Volcano Field Trip

Emi's class had another neat field trip, this time to a former ranch that was purchased by the Kamehameha School.  There are 38,000 acres that are fenced, mostly land that had been deforested.  The foundation has a goal of reforesting the entire area, mostly with Koa and Ohia, and at the same to create a sanctuary for endangered birds.  There is actual a building where they hatch various endangered birds and raise them for wild release, and usually only kids in grade 6 and up get to go to this sanctuary, due to noise and stress to the birds.  The kids were amazing, very good and excited.  They spoke in hushed tones, and as a reward they got to go into a dark room with a wall of windows that opened to an aviary where at least four Hawaiian crows were being housed.  The kids were in awe.

After the crows we took another hike to a hillside and the kids were shows how to plant Koa.  It was fun to see 40 kids scrambling around and planting saplings.  They had a serious intensity, an eagerness to do this and do it the right way.

The most exhausting thing about the whole experience?  Riding a school bus for an hour each direction, full of 4th graders that were excited (going) and tired and excited (coming home)!   

February? Already?

Here we are, at the beginning of February, and I find that I am once again in the mad swirl of school, school, home, and work.  I mention school twice because it deserve such mention.  Today was a class room day for me, and I spent most of the day at a photocopier making sub plans for the class, since the teacher has a meeting tomorrow concerning Race to the Top.  Pahoa got a huge grant, and in order to access the funds there are some big changes that will have to occur and that just may impact the entire state.  The most dramatic change would be to the length of the school day.  Hawaii has one of the shortest days in the nation- hey, with beaches and year 'round summer, it's hard to make the school day very long.  I personally wouldn't mind a longer school day.  I tend to think that most parents would agree. 

Charlie is off to jiu jitsu with Aaron, and Emi is in the other room playing some very loud Wii with the neighbor boys.  They're all shouting and giggling, all good natured.  I'm contemplating starting a book I just picked up from the library, but the problem is I know if I start it I won't want to stop and it's a long book.  It's the third part of a thriller trilogy, this one is "Girl who Kicked a Hornet's Nest."  The titles pretty much tell it like it is, and the girl of the title was shot in the head at the end of the last book.  I'm wondering if I want to risk staying up too late tonight.  I'm caught up on school reading, got homework done, and I'm not really that interested in the movie Aaron wants to watch tonight.  Decisions, decisions.