September 17, 2008
We have returned from our great adventure aboard the Sea Odyssey. It was a blast!!! I think the kids' (and my) favorite part was the net. The 'net' stretches across the two pontoons at the front of the boat, and that is where the kids all flopped as we went in and out of the harbor. They could look down and see the water and kelp beds as we went, and they thought it was incredible.
Once we cleared the harbor and picked up speed, they all went to the front. We saw sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, a variety of birds, and talked about marine biology. It really was a great field trip. All the students got a turn at 'driving' the boat. Several of them were chosen to hoist the sail, but I think that turned out to be more work than they had anticipated, and the instructors ended up doing it by themselves, but the students didn't know it.
They learned about navigation, ecology, and the food chain. They took compass readings to triangulate their location, and looked at plankton samples under a microscope that they collected. I really enjoyed the microscope work, and want to buy a microscope for us that we can hook to the computer (Christmas).
My only possible faux pas was when I lost it when a boy decided that he didn't want to do what he was told and ran out in the sand for the second time. I used my fatherly baritone to bark instructions at him that left no doubt as to the need for compliance. As he sprinted back in to position, I turned to see his mother. Apparently, she was not angry with me, though because we talked many times after that. I don't like directing kids when their parent is there, but I was at my wit's end (not with him, just in general as we milled around in 'waiting' mode). I don't know, maybe some parents like having someone that can play the bad guy, so they don't have to. Annie's fourth grade teacher told me she liked me on the field trips because some kids simply respond better to commands from a male. It probably doesn't hurt that I am rather tall, and my 'command' voice is deep and punchy. I am not loud, and it is one of the few times I am not verbose...
Anyway, we all had a blast. Right when we arrived, the fog burned off, the sun warmed us, and there was just enough breeze to make the water agreeably choppy, and the sail full. I might get sick of the liberalism, but California has incredible adventures around every corner, hill, and tree.
Almost a Californian...
Once we cleared the harbor and picked up speed, they all went to the front. We saw sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, a variety of birds, and talked about marine biology. It really was a great field trip. All the students got a turn at 'driving' the boat. Several of them were chosen to hoist the sail, but I think that turned out to be more work than they had anticipated, and the instructors ended up doing it by themselves, but the students didn't know it.
They learned about navigation, ecology, and the food chain. They took compass readings to triangulate their location, and looked at plankton samples under a microscope that they collected. I really enjoyed the microscope work, and want to buy a microscope for us that we can hook to the computer (Christmas).
My only possible faux pas was when I lost it when a boy decided that he didn't want to do what he was told and ran out in the sand for the second time. I used my fatherly baritone to bark instructions at him that left no doubt as to the need for compliance. As he sprinted back in to position, I turned to see his mother. Apparently, she was not angry with me, though because we talked many times after that. I don't like directing kids when their parent is there, but I was at my wit's end (not with him, just in general as we milled around in 'waiting' mode). I don't know, maybe some parents like having someone that can play the bad guy, so they don't have to. Annie's fourth grade teacher told me she liked me on the field trips because some kids simply respond better to commands from a male. It probably doesn't hurt that I am rather tall, and my 'command' voice is deep and punchy. I am not loud, and it is one of the few times I am not verbose...
Anyway, we all had a blast. Right when we arrived, the fog burned off, the sun warmed us, and there was just enough breeze to make the water agreeably choppy, and the sail full. I might get sick of the liberalism, but California has incredible adventures around every corner, hill, and tree.
Almost a Californian...