Our Downtown Experience

Just another reason to love our school is our LOCATION! Because we are a downtown school we are able to utilize our beautiful downtown community as part of our learning experience. We have been learning about Communities, Government and Maps so far this year in Social Studies. We were able to see many of the things we have been learning about in person and this is something not many students get the chance to do.

On Monday 10/18 we took a walking trip downtown to visit local government buildings and businesses. Our first stop was City Hall. At City Hall we met with the current mayor of our town. We met in the City Council Chambers and she told us all about her job and responsibilities. She entertained our questions and showed us around. She took us into her office and introduced us to the "First Dog". Daisy, The First Dog, showed off many of her tricks and kept the kids very entertained.

Our second stop was to the Art & Cultural Center. Here we were able to check out the Equine Art exhibit that is on display. It was artwork from artists all around the world and is only here until the end of the week. The center is not even open on Mondays but they opened just for us! We saw some AMAZING pieces of artwork and we enjoyed it very much. Thanks Ladies!

These amazing chairs were made out of cardboard!

Next, we traveled up the road to the Justice Building. Before our tour we were taken through the metal detectors. (The kids got a kick out of this!) After we all passed the security checkpoint we were taken to the 3rd floor to a courtroom to learn about how court proceedings went. We were greeted by a bailiff who told us all about the courtroom. (We might have had LOTS of questions about the bad guys!) It was an informational session that the kids enjoyed.

Our next stop was the Scott County Museum. We met Mr. Green who took us all around and showed us some very interesting facts about Georgetown's history. We got to tour the whole museum and check out lots of artifacts and things from the history of our town. Ask your child who Pete the Crow is!
After our tour we ate lunch at the museum and celebrated the birthday of one very special classmate!

Our BIRTHDAY GIRL!

Following the museum trip we walked across the street to the Planning & Zoning office. We were excited for this stop because we have been learning all about maps and these guys did not disappoint! They had three stations set up for us to visit. We met the guys who help with the city zoning laws. We got to see GIANT maps of the city and they told us all about zoning laws. Next, we met some engineers who showed us some really cool tools they use and taught us about storm drain safety. We even got to try out some of the tools!   Also, while we were there we met with the guys who use very cool technology to do their jobs. We got to learn how they use GPS to create maps and help plan the city. It was a VERY organized and interesting stop! We have never had this of part of the trip before but it will be a must do next year.

For our last stop we made our way to Fire Station One. We were greeted by some very entertaining firemen who took us on a tour of their firehouse. They showed us where they sleep, eat and work. They then taught us all about the trucks and let us go in one! After we went through the truck, we learned about fire safety. We were reminded to check the batteries in our smoke detectors, how to correctly COVER, stop, drop and roll and what to do if we have a fire at our house. DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE A FIRE PLAN? Do you have a spot you are to meet outside if there is a fire? This might be something you need to talk about with  your child. After the fire safety talk, we let Miss Lawson try on the fire suit and the firemen told us all about the important equipment they were to stay safe in their jobs. This was a very engaging and informative stop, the kids LOVED it.

It was a jam packed day! We walked all over downtown. We left our classroom as soon as the morning announcements were over and returned as the afternoon announcements were on! Thank you so much to the parents who volunteered your day to go with us. It was a lovely day and we got to see real life examples of many of the things we were learning about. This trip was no cost and we truly appreciate EVERYONE who helped make our trip so enjoyable and successful!

Mrs. Snyder