4th Grade Field Trip to Indianapolis
I'm not so sure how to sum up two completely fun packed days into a few readable paragraphs but I promised you I would try. I wrote this lame poem to try and keep it short(er).
Racing thru Indianapolis
Off to Indy, one hundred 4th graders did go, with fifty parents along in the tow.
The school buses zig-zagged around the city until 4 hours later we finally did go...to the Indiana State Capital building to talk to our Governor Mitch about his crazy selling ideas... like of our tollways and roads and whatever the latest thing is he wants to pitch.
OK, so Our Man Mitch wasn't there, but through his office we went, wildly taking pictures of his collections, carpet, fireplace, lights and the rest, but avoiding the "top-secret" documents that must have sat on his desk. Should we take a picture of this the aides would get terribly upset.
We learned about history, government, fossils in marble floors, 24K carat gold paint, and that of course in 1816 was the year when Indiana became a state.
We sat in the actual chairs of the House of Representatives, the Senate Chambers and the Supreme Court, hoping that here we would never have to bring a tort.
Then it was on to Conner's Prairie, to visit the early 1800's, getting the actors out of their character was a certainly a rarity.
We saw wigwams, farm houses, and trading posts. A host of places so great that our minds swam. A horse, of course, drew Madison's eye, only to be bitten on the hand by that large sly. We walked through a covered bridge, by a bounteous garden, and felt raccoon pelts while Tony impressed the wood-cutter by walking on stilts.
Embassy Suites was quite the place, the glass elevators were fun to race. The hotel was filled to the brim... mostly with excited children! Then off to the mall we did go, Madison took all of her loot in tow. There was nothing to buy, to spend her gold on, after all she saved for so long she thought she'd die. So what is a child to do? $10 in the arcade was quite a splurge, one that she certainly has never heard. With smiles all around, she and her Daddy did play, game after game, get out of their way! Back to the hotel, but out of pillows they ran and also because we had no fan, it wasn't the best night's sleep for this getting-old mam.
To Monument Circle on Friday we went, walking around this place we were next sent. Madison enjoyed watching her teacher, Mrs Hartsough, reach deep into the fountain to save some sunglasses, hopefully not breaking the law. We admired the sculptures, so vast, so many. In 1889 this surely cost quite a penny.
The Indiana State Museum was next. Unique Indiana things we certainly did see; bones, artifacts and a painting that covered their Social Studies text. A unique sculpture for each county, Elkhart's sculpture was designed to show their musical instrument bounty.
The Indy 500...the best for last? It really was quite a blast! The practicing race cars zoomed by so fast you could hardly see, but very loud and vibrating they sure would be. We saw Dannika Patrick, our racing lass, her little black and blue car looked like a flash. The kids got autographs along pit row watching the drivers going to and fro. The Indy 500 museum was certainly neat but by now Madison was getting really sore feet. We learned about their tradition of drinking milk after a win, our minds swelling with so much information, they would have popped with a pin.
The long bus ride back to the school we would have to endure, having been warned by the teachers that this leg would not be the cure... for our tired bodies and minds. All the parents wanted to do was to just unwind. Fourth graders have so much energy, from hence does it come? All Madison wanted to do when she got home was to run, run, run!
Into our own beds, our bodies did melt, with memories of the capitol, prairies, monuments, artifacts and the race cars we felt. We zoomed into sleep, the 4th grade field trip was now complete.
Inside the capitol building
Tony has even more talents!
Conner Prairie
Mrs. Hartsough dives for sunglasses... a student's...
...and comes up laughing!
Off to the races!
