Field trip!

Submitted by Sara on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 4:27pm

Yesterday one of the moms in our local homeschool group organized a field trip to the grocery store. I am so thankful for her. Despite the fact that it's our neighborhood store, we had never been on a field trip there. I would definitely go again. They did a great job! First we got a group picture taken by the photo center. They we meandered through the store, checking out the video department, bank, pharmacy, and natural food section. By the time we got back to the bakery, our photo was developed and we were able to watch the cake decorator decorate a cake with our group's picture on it! We got to keep the cake, of course. Then they brought the group back into the walk-in cooler to see how the milk gets in the racks and where the truck pulls up to the loading dock. The boys' favorite part was the box crusher demonstration! After the cooler, we visited the meat department for an up-close and personal visit with a lobster. (We had done our KWL chart before the trip to see what we already knew about the grocery store and what we wanted to know. The only thing William wanted to know was what they feed the lobster.) He did a great job asking his question. (They feed them a block of slow-release fish food each day, just like you'd put in a fish tank.) Then it was on to produce with some Q&A about fruits and veggies. At the end of the tour, we left with a bag of goodies, including a group photo. Since we were all going off in different directions instead of back to a common classroom, we were able to use their deli seating to enjoy our cake.

All in all, it was a fabulous trip. The tour guide was great with the kids and they were all well behaved. She complimented everyone on what a great job they did. Of course, there were children from toddlers on up to 10 or 12 and everyone was very polite. My child was ready to talk the tour guide's ear off in the beginning, but we had a little word about letting other kids have a turn and only asking questions for the rest of the trip and that helped. He definitely had fun. He learned more than he thought he would. He even asked a question at the end that he hadn't planned on. He asked if anyone ever rides on the grocery conveyor belt. The answer was, "No, it's not safe and not fun." I think they had a hard time believing the "not fun" part :)

Hopefully our next trip will be that great. This weekend we are going to make a return trip to the alpaca ranch with some friends who school-school. They are having an open house. Either way, both trips are free, fun, and educational.