SJWMS at Rizal Shrine-Calamba Laguna

St. John's Wort Montessori School of Antipolo recently had batches of field trips and that was a great thing they did coz they had divided the groups into different dates...If we only had the day we toured to Calamba, Laguna and headed back to south of MOA where the Nido Fortified Discovery Center was without rains, I think it was more than an enjoyable day...

Taken at the Rizal Shrine-Calamba, Laguna

We had the assembly at the Ynares Center, Antipolo where my sister brought the four of us and the kids were very excited since that was their first time to join a field trip since they started schooling back in 2010. I also thank God for allowing us the time to be together esp with my only son. I was even excited more than he was coz it was my first time joining him in his school activity. I would also like to thank his dad, who was the major sponsor of all our expenses for that tour. Thanks, Ed!

And so...This is the first pic that I wanna share here:

I am darn sure the kids and parents learned from this place and by seeing things around that we were not able to see from reading a book or an article about Rizal, we got it from here. Please donot quote me from saying this, "It could have been better if this place is visited in a none rush coz I wasn't able to really appreciate the place though I learned from what I have seen. Appreciating could have been an experience not only to parents if the time was very allowable and we could have enough to really check all the things around and not just let our cameras flash in one scene in the house then go..."

It is one of the surviving features of the historical house

Next is one of the surviving features of the historical house...The Wishing Well. I was fascinated about this when I saw it. If we could only had the time to at least take a look what was inside it...It was raining and of course I had to look after my son's each step going down so my only luck was to just take a pic of it and enjoy it as soon as we get home...(no luck nida!)

Not just raining men, it was really raining and it hits us hard...

Next is our experience at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center...

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SJWMS at NFSDC 2012

A day at the Robot Zoo-Nido Fortified Science Discovery Ctr.

Robot ZooAre we happy St. John's Wort Studs? Well, we should be...Everybody shared the fun and learning experience we had during our tour at the Robot Zoo, MOA-Pasay City.

We had seen different Robots using Biomechanics Technology. We have dealt with Robot Platypus, Robot Grasshopper, Robot Giraffe, the House Fly, Gigantic Squid, Robot Bat, The Chameleon and a lot more...Everybody, our students, parents and teachers were able to witness the technology that the Robot Zoo has. They had seen lots of things, read a lot of information about how this technology was used to run these robot animals too.One good part here was that, some if not most were able to get interested in knowing their sizes, their features and their techniques how they protect themselves from their enemies and a lot more...

Robot Grasshopper

It has a bundle of nerves called, "Ganglia"throughout its body instead of brain. It is an animal that has two compound eyes that consist hundreds of individual "eyelets" to watch out for danger. A grasshopper has movable jaws that move from side to side rather than up and down.

Chameleon

It is an animal that belongs to a highly specialized group of Lizards. Chameleonschange color not so much to blend into the surroundings, but rather to signal, fend off rivals, or attract a mate as well.
Robot Platypus
Have your kids a blast of these robotic animation that imitates the real-life behaviors of some most amazing animals in the world. Let them experience the nature and the animals in a different way.
Robotic Zoo is accessible at the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center Exhibit Hall, 2nd level of SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
For more info, pls check their website http://www.sciencediscovery.ph/

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A Safe, Fun, and Successful Field Trip

A Safe, Fun, and Successful Field Trip

Follow these field trip tips and you'll likely create fun learning adventures for your students:

• Explicitly discuss field trip behavior rules with your students beforehand. - Teach, model, and review appropriate field trip behavior with your students for at least a week before the big event. Drill into their heads that field trips are not the time or place to mess around and that any aberrant behavior will result in non-participation in any future field trips that school year. Sound serious and back it up with consequences as needed. It's good to have your students scared of testing the boundaries on field trips. Emphasize that they are representing our school's reputation when they are off-campus and that we want to present our best behavior to the outside world. Make it a point of pride and reward them afterward for a job well done.
• Give your students a learning task ahead of time. - Your students should show up for the field trip with a base of knowledge on the subject at hand, as well as questions to answer before returning to the classroom. Spend some time in the weeks before the field trip discussing the subject matter. Review a list of questions they will be looking to answer during the field trip. This will keep them informed, engaged, and focused on learning all day long.
• Choose parent chaperones wisely. - Field trips require as many adult eyes and ears as you can get, but unfortunately you can't be everywhere at once. From the first day of school, observe the parents of your students closely, looking for signs of responsibility, firmness, and maturity. A lax or careless parent can be your worst nightmare on a field trip (see example mentioned above), so choose your parental allies wisely. That way, you'll reap the benefits of having adults partners in the field trip process.
• Make sure you have all necessary medications. - Talk to the school nurse and procure any and all medications that your students usually take during the day. While on the field trip, make sure you administer the medications accordingly. If you have students will allergies, you may need to get trained on how to use an Epipen. If so, the student involved will need to stay with you at all times.
• Arrive at school early on field trip day. - The students will be excited and antsy, ready to go. You'll want to greet the chaperones and give them instructions for the day. It takes some time to organize the sack lunches and ensure that everyone has what they need for the day. And one last pep talk on appropriate behavior never hurt anybody.
• Give your chaperones the tools they need to succeed. - Make nametags for all chaperones and students. Create a "cheat sheet" of the day's itinerary, special rules, your cell phone number, and the names of all kids in each chaperone's group; distribute these sheets to each adult on the field trip. Procure and label grocery bags that each chaperone can use to carry the group's sack lunches. Consider getting a little thank-you gift for each chaperone, or treat them to to lunch that day.
• Be proactive in regards to challenging students. - If you have a student who causes trouble regularly in the classroom, it's safe to assume he or she will cause at least five times more trouble in public. If possible, ask his or her parent to be a chaperone. That will usually limit any potential problems. Also, when you are making groups, split any problem pairs into separate groups. This is a good policy for troublemakers, chatty girls, or bickering frenemies. And it's probably best to keep the most challenging students in your own group, rather than pawning them off on an unsuspecting parent chaperone.
• Count all day. - As the teacher, you will likely spend most of your day counting heads and making sure everyone is accounted for. Obviously, the worst thing that can occur on a field trip is losing a student. So count accurately and often. Enlist the help of chaperones in this task, but do it yourself too, for your own peace of mind. Keeping track of each and every student is the number one priority of field trip day.
• Do a "debriefing" when you return to the classroom - If I have a few extra minutes after the field trip and before dismissal from school, I'll often put on some soothing classical music and have the students draw about what they saw and learned that day. It gives them a chance to decompress and review what they experienced. The next day, it's a good idea to do a more active and in-depth review of the field trip material, extending the learning further and connecting it to what you're working on in the classroom.
• Write thank-you notes after the field trip. - Lead a class language arts lesson the day after your field trip, formally thanking the people who hosted your group. This serves as an etiquette lesson for your students, and helps form your school's good reputation at the field trip destination. In future years, this goodwill could translate into prime perks for your school.

With proper planning and a positive attitude, field trips can be unique ways to explore the outside world with your students. Stay flexible and always have a Plan B, and you should do just fine.

Safe, Fun and Educational Trip!

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