Diary of a Field Trip

The sixth grade students, teachers and a handful of parents spent four days, Oct. 5-8,  at Westminster Woods studying the Russian River, the redwoods, and the Sonoma Coast. What follows is a transcript made by Sixth Grade and Middle School Secretary Ms. Lance of phone messages left by Sixth Grade Math and Science Teacher Ms. Porter, and Chaplain Luther.

 

Tuesday night voicemail from Chaplain  Luther, at the conclusion of a very successful first  day:

We had lunch at Salt Point, took a walk in what looked like a moonscape, went tide pooling, saw fabulous surf and a family of harbor seals—a male, a female, and two little ones swimming in the water. We then came to our camp, had dinner, and oriented ourselves with our curiously named naturalists: Turkey Links, Otter, and Oak. After dinner we went on a night hike where were treated to splendid legends and learned that we could see better in the dark than we thought. The kids are pretty happy; we're pretty happy!

Thursday morning voicemail from Ms. Porter: The weather up here is absolutely gorgeous. We've had almost no clouds. This morning maybe a few clouds. On the river it was calm and sunny, with no wind. Kayaking was a little challenging because of the distance and a bit of current in the river coming back. The kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Also, the kids found animal tracks.

 

Back here at camp, the kids had a great morning with the naturalists, who are very knowledgeable and totally pleased with our students. The naturalists and kids looked at stream ecology and redwood forest watershed ecology, which fits in nicely with our science curriculum. Then in the afternoon they did a challenge course, which is a series of activities where the kids work together to solve problems to get from one place to another.

We had soft tacos/mini burritos for dinner that were really good. Afterwards, the evening activity involved writing, discussing, and figuring out things. The kids were very focused and productive, having a great time.

 

Good Night, No, Good Night To You

All cabins but one went to sleep easily the first night. In one cabin, apparently people were being über polite. Someone would sneeze, then someone would say bless you, they'd then say thank you, they'd say that's okay. But after that ended, all slept quite well.

Friday morning voice mail from Chaplain Luther:
Our second full day of our trip has been a smashing success. The kids that went hiking yesterday went kayaking today, and vice versa. We saw them grow in community building skills and self confidence. The weather remained absolutely wonderful. It has been clear in the high 60s, no wind. The food remains wonderful.

We will see you soon.