Younger Son had a field trip last week and I chaperoned. This was my to-do list:
- Make sure my sub (Famous Carol) can come for day care
- Alert parents that Famous Carol is coming and they need to pick up at 4:00
- Send in check for Younger’s cost to school
- Make sure permission slip was signed and returned
- Send in $2 for his “I belong with this class” bright blue t-shirt
- Find out that chaperones need to pay and send another check
- Send another $2 for MY bright blue (“I belong with this class and am not a kidnapper”) t-shirt
- Ask Michelle to pick up Older after school
- Make sure Older knows he’s going with Michelle
- Write dismissal email to Older’s homeroom teacher
- Note for Older to remember to go home with Michelle and not on bus
- Have talk with Older to figure out what will happen if he does go home on bus
- Write down Michelle’s phone number for Older in case he goes home on bus
- Reassure Older that he will remember to go home with Michelle and not to worry
- Email Famous Carol to be sure she’s coming and tell her what’s going on with the kids this week
- Send parents reminder email and write early closing time on whiteboard
- Write “Bag lunch” on the menu for that day so Dad won’t make normal lunch
- Take a picture of the TV remote and upload it to computer, print it out and write instructions for Famous Carol
- Find my small travel backpack (throw out first one I found because it’s disintegrating)
- Charge two iPods since they’re allowed to bring them for entertainment
- Gather Younger’s book, headphones, charged iPods, and journal to go in his backpack
- Find a better journal because the first one is too small
- Pack my own bag with sunblock, magazine, snack for four kids, bandaids, tissues, itinerary, etc.
- Go over the checklist sent from the school to make sure I didn’t forget anything (but I’m plagued with the feeling that I did)
Now for the morning of the trip:
- Pack the bag lunches and Younger’s snack
- Change whiteboard message for parents to pickup early today
- Set up the cribs
- Get pile of VCR tapes
- Leave check and instructions for Famous Carol
- Leave the tv set to VCR
- Vaccuum under the snack table because I forgot to last night
- Greet kids arriving at normal time
- Review TV use with Carol
- Make sure Younger’s ready (which he is, because he’s awesome)
- Go on field trip!!!
Older’s field trip is next week.
