Great memories made on school field trips

Whenever one of those crumpled notes asking for adult volunteers to help out on a school field trip made its way home to me, I always signed up. Throughout the years I enjoyed dozens of noisy, fun-filled field trips, often crammed on the seats of a creaky yellow bus with dozens of excited kids squeezed in around me.

I have fond memories of trips to museums to learn about local history, to nearby lakes and woods to learn about biology, to daylong musical events with budding musicians, to outdoor team building excursions, and multiple trips to the Spokane Interstate Fair, Riverfront Park and the IMAX Theatre. I even remember learning about prehistoric life on a class outing to an amazing dinosaur exhibit at the old Walk in the Wild Zoo.

So last fall when my son called and asked me to go on a field trip to the Spokane Interstate Fair with my granddaughter, a first-grader at East Farms Elementary in Otis Orchards, I said, “Sign me up.” Since then I have gone on three field trips with her class, and discovered some things have changed since my earlier school trip adventures with my sons.

Years ago, parents just had to show up to be chaperones. Last year, I had my background checked, and was required to watch a short movie on how to handle bullies. These safeguards must be repeated every two years if I continue to chaperone.

Another difference with my granddaughter’s class is the number of parents, including lots of dads, volunteering for field trips. Years ago, the teacher would assign me six to eight kids before we left on a field trip, and just keeping track of them was a challenge. My granddaughter’s class has so many parent volunteers that I have only had two or three children to oversee.

Kathy Thomas, principal of Athol Elementary School, agrees with my observation, saying her school has no trouble finding parent volunteers for field trips. She says it is often the parents who do not usually participate in school activities that go on field trips. “It is something they can plan on ahead of time, ask for the day off, and experience with their child.”

Thomas is enthusiastic about her school’s field trips. She says the school district and booster organizations are very supportive and the teachers search for local trips they can tie into their curriculum. “We find something that give students experiences they may not typically get to do,” said Thomas.

For Athol Elementary school kids, that means trips to Farragut, the Cataldo Mission, or to Spokane to enjoy Riverfront Park and the IMAX Theatre. Kindergartners walk to the library, third-graders go eagle-watching on Lake Coeur d’Alene and sixth-graders go on a team-building outing.

A couple of weeks ago, I again went with my granddaughter’s class to the Spokane Interstate Fair. I was assigned three girls and given a three-page list of things to find while we were there – sort of like a fair scavenger hunt. We had to find the breed name for sheep with a black face (Suffolk), guess the weight of the biggest pumpkin, locate our homes on an aerial map, find a new-born calf in the cow barn, and pick out our favorite creature feature in the agriculture building.

We did the work, played for a while, then headed back to our buses lined up just outside the south gate. As we stood waiting I asked the girls the final question on the sheet, “What was your favorite thing about the fair?” My granddaughter hugged my arm, looked up and said, “My favorite thing was you, Nana.”

So, I guess I have more school field trips to go on. And, I hope the next time one of those crumpled requests comes your way, you think about signing up – chances are, you’ll end up with a great memory.