not at the Jersey Shore circa 1988 so I felt pretty confident. On the other hand, it is the largest container port in the world, so just about anything else *does* wash up.  This particular beach was not one where you'd want to swim.  I was a little mortified that this didn't stop a few locals. 

Large container ship floating by!

Mrs. Roth's second grade class

It was hot.  Crazy hot.  Hotter than it's been in weeks.  But we did our duties, had a snack, spent a few minutes on the playground and headed home.  Again, the children were very well-behaved.  Judging from the bags, some kids were definitely more into the task than others.  One cute little girl had spotted some garbage in the water that she was patiently waiting to wash up to retrieve.  Right before we left she was delighted to find it had made its way to the shoreline.  The *weirdest* things we saw were these sea creatures that looked like centipedes (see picture - and they were everywhere!).  If anyone knows what they are, please tell me!

Overall, I loved my time with the kids.   I hadn't spent any time in either classroom this year, so it was important to me to get to know their friends and teachers.  I was very impressed with how both teachers kept the classes organized and under control.  The biggest difference between the trips was the bus ride. Cooper couldn't wait to sit with me and gave me multiple kisses on the way. Sophia sat as far away as possible. Oh the heartache! Guess my little girl is getting too cool for mom.

Okay, Cooper just walked in the door from school with a big smile on his face and said, "I think you're the best mommy a boy could ever have.  I love when you go on field trips with me."  Okay, sign me up for the next one.  Even if it's on a Monday morning.