Field Trip Friday was born out of frustration, desperation, and a need to get my second grade son away from his computer, and drawn into into anything outside. Our (okay, his transition, technically) from brick and mortar to cyber school was unexpectedly brutal, and this seemed like a good diversion. Usually, it was, for better or worse, but the stories, and learning experiences have been endless and well worth the effort.
Once we became familiar with the different field trips that our cyber school offered, our own trips seemed obsolete. But then, on March 13, 2020, COVID-19 and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shut down all public schools, and wiped all in-person field trips off the calendar. Here, now at the end of the first marking period, all field trips are virtual, with no change in sight.
So, on the first Friday of September 2020, four days into seventh grade, there was an urgency to bring this part of our own curriculum back to life. While COVID-19 created a whole new set of challenges in finding places that were fun, educational, and safe, I prayerfully planned each Friday, often times at the last minute, and watched God work out the details. Nothing could have prepared me for the joy, or the growth I’ve seen in my son.
As I write this, we just finished Week Nine. Locking yourself in a car with your 13-year-old son isn’t always the most relaxing thing to do with your time, but week after week God has shown up during these small steps of obedience, and shed light on the growth I see in my son. It simply takes my breath away.
I hope you’ll enjoy this series of blogs, and that it gives you an awareness of how God can work, and show up in your life, if you just allow Him to do it.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalms 16:11 ESV