Have you ever taken 100+ kindergartners fishing?? Well, it takes 2 buses, coolers, 3 teachers and LOTS of parents!
This years trip started out a little rocky, and I was worried the day would continue on the same trend. You see, as we were lining up the classes to load the buses, an accident happened in the parking lot. The bus, while trying to get passed a few cars parked in the bus lane, hit the curb and with that another parent car that was parked illegally. poor bus driver and parent, the whole front bumper was taken off. luckily, no one was hurt but it did cause quite a backup while the transportation department came and assessed the damage, along with a few police officers. We ended up being delayed about 30 minutes and not knowing how long it would take we ended up just sitting 2 of the classes in the hallway/breezeway waiting to be able to load. oh my gosh. my class was luckily still lined up in our room, so we had my wonderful high school helper read them a couple stories to keep them occupied.
Once this was over and we could load the buses, we then drove our kids out to the "Country" on a 45 minutes bus ride to a trout farm where the kids learned to fish and got to catch and keep their very own rainbow trout. It is so much fun! We got the kids in groups of 3 with at least 1 adult. From there, we gave the "Speech" about fishing rules and the day's schedule. Then they were off to fish! As a teacher, this can be scary to let the children roam without you, but with a lot of parents involvement (we are blessed!) It went very smoothly!
By not having our own group, the 3 teachers are free to circle the lake, take pictures and pass out snacks. Here are so pictures of what we saw
Then, we camp out by the coolers and cleaning station where the kids come to have their fish cleaned (yes, they get to watch!) and then keep it on ice until they are ready to go home. Once their group is done fishing, they can play on the play structure and wait until lunch. When everyone is finished (this year we had to cut fishing off early in order to have time for lunch) we all meed at the covered picnic area, have lunch together, and then families are free to check out and leave. The ride home is so peaceful because so many of the kids go home with their families (I only had 3 parents not come!) We did have a few more ride the bus, because their parents rode there with us as chaperones. Once we got back to school there was 20 minutes left so my kids (who would normally be home hours ago) watched a movie with the full day kinders and then rode the afternoon buses home.
It's a lot to coordinate, but SO worth it!! Have you ever taken your class fishing?? I'd love to hear about your field trips!
