FAMILY FIELD TRIPS THAT FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

"Two of the greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings." - Walt Streightiff

School is out in Seattle on Tuesday. Farewell to the 2009-10 school year! Hello summer! What will your children be doing during the long, lazy summer days? Last week I talked about the video game craze and how many young people (adults as well) are hooked into computer and video games to the exclusion of almost everything else. What a waste of time and experiences. The question is, how can you make the summer meaningful and memorable for the kids in your life? How do you keep them motivated and in love with learning?

The following true story is one family's answer to those questions. I wish the story could have been mine. What a difference it would have made in my own children's lives.

In the l990s a grandmother I know, accompanied by an adult son, took her four grandchildren and two neighbor children on an educational odyssey lasting many weeks. The goal was to expose the children, second through fifth graders, to institutions of higher learning, particularly historical black colleges and universities. Crammed in a van they stopped at major landmarks along the way and explored cities like Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and New York City. If you have ever been with children in a car ride lasting more than a few hours you know what I mean when I say the mind boggles!

I learned about the trip upon their return when the new school year began. The youngest, a girl who had been a talkative, energetic, flighty second grader, bounded into my third grade classroom announcing that she was going to attend Grambling State University when she grew up. It was the most remarkable transformation in a child I had ever seen. She was still talkative and energetic, but now more focused and serious about her education. She ended up at NYU rather than Grambling, but she, along with all of the other children on that amazing adventure, went on to graduate from universities across the country and now lead productive lives. Hats off to that grandmother and father who truly sacrificed a summer for these children, but in the process gained a reward far greater than they could have imagined at the time.

We can all take a page from that book, even if we have limited resources. Here are some examples ranging from ambitious to more modest adventures:

1. Like the one above, take a cross-country tour of interesting campuses, while also seeing our own country with the eyes of foreign visitors.

2. Take a trip down the coast (Atlantic or Pacific) visiting major colleges and tourist sites along the way.

3. Take your own state and visit major universities and tourist locations there.

4. Take your own city and visit one campus a week during the summer.

The latter may be more doable for most of us. Take the Seattle area, for example. Here are a few of the four-year colleges and universities available, each with their own unique campus and atmosphere. Going during summer school provides more excitement with many buildings open. Packing a picnic lunch and touring each campus is a wonderful, free outing which will surely raise your child's awareness to an exciting life beyond high school. You will generate even more excitement If you do your internet homework on what each school offers. Most colleges and universities have areas where you can picnic or cafeterias where you can enjoy reasonably priced lunches.

· University of Washington
· Seattle Pacific University
· Seattle University
· Cornish College of the Arts
· The Art Institute
· Bastyr University

An easy day trip from Seattle to Bellingham, Tacoma or Olympia would give you other possibilities.

· Western Washington University in Bellingham
· University of Puget Sound in Tacoma
· Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma
· Evergreen State College in Olympia

There are over seventy universities, four-year colleges and community colleges on the list I am providing. Many students wish to start their post secondary educations at a community college. These institutions are abundant in Washington State, many of them with unique programs and beautiful campus settings. http://u101.com/colleges/Washington/

Another list citing other vocational and trade schools is also worth checking out. http://u101.com/colleges/Vocational/Washington/

If you are living in another state, just look up colleges and universities in your state and you will find many useful entries.

The point I am trying to make is this: Don't wait until high school to inform your child about educational options. And even more important, don't depend on the high school guidance counselors to do a job that you can do better. They simply don't have the time. Consider making it your summer mission to enhance your life and the lives of your children by visiting college campuses starting as early as elementary school. If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, then it also follows that campus visits will be more meaningful than just talking about them. Start now. Enjoy exploring the possibilities. The payoff will far outweigh the price.

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BOOK NOOK

"No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks" By Diane deGroat

Using various unusual animals as characters, Diane deGroat creates a whimsical story about the end of first grade for Gilbert, a possum, and his classmates. Children can surely relate to the mixed feelings of excitement and loss at leaving friends and a beloved teacher behind. Awarding of medals or certificates can be a time of joy or angst on any occasion for young children depending on how it's handled. In this instance the medals are given out at the class party on the last day of school. Mrs. Byrd, the teacher, makes sure everyone gets an appropriate "just right" ribbon so that everyone leaves happy. I also love the author's book Brand-New Pencils, Brand-New Books. It's a great read-aloud for the first day of school in the primary grades.