Story originally printed in the Holmen Courier or online at www.holmencourier.com
Published - Wednesday, May 14, 2008
GRAY MATTER: Hope they don’t bug each other
I was a little nervous about being a chaperone for my kids’ field trip earlier this week. How would the kids behave? The only way to find out was to pray for the best and go.
So off we went to Myrick Hixon Eco-Park, formerly known as Hixon Forest. I accompanied my daughter’s pre-school class and a troop of seasoned chaperones for an hour-and-a-half of learning about insects.
The kids were all abuzz when the kids were asked,“What’s another name for an insect?”
I was glad no one blurted out, “My brother! He bugs me all the time!” No doubt it would have caused a couple of chuckles. So far so good. As a matter of fact, the kids behaved very well for the entire field trip.
Stephanie and Carly, nature teachers at Myrick Hixon Eco-Park, led the kids on an insect finding expedition. All 16 kids were given little clear plastic boxes with a magnifying lens to catch and release insects after taking a peek for scientific observation.
As the children were pawing around in the grass and dirt, they came upon an anthill. Those 4- and 5-year-old kids crowding around the anthill trying to catch an ant could have been the 1960’s equivalent of screaming fans trying to get a closer look at the Beatles. Except these kids have no clue about the Fab Four, they were there to find a different kind of beetle.
Unfortunately, they didn’t find any beetles, but found plenty of ants, a bumble bee and various other creatures similar to insects but not insects — millipedes and spiders.
At the end of the insect-finding expedition, Stephanie talked to the kids about the migration of the monarch butterfly. To demonstrate the monarch’s annual migration from the United States to Mexico, two signs were set up about a hundred feet apart. The kids were to flap their arms like butterfly wings and walk/run between the signs.
That was the best part for me. Let the kids run off all that energy! That way they’ll be ready for a nap after lunch.
So, why was I nervous about being a chaperone on my kids’ fieldtrip? I shouldn’t have been. That was a great experience for me, the kids, and everyone involved.
Thank you to Stephanie and Carly at Myrick Hixon Eco-Park for making the kids’ field trip educational and fun. Thank you to St. Paul’s Lutheran School pre-K teacher Mrs. Mueller for setting up the trip to Myrick Hixon Eco-Park and the other seasoned chaperones that went along.
n AUTHOR’S NOTE: There was a mathematical mishap in last week’s column. When I wrote the cost for admission to Noah’s Ark for 32 people would be $1,055.68 and gas $150, the total should have been $1,205.68 not $1,255.68. I should have a fifth-grader check my math.
Columnist Tim Gray, a West Salem resident, can be reached at tim.gray.matter@gmail.com.
All stories copyright 2006 Holmen Courier and other attributed sources.