Speyer Field Trip Round-Up: From Cape Cod to One World Observatory, We are Everywhere!
Getting out of the classroom and heading into our city or beyond is a hallmark of our Speyer curriculum, and lately, it seems our students are everywhere! We gathered details on just a few of the latest field trips Speyer students have embarked upon — read on to find out about all of the fun!
It was a long time coming, but finally, Speyer was able to reinstate the Sixth Grade Whaling Trip – the inaugural trip happened in 2019! This three-day trek is a fabulous adventure to explore whaling — the unit of study the sixth graders explore in Humanities and Science — in a hands-on, tangible way. We have all of the amazing details and trip recap from sixth grade Humanities teacher and grade advisor Matt Thoren:
This semester, the students have been studying American Expansion in the nineteenth century, learning how the whale oil provided the light and lubrication for the industrial revolution that powered this expansion. On our trip they visited Mystic Seaport (which owns the last wooden American whaleship, the Charles Morgan), along with the whaling museum housed there. They also visited the most important whaling museum in the country, the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Our sixth graders learned much about American whaling and also went out on a whale watch out of Provincetown, MA – where we were lucky enough to experience a once-in-a-lifetime whale watching event. Viewing five or six whales on one watch is considered "excellent", even one good look at one whale can be incredibly exciting and can make the whole trip. On their watch, Our sixth graders viewed 50-60 whales, mostly humpbacks (though we also saw two right whales and two fin whales)! The humpbacks were on the surface, diving, bubble net feeding (a behavior not often seen on a whale watch), and returning to the surface with mouths agape. One humpback even fully breached the water, spun in the air, and returned to the water with a huge flop. This whale watch had it all and was terribly exciting. Once we arrived at the feeding grounds of the whales well off the coast of the Cape, we observed 90 minutes straight of non-stop whale action. It was #epic.
Along with a whale watch for the ages, the students enjoyed each other's company at a rustic New England camp. They relaxed and played on two spectacular beaches – the bayside Chapin Beach in Dennis, MA and the majestic oceanside Longnook Beach in Truro – and the grade bonded during the evenings over delicious campfire s'mores. We created memories that will last a lifetime (truly)!
Those are Speyer first and third graders spotted off the Boulevard…and out and about in NYC, using our amazing city as an extension of the classroom!
Those are our first graders at the One World Observatory atop One World Trade Center! Over the course of the year, they have been studying what makes New York City special. While much of their focus has been on the subway system, they also talked about geographical features and structures unique to New York. The sprawling 360º views and very cool time lapse video in the elevator not only provided students with an unmatched perspective of the city, but it also provided them with a whole bunch of fun!
Meanwhile, as part of their Humanities studies of the American Revolution, our third graders headed downtown for an amazing field trip led by Big Onion Walking Tours. Our students trekked to sites in NYC that were of importance during this pivotal time of our country's history. They visited St. Paul's Church, Trinity Church and churchyard, Fraunces Tavern, the remnant of Lovelace Tavern, Stone Street, Federal Hall, and Bowling Green. "It was very interesting to see what the women did during the Revolutionary War!" and "I liked how we were in the same room as George Washington was in!" were just a few bits we overheard from our students about their trip!
Over these past two weeks, many of our Lower School classes trekked to the Irish Arts Center to see the wonderfully creative "How to Catch a Star”! The wordless puppet show, which is based on the beloved Oliver Jeffers book, gave the Speyer youngsters the opportunity to see how body language, music, and a setting can work together to make a story come to life.
The photo above captures our Kindergarteners taking in this amazing experience, which fit directly with their unit of “humans and the stories they tell." They're uncovering the many ways humans share stories with one another — they are currently connecting humanities, reading, and writing through designing their own gods and goddesses and immersing them in imaginary tales shared through a variety of storytelling methods. This amazing field trip and performance was the perfect inspiration for them — and all of our students who were able to attend!
A few weeks ago, our seventh grade boarded a bus to head off on the grade's annual field trip, which officially launches the high school admissions process! They enjoy an outdoor retreat to Camp Ramapo and also visit two schools: Hotchkiss and Dwight Englewood. During this trip, students begin to explore the high school process together, as well as have an opportunity to have a TON of fun. Enjoying hikes, games, and cool ropes courses, the students laughed and shared some fabulous memories to finish up the school year. Oh, and of course, they managed to eat a ton of s'mores!