Reagan's Plimoth Plantation Field Trip

Last week I chaperoned the third grade field trip to Plimoth Plantation.  I loved spending the day there with Reagan, and I'm very happy that I was able to go.  Due to budget cuts, I had to drive my own car instead of riding the bus with the class.  (If all of the chaperons went on the buses, they would have needed an extra bus.)  I did miss that experience!!  As loud and crazy as it is riding the bus with a bunch of third graders, it's amazing what you hear and learn from the kids.

I was assigned four children for the day:  Allison, Reagan, Owen, and Asante.

We began with the Wampanoag village.

 It was smoky and dark in the wetu; I didn't get the best picture.

I was prepared for a very cold day (especially being on the water), but the sun was shining and it wasn't windy, so the temperature was actually quite pleasant.  (I was actually overdressed!)

We spent most of our time visiting with the colonists in their village.

 Reagan tried the 17th century stilts.  A bunch of kids tried them, and she was the only one who managed to get up on them.  She wasn't able to walk with them, but she got up there and no one else could do it!  I'm crediting her awesome core strength from gymnastics!

Reagan has actually read quite a bit about pilgrim life, so she was very prepared for this field trip.  She asked great questions and interacted wonderfully with the colonists.  I was so proud of her!

When I chaperoned Collin's field trip to Plymouth, we stopped to see Plymouth Rock first and this cut into the time we had at Plimoth Plantation.  This year, the buses only drove by the rock and the Mayflower for the kids to see quickly from inside the bus.  The advantage was that we had plenty of time to explore the villages instead of feeling rushed like we did the year I went with Collin's class.  The summer after Collin's field trip, I took Collin, Reagan, and Kate to Plymouth (Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, and the Mayflower) so that we could explore more on our own; I hope to do that again next summer.

Overall, it was a great day.  I had car trouble on the way home and one of the boys in my group was a bit of a challenge, but I enjoyed sharing the experience with Reagan and I'm very grateful that she wanted me to be there with her.