Back to Outdoor School on the Oregon Trail

Our kids go on lots of field trips as part of their education at Llewellyn. These trips usually last a few hours, and the kids venture to some nearby place of interest or significance, such as a museum or a local bakery. These trips require support from parents, but I've never heard of there being a lack of interest from parents. In fact, teachers usually have to turn away several interested parents. One of the more involved field trips is the Oregon Trail overnighter for fourth-graders, which draws so much interest from parents that the teachers hold a lottery to determine who won the privilege of attending. I eagerly submitted my name, but I did not win a spot on the trip. Aaron's teacher did notify me, however, that I was a backup, and that glimmer of hope kindled a small hope that somebody would drop out. And drop out somebody did. So long as I could pass the background check, I would get to cash in two of my vacation days camping in the woods with one of my sons and a hundred of his closest friends (of course I passed the background check: if the FBI can clear me, nothing will get in my way).

My morning started without the alarm clock, as the kids naturally wake up early, and I was in no hurry to get out the door--yes, I was that dad that walked to school in his pajamas. After a nice walk home with Meg and Ian, I showered, gathered my things, and retreated back to the school to help load the bus and begin chaperoning. Meg seemed to know all of the other adults and introduced me to them, but I quickly forgot who they were. Each of the three 4th-grade classes has their own bus, and the other seven parents in Aaron's class loaded the back four or five rows with all of the kids luggage in our bus. The only things Aaron packed were his sleeping bag, his medicines, and a change of clothes, which happened to fit in a small plastic bag. Most of the other kids had huge bags full of what I'm not sure (the weather was sunny and 70's during the day, so we didn't need to prepare for any extremes). I'm really not trying to brag; maybe I felt more confident in taking less for Aaron because I was accompanying him.

Our destination was a camp outside of Molalla, and the drive was quick, pleasant, and incident-free (because I was seriously worried that we would draw an Otto-like bus driver and end up on a totally different adventure, which I joked about earlier with the parents, whom I think failed to get the reference, but probably they just didn't think I was funny, which is pretty much 99% of the Earth's population). Even before a single passenger disembarked from the bus, I could tell how organized this camp was going to be. The full-time staff members--all dressed in Oregon Trail period garb--greeted our entourage with smiles and waves and cheers. The staff provided specific instructions for both the adults and the kids, and we separated for orientation and expectations before diving into the program. Other than one other short period in the evening for each class to practice a short skit/song for the evening campfire, this was the only time we were not actively participating together.

Not the Virginia Reel

Field Stations
Throughout Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, the kids rotated among a plethora of field stations were they learned, hands-on (this was the key to keeping them interested, in my opinion), how to make butter, cook a small piece of dough over the fire, how to use a variety of pioneer-era tools, and a glimpse of how the pioneers lived. I never saw a kid bored or disengaged.

Meals
Aaron often expressed concern about going on the over-nighter until he knew that I would be accompanying him. Why? My feeling is that he was afraid of what food he would encounter. His food allergies--small in number but severe in consequence--inhibit his willingness to try new things. But the boy ate well-balanced meals at every chance, and I never heard him complaining or begging for a snack. I was impressed at the quality and variety--much better than I had expected.

Virginia Reel
On Thursday evening we all gathered in the gym to learn how to dance the Virginia Reel. Aaron chose me as his dance partner, and we both picked up the moves and were able to execute them as well as anyone.

Before the start of the three-legged race

Campfire
No camp-out is complete without a campfire. The staff, high school students, and the kids all performed skits, sang songs, and had a jolly good time, as demonstrated by all of the singing I heard on the bus ride home.

Cabin Sleeping
After the campfire we all retreated to our cabins. The boys seemed to sleep well, although their snoring, crying, and Aaron's scratching kept me awake for most of the night, and they all woke up before our 6:45 wake-up call.

Return Home
Somehow Aaron and I got stuck on a bench with three persons (did we somehow accumulate more luggage and those lost a few seats?). The third wheel, I found out later, was a boy that Aaron doesn't care for at all, but he didn't complain or try to get him to move to a different seat. He even didn't seem to mind the boy using Aaron as a pillow when he fell asleep early in the journey home.