Spring Adventures: RSG! Field Trips Bring Learning to Life
It’s spring time in Oregon which means it’s field trip season for our Ready, Set, Go! classrooms!
As we’re all defrosting from the winter, RSG! has been busy with some exciting outings. Last month, Earl Boyles, one of our early RSG! sites serving children ages 0-3, visited Raindrops Playhouse. Raindrops is an indoor play center equipped with large play structures, climbing frames and different interactive areas for children. The center also has a designated area for toddlers and Pre-K kids making it a safe space for children of various ages.
As soon as families arrived, children were off exploring this engaging, new environment where they could be seen climbing, swinging, and jumping with their caregivers and fellow classmates. The children were provided a space to test some of their physical abilities in a safe and controlled setting such as crawling under obstacles, going down the slide by themselves, or walking on tall platforms. These activities were also child led, allowing them to follow their own interests for whatever called to them. As it came to the end of our session at Raindrops, many families decided to stick around and carry on playing!
One of our Pre-K, 3-5 classrooms also had an exciting adventure in March to the Powell Butte Nature Park! In partnership with the Portland Parks Department, Meadows Elementary braved a wet and windy Friday to explore this beautiful park on a Ladybug Walk. Portland Parks provided an incredible table set-up with different animal pelts and bones which the children could look at, touch, and pick up if they wanted to. This sensory activity encouraged the kids to make observations and ask questions about what they saw.
After getting warmed up with some stretches, everyone in the class was given a ladybug backpack equipped with a magnifying glass, a cup, and a spoon for them to use on the trail. While the rain continued, nothing could stop these troupers on their walk! Every so often, the group would stop when someone pointed out an interesting plant, a bird call, or a bug crawling along the ground. Once the class completed their walk, everyone emptied their findings from the cups and shared what they collected before returning the backpack and its contents to the Parks leaders. This field trip allowed the kids to learn and interact with nature through play, inquiry, and sensory exploration!
