Toronto Trip
Our Gr. 5 trip to Toronto went well yesterday. Gorgeous weather and no one got lost.
(Photo: The outside of Queen's Park. I've taken so many photos of the front of Queen's Park through the years on school trips {see below the cut} that I just took this angled shot on a whim.)
We arrived at Queen's Park around 10:30, so the kids were sent in groups on a scavenger hunt around Queen's Park, looking for information on statues and plaques. We then went in for our official tour through the Provincial Government building and the Legislative Chamber. The kids always especially like the Legislative Chamber because of the "mock parliaments" we do in class first. They can then walk into the real thing and say, "Hey, there's where I sat as Speaker of The House!" or "Hey, I was the Premier in class and now there's my desk!".
(Part of the Queen's Park tour is learning about the geography of the province on this large map.)
We then took the students into the park to eat their lunch before starting our walk south to Toronto City Hall. I'd forgotten how nerve-wracking it can be to try to hustle sixty ten-year-olds down busy city streets, co-ordinating at traffic lights and all! We had lots of parents with us, though, and we got a system going, so it took us about twenty minutes to get to where we were going.
(Toronto City Hall as shot from our school meeting point by "The Archer" statue)
We ended up pressed for time, so after dividing the students back into groups of five or six the adult leader had to choose between a self-guided tour of the first floor of Toronto City Hall or a tour of Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall. Four of my six students had cameras so I figured Nathan Phillips Sqaure would be more picturesque. One of my girls told me she was taking photos to earn her Girl Guide Photography badge (nifty), so I found myself commenting throughout the tour, "Here's a great angle for a shot.", "Turn your camera sideways to catch that tower in Old City Hall.", etc. :).
I like the contrast of these water fountains on a sunny June day to the last time I took a photo of this very same spot...
... during WinterFest in January when that fountain pool is replaced by Toronto's most famous skating rink. Brrrr.
Next year I'd like to tack anouther hour onto this field trip to give more time to exploring City Hall -and- Nathan Phillips Square, rather than one or the other.
(Photo: The outside of Queen's Park. I've taken so many photos of the front of Queen's Park through the years on school trips {see below the cut} that I just took this angled shot on a whim.)
We arrived at Queen's Park around 10:30, so the kids were sent in groups on a scavenger hunt around Queen's Park, looking for information on statues and plaques. We then went in for our official tour through the Provincial Government building and the Legislative Chamber. The kids always especially like the Legislative Chamber because of the "mock parliaments" we do in class first. They can then walk into the real thing and say, "Hey, there's where I sat as Speaker of The House!" or "Hey, I was the Premier in class and now there's my desk!".
(Part of the Queen's Park tour is learning about the geography of the province on this large map.)
We then took the students into the park to eat their lunch before starting our walk south to Toronto City Hall. I'd forgotten how nerve-wracking it can be to try to hustle sixty ten-year-olds down busy city streets, co-ordinating at traffic lights and all! We had lots of parents with us, though, and we got a system going, so it took us about twenty minutes to get to where we were going.
(Toronto City Hall as shot from our school meeting point by "The Archer" statue)
We ended up pressed for time, so after dividing the students back into groups of five or six the adult leader had to choose between a self-guided tour of the first floor of Toronto City Hall or a tour of Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall. Four of my six students had cameras so I figured Nathan Phillips Sqaure would be more picturesque. One of my girls told me she was taking photos to earn her Girl Guide Photography badge (nifty), so I found myself commenting throughout the tour, "Here's a great angle for a shot.", "Turn your camera sideways to catch that tower in Old City Hall.", etc. :).
I like the contrast of these water fountains on a sunny June day to the last time I took a photo of this very same spot...
... during WinterFest in January when that fountain pool is replaced by Toronto's most famous skating rink. Brrrr.
Next year I'd like to tack anouther hour onto this field trip to give more time to exploring City Hall -and- Nathan Phillips Square, rather than one or the other.