Around Town This Summer...

So I've been meaning to post for awhile about some of the interesting field trips I've been able to go on with the kids this summer at Circle of Support. Most of these were in June, so I'm only a month behind!

One of the first trips we went on was to the House of Blues in downtown Dallas. They did a special presentation for kids on June 19th (Juneteenth) about the history of African-American folk music and art and the impact that blues music has had on many other genres. It was called the "Blues Schoolhouse" and it was very well put together, especially the musical history by the band. It really made me want to go back to the House of Blues for a concert or a meal sometime. Very culturally rich enviroment.

One Wednesday afternoon we loaded up the bus and headed to far west Ft. Worth to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where our country's currency is printed! Currency is only made in two places in the United States...Ft. Worth and Washington D.C. We had to go through some pretty tight security to enter the facility and then a tour guide walked us through the entire building and showed us all the money in the process of being printed. It was pretty amazing to see literally millions of dollars before your very eyes! The kids weren't too impressed with this field trip, but I thought it was interesting.

Another week we visited the Old Red Museum in downtown Dallas. This is the former Old Red Courthouse that has been recently renovated into a museum about the history of Dallas Co. The girls participated in a program about the history of toys and games and how they've changed over the years and then created their own Mr. Potato Heads out of real potatoes, like the original toys. However, the displays in this museum were great and I could have definitely spent more time perusing them. Now that I've lived in Dallas for awhile, the history is a little more meaningful and fascinating to me. I would definitely recommend this museum to any visiting guests who like this kind of thing!

Then of course we have our regular Friday field trips that are more entertainment based and have inlcuded visits to Incredible Pizza, Amazing Jakes, Hawaiaan Falls, and roller skating so far...I'm not as big a fan of these field trips, but the kids do have fun.

Next week we will be taking the sixth graders to the Dallas Arboretum Camp. I always enjoy this trip every year. They learn a little about nature, make birdhouses, create journals, and also have a kayaking day in which we learn to kayak on White Rock Lake...it was a lot of fun last year, so looking forward to that for the upcoming week, alhtough not eager to be in the 105 degree weather.

I also took a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina over the Fourth of July holiday, so my next post will be "Out of Town This Summer!"