10 Great Destinations to Take Kids on a Field Trip

"Little Kids" Children's Zoo, St. Louis Zoo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by eNannySource: http://www.enannysource.com/blog/index.php/2012/11/29/10-great-destinations-to-bring-kids-on-a-field-trip/

Few events are as exciting to kids as the almighty field trip. The thought of escaping the confines of the home for an afternoon can send children into paroxysms of joy, leaving nannies struggling to keep up with their exuberant charges.

Here are 10 great field trip ideas to take the kids on that will help them learn in a more hands-on way, which aids greatly in retention and comprehension for some kids that struggle in those areas.

1. Farms and Orchards – Helping kids understand where their food comes from can be as simple as planning a trip to a local farm or orchard. Most of these places are welcoming to playgroups and children’s organizations, even offering special activities and lessons for touring children.
2. Petting Zoos – A visit to the petting zoo can provide kids with a hands-on lesson in caring for domestic animals, allowing them the chance to get up close and personal with animals that they might not have access to normally. Kids who live in dense urban areas are often limited in their opportunities to interact with any domesticated animals that can’t be kept as pets; a trip to a local petting zoo can help them have a personal experience with farm and barnyard creatures.
3. Traditional Zoos – Learning about more exotic animals can be exciting for kids when it entails a trip to the zoo, where they are able to observe animals in an approximation of their natural habitats, and can even catch demonstrations from trained specialists.
4. Living History Museums – Grasping the concept of life before electricity can be difficult for today’s always-on, constantly connected kids. A field trip to a living history museum can be like stepping into a time machine, helping kids learn more about their ancestors by watching actors portray a specific era in character.
5. Botanical Gardens – For kids who are fortunate to live in an area with a botanical garden, the opportunities to examine many types of plants, small birds and insects are endless. Pairing natural science with a day outdoors, these field trips are sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike.
6. Art Museums – Many art museums have special sections that are specifically geared towards kids, providing them with the opportunity to learn about classic masterpieces and, in some cases, even create their own in workshops.
7. Science Centers – Science centers and museums built solely for kids are always a good choice for field trips; the interactive exhibits and experiments are great ways for kids to grasp scientific concepts by seeing them in action, and are a welcome alternative to reading a description in their text books.
8. National Parks – The options for education and fun at a national park are almost limitless, as most have specialized programs just for touring playgroups and kids’ organizations. These parks can be a wealth of knowledge, and provide kids with hours of educational fun.
9. Wildlife Reserves – Petting and traditional zoos offer kids a chance to observe animals in something that resembles their natural habitat, but a wildlife preserve allows them the opportunity to see indigenous creatures actually surviving in the wild with limited human intervention.
10. Local Historical Landmarks – It’s important for kids to understand their local history and heritage, and visiting local points of interest and historical sites can be a great way to do just that. Whether your group opts for a guided or self-guided tour, there’s plenty to learn about your city and its history from these local treasures.

Depending on your area, there can be dozens of great options for field trips. Many sites offer special tours or activities to playgroups, so look into what’s available near you.

Turkey’s Last Armenian Schools

Ortaköy Mosque, along the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by Aziz Oguz, Le Monde Diplomatique: http://mondediplo.com

Aziz Oguz is a journalism student at François-Rabelais University, Tours, France.

Turkey has never banned the Armenian schools that teach the community’s language and culture. But its support is marginal and the schools, like the language, are losing their place.

“Don’t close the door,” Mari Nalcı, who has been head of the Tarmanças school for 25 years, told me as I went into her office; she seemed not to trust me. Armenians in Turkey are cautious, especially when you ask questions about education.

“The problem of security for schools has become very important, especially since Hrant Dink was assassinated,” Garo Paylan, an Armenian schools representative, had told me. The murder of this well-known Armenian journalist by a Turkish nationalist in 2007 revived old fears (1).

Mari Nalcı’s school bristles with CCTV cameras; there are bars on the windows and a security man, Attila Sen, at the door. Sen is friendly, but as intransigent as a prison guard: nobody gets in without an appointment. “We’ve never had a problem,” he said, “but some local people are suspicious of the school. Fortunately, prejudices disappear when they get to know us.”

The school is in Ortaköy, near the Bosphorus Bridge that links Istanbul’s two halves. Ortaköy used to be one of the most cosmopolitan districts of the Ottoman Empire’s capital, and was home to many Jews, Greeks and Armenians. There are two mosques, four Christian churches and two synagogues.

Today Kurds have replaced the Armenians, and only a few Armenian families remain. The school’s 500 pupils are ferried here by minibus from all over the city.

There are 16 Armenian schools in Turkey, five of them secondary schools, with around 3,000 pupils in all. They are all in Istanbul, where most of Turkey’s 60,000 Armenians live. The only admission requirement is that pupils must have at least one parent of Armenian origin.

These schools date back to the Ottoman Empire, when every community was responsible for organising its own education system and there were thousands of Armenian schools.

After the Armenian genocide of 1915-16, in which one to 1 to 1.5 million people perished (nearly two-thirds of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian population), and later massacres and exoduses, there are relatively few Armenians in Turkey, and just these 16 schools.

To read further, go to: http://mondediplo.com/2012/12/14armenia