Am I smarter than a 5th grader?....Probably not.

Last week I went with all 4 classes of 2nd graders on a field trip to Merry Lea. It is a 1000 acre property of bogs, marshes, forest, and meadows, for hiking and nature study. It is owned and maintained by Goshen College. What a perfect day we had for being outside.

Here Isabella is scooping out pond goodies. Each of the kids in our group took turns scooping something creepy and crawly out of the bog and then our Goshen College student guide, Betha explained about. Betha was a gem. She was very informative and patient with the kids.

I came over to take a look at all the crawly things swimming around in a pan Betha had....while the kids were still finding organisms in the bog. I pointed to one odd looking little swimmer and asked her, "what is that?" Betha replied, "that would be a tadpole."

Wow, How totally embarrassing. I really wanted to brake into a long explanation of my past and try desperately to justify my stupidity. "You see I grew up in town. We didn't have bogs...or ponds in town.....I had no brothers...." But I swallowed my pride, smiled, and walked away.

In the nature center....
After a long hike and the nature center....we roasted hot dogs and had a lunch picnic on the lawn.

And then went on a hayride. Isabella with her best friend, Erin.

Here is Isabella and her friend, Paige.

What a fun day....And special to be with Isabella. It is always so fun to see her interact with her friends, and how she relates to little friends her age.

Jack and Isabella only have 2 more days of school. WOW! How exciting....bring on summer!