Field Trip to Cranberry Marsh

So, it has been a while since I have blogged and I have a lot of stuff to catch up on.  School has been pretty busy so I plan on taking the next week and updating my blog with activities that we have done and pictures I have.

First, today I have pictures from our trip to the Cranberry Marsh.  As part of the 4th grade curriculum, the students learn about the process of growing cranberries and how they are harvested.  Part of the curriculum is visiting a Cranberry Marsh to see how the grow and are harvested first hand.  This is a great trip and the students learn a lot, I even learned a lot, who knew that cranberries did not grow on top of water (the commercials are so deceiving)!

Walking around the marsh.

More walking and looking at the bogs to the right.

Harvesting of the cranberries.  That big machine sucks up the cranberries off the top of the water and separates the berries from the leaves and stems.  The trucks then bring the cranberries to the Ocean Spray plant for processing.

Eating lunch in a park after visiting the marsh.

Tomorrow is our Cranberry Fest at school.  More pictures to come...

First Field Trip

It was another crazy, crazy week but on Friday, the 4th grade went on their first field trip of the school year.

We walked to a local park and History House near school to partake in some trader activities.  The students were able to see people dressed in traditional clothing, how guns were loaded and shot, how to pan for gold, make soap, make candles, and how people lived.

This was a great field trip (especially since it was free) and the students really learned a lot while being able to do hands-on activities.  The students are going to have a lot of background knowledge in the spring now when this is discussed during social studies.



Here the students are learning about the old guns.




 

The gold miners' camp with animal skins.

Panning for gold.

Working hard to find the gold and put it in the container.

Sifting through the stones.

The miners' camp again.

Time to learn about making candles.

And how to make soap.

The students also were able to do a craft.

What the finished products could look like.

I love field trips...I feel it gives the students amazing experiences to connect to their learning.  Even with increased pressure on test scores and standards, it is nice to get as many of these experiences as possible throughout the school year.  So, thank you to the individuals who organized this great activity!