19 February 2013

Childhood Memories - Week 07

Childhood Memories Week 07 - The great beyond

One of the best parts about school for me were the excursions/field trips, camps or just days away from the actual classroom. We certainly did not get as many days off as children of today but when they rolled around for me, they were extra, extra special.

Some may have been as lowly as walking a few blocks to visit the local supermarket to compare prices of produce, others might have involved getting on an actual bus and being driven away from school to attend a concert or play in another town or suburb. Perhaps you were lucky enough to get out into the countryside to experience nature firsthand. I vividly remember going to a dairy farm some miles out of my country town to see how milk was produced. Having been brought up on a farm it certainly was no real lesson for me but I can remember how some of my town classmates were both amazed and appalled (at the same time) by the experience!

Did you get to have school field trips at your school? What can you remember about them?

Camps and longer trips were greeted by mixed reactions. Some kids just loved them and couldn’t wait to pack their bags and head off into the unknown. Many others were left sobbing at the departure point and literally had to be hauled away from their parents and led wailing onto buses. Were you willing or wailing when you headed off to camp?



I’m not sure how long the tradition has been going here in Australian but even back in my day, our school Year 6 went to Canberra to see how our federal parliament worked. It was a three-day excursion, yes two whole nights away from home, sleeping in bunk beds and staying up late!! An amazing experience for kids from a small country town. I can still recall the feeling of elation I had as I hopped onto the bus clutching the woollen blanket my Grandma bought me for the long winter trip and the wonder in which I greeted each new and exciting experience in our nations capital.

Is there a special excursion or field trip you vividly recall from your primary/grade school days? Please share it with us.

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