"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. "

Oh what a day it was!  I had just gotten back about an hour ago after a long day with Parrish and his classmates at the Dillon's Farm in Hastings.  I didn't know what to expect when I signed up as a chaperone for this end of the year field trip.  I had 4 kids in the car with me, that I expected. It was a long drive(1 hr), that I also expected. But what I didn't expect was how beautiful and amazing it was going to be. The long drive up to the farm house, the well maintained barn and corral,  75  acres of pristine land ripe for our exploring, the pond, and last but not the least the horses.  The kids were divided into three groups and they all did separate activities in a choreographed manner. There was the long nature walk along the trail, exploring bugs and plants. We even get to see a dead possum with its young ones in its pouch.   The kids scrutinized every little frog, snake, tadpole, weeds, bubbles and whatnot in the pond .  Lunch was had in the barn, bales of hay acting as seats and tables. The kids had a kite making activity and got to fly their kites out on the lawn afterwards.  It was very idyllic.  The setting perfectly matched the kids wayward attitude towards  exploring.  At the end of the trip, this spring day, not only did we smell like dirt but we also smelled like horses, hay, and sun.  The scents of spring, the smell that you have after a long day of having fun.

And tomorrow will be another day.  Aspen's end of the year field trip to the Curious Kids Museum in St. Joseph, MI .