4th Grade Field Trips

Anna & Christopher working on their heart models
May is a busy month at school as activities start to wind down.  This past week was one of Anna's busiest with a couple of field trips and some other fund school activities mixed in.

This past Wednesday was the 4th grade field trip to Mount Vernon.  Since the 4th graders in Virginia study Virginia history in social studies, it was a fitting trip.  Theresa joined in as one of the chaperones and about 40 kids plus chaperones boarded the bus for Mount Vernon.  Upon arriving, we passed 37 tour buses on they way in (some of the kids were counting them).  Let's just say that Washington's estate is just as lucrative now as it was when he was alive.

Building a fence at Mt. Vernon
The trip marked the first nice day in a couple of weeks with temperatures in the low 80s and no rain.  The focus of the trip was on Washington's work as a farmer, so the students spent the time learning about crop rotation, building fences, and getting crops to market.  It quickly became apparent that none of the students would have made good pioneers as all of them were wilting in the sun and clamoring for water.  After a visit to the tomb, where they also learned about the death of a Washington granddaughter from epilepsy, they had lunch and headed for the house tour.  The house tour took all of 5 minutes as it became clear that the goal of the guides was to get the kids out as quickly as possible (this was a bit of a letdown).  It was especially disappointing that the guides had no additional information about the death of the granddaughter, which is what all of the kids were asking about.  The final stop on the tour was the HUGE gift shop, where the students were all too happy to spend whatever money they brought with them.  It was a fun day out and great opportunity to take advantage of the many historical landmarks in the area.
Beginner Band at Hershey Competition

Thursday marked science class for Anna, which is one of her favorites thanks to the science labs.  Since they have moved to the human body, they did a lab that involved making a model of the heart....using graham crackers, frosting, marsh mellows, and straws.  Anna is always into a school project that involves dessert!

Friday was the big trip of the week - Hershey Park, Pennsylvania.  The band participated in a competition at Hershey High school and then headed over to the amusement park for the afternoon.  It was another nice day with temperatures in the mid-80s.  Several brave chaperones joined the band and took responsibility for tracking kids at the amusement park (only one kid was lost and later found on the bus).  Anna described the trip as "one of the best days of my life" as she got to spend the afternoon riding roller coasters and other rides with her friends.  The buses returned at 11 PM with several tired kids.  A big thanks to the band director and band mom for organizing this trip!

Three more weeks of school!

Maggie, Amanda, Anna, Isabelle, Ava & Finley at Hershey Park



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