Yesterday our school went on a field trip to a nearby lake. As part of the day we offered the opportunity for kids to go on a short canoe trip. The route we take is quite shallow and students get to paddle between tree stumps and under a small walking bridge. The whole trip lasts 45 minutes to an hour depending on how good the students are canoeing.

Before we go, we get life jackets on and do a short safety chat, followed by a few instructions. We also ask students about their background both paddling and steering a canoe, and make sure the more inexperienced paddlers are put in the front of the canoe, and the more experienced paddlers steering in the back.

I’m always amazed how some kids overestimate their abilities. They confidently get into the back of a canoe, and then the canoe starts meandering off in any direction except straight ahead. We had to switch out people a couple different times, because there would be no way for that canoe to safely stay in sight of the other canoes.

We also had one student insist that it would be too embarrassing to be moved, and took an extra 20 minutes longer than everyone else. The other teacher remained close and when we were around the last bend he and I took the rest of the canoes in, then got in the same canoe and went back out to be with this canoe.

This was fine with us because it was before lunch and so we weren’t delaying another group going out, and also the person in the front of the canoe was a friend who wasn’t seeing this as a bad situation in any way. They both had fun and when they were done even joked that they were first back because no one else was at the beach.

It seems like all of the kids really enjoy the trip. It’s fun giving them a few tips and watching them weave through the section that has tree stumps, and ducking way lower than they need to in order to get under the walking bridge. It’s also wonderful to see them appreciate being out in nature and enjoying the scenery. On top of everything we had absolutely gorgeous weather, with warm sunshine and hardly a breeze… that’s not always the case in early October. It felt like a beautiful summer day.

We haven’t done a field trip like this in almost 3 years, and the day could not have been better. Some students fished, some went on a hike, some played card games or tossed around a frisbee, and many played capture the flag to end the day. So often on field trips everyone is corralled into specific activities and the entire day is planned for them, but this trip is about connecting as a community and letting kids… be kids. Sometimes it’s good to allow students choice, and to give them the time to play, to choose their own activities, and to connect with each other organically. I’m already looking forward to doing this trip again next year.