Best.  Trip.  Ever.

 Loading the boat!

 All aboard!  

 There was a recorder for each group.  One recorder on paper, the other on a tablet (new this year!).

 They were trying to find a variety of things on our trip - an I SPY game.  :)  

 Beat the teacher!  He would ask them questions, they tried to get the answer correct and beat his score.  How long does it take for plastic fishing line to decompose?  (Hint:  It's a realllllly long time)

 Checking the pH levels of the water.

 I LOVE this map.  So did they.  Such a great visual of the lake depths.  We even used this the next day doing some writing about our trip!  Love it.  

 This is the face of a happy teacher.  

 Our afternoon guide, Paul.  He was great.

 A super tiny crawfish!  It was quite cute.

 Checking out the coastal marsh.

This is such an amazing field trip.  And, contrary to what you may have heard, it’s not just because the bus had a bathroom.  This trip is full of fun.  From the moment our bus pulls out of the parking lot of Haisley, kids are excited.  We spent our morning aboard the Clinton – originally a fishing boat, it was converted in the 1970’s to accommodate students from all over the area to learn about our amazing lakes.  Students were split into four groups and spent the morning rotating from activity to activity.  Kids have the chance to look at maps, learn about how dangerous it is to pollute our lakes, the art of knot tying, dragging the bottom of the lake to find cool critters, watching the camera scope the bottom of the lake, and testing the pH levels of the water.  They learn about depth, zebra mussels, boat safety, animals living in the water, how they can take care of it, and much, much more.  After our boat trip, we eat lunch at the Lake Erie Metro Park and move on to our afternoon activities.  They have an outdoor classroom where we learn about how magical marshes are.  Kids get to use microscopes to see tiny little critters collected from the coastal marsh, and take a walk to see the marsh.  So.  Much.  Learning.  They learned about animals living in the marsh and how delicate it is.  Please ask your children about this trip.  The more they talk about it, the more they will retain.  I hope you enjoy our pictures!  Yay!