Second Grade Field Trip: A Shopper's Delight

When Miss A came home from school a few weeks ago with a permission slip for an upcoming Field Trip, I almost thought it was a joke.  The Field Trip was scheduled for a local Apple Store and a nearby Sporting Goods Store including a ride on their indoor Ferris Wheel.  I wondered what the point was of taking a bunch of 8 year old to a shopping center during a school day.  That didn't stop me from signing the form and volunteering to chaperone.  I'm all up for adventure.

By the end of the day, I was pretty impressed about just how beneficial and educational our morning was.  At the Sporting Goods store we learned about shipping/ receiving, displaying items for sale, and how items are priced.  We took a tour of the amazing "underground" to see where all the mannequins "live" before hitting the floor and gawked at just how many different items there are waiting to go out on show floor.  We then had to spend a pretend $50 in the camping area and use our math skills to determine how many different items we could purchase without going over and then try again and again to get the most out of $50.  I loved that one of the little boys in my group decided each time to find the one item at 49.99 to buy so not to walk around too much looking for items!  Miss A found items we could use on our canoe trip this summer in Colorado and is already planning on going back for a few Father's Day gifts.  She has got it figured out down to the last penny.  Guess I'll be responsible for the "taxes."

The Ferris Wheel, of course, was pure fun.  I enjoyed the opportunity to sit on the sidelines and take pictures as I'm not really a ride person.  As expected, most of my pictures turned out blurry as they kept going around and around (which I suppose is the goal of a Ferris wheel, but makes picture taking a challenge), but I'll never forget hearing all the girls yell "Hi Miss Jill" each time they went around!

At the Apple Store, I realized just how old I am.  I know nothing about Apple Computers.  I'm a PC Girl all the way.  I had to confess to the Miss A's teacher that I would be little to no help on making the PowerPoint Presentation (It's not even called a PowerPoint on MAC's, but I can't remember the real name) and I was useless.  My role quickly became to find the Apple Store Employee and point them in the right direction to help the kids.  I couldn't believe how many people come into an Apple Store in the middle of a Thursday morning either.  The Genius Bar always seemed like such a mystical place to me before this morning with a group of 2nd Graders that seemed almost like mini genius in their elements making presentations on ipads and imacs.

I can honestly say that after spending about two and half hours with a bunch of second graders at the shopping center and learning about retail, money and computers, I walked away exhausted.  Something about the energy these kids have this late in the school year, the fact that I was totally out of my element in the computer store, and that it seemed like February outside with the chilly temps and snow on the walkways made it all a little surreal.  I have even more respect for school teachers and how you have to be "on" all day long.

Miss A thought it was a fabulous morning and loved every minute.  The bus ride back and forth to school was an added bonus.  I'm just grateful that I get these small opportunities to experience life with Miss A and her friends while getting a glimpse into her world.  What a blessing it is to be able to tag along on these moments of her childhood that she will long remember.  It's not everyday that you get to ride a Ferris Wheel in the middle of the school day with your best friends.

Oh, what a life.