Hamilton!?!

If I haven't said it enough, let me say again, that my team teachers are fantastic.  There are too many reasons to list, but let me tell you about the latest and greatest...

Last fall my teammate, ML, applied through the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to receive tickets for our students to Hamilton the Musical.  The program was designed to provide students from Title I (or Title I eligible) schools with an opportunity to see a Broadway Musical, specifically Hamilton, for a minimal fee. We didn't hear anything for quite a while...then one day during class she was checking email (don't worry, the kids were working on an essay and we were taking turns working with them)....and ML let out a little squeal...We "won" 100 tickets (plus 10 chaperone tickets) for $10 apiece. (We eventually were able to get ten more plus one more chaperone ticket because other schools weren't able to use all their tickets).  In the words of the Gilder Lehrman staff, "See Hamilton for a Hamilton".....

The event included not only tickets to the afternoon show but also a morning educational session, including student performances (more below) and Q and A with the Denver cast.  This raised a couple issues though...One of the first decisions ML had to make was who was eligible to use the tickets? Gilder Lehrman had requirements for the students--students had to be enrolled in 11th grade US History and each student had to complete a research project on a Revolutionary War/Early Nation Era Person, Event, or Document and turn their research into a performance piece (poem, rap, song, scene) of 1-2 minutes. So, our classes seemed like the best place to start, because we could provide time and structure in class to complete the project.  As some of you know, we team-teach two classes that are split between students with an IEP and students without an IEP.  When we counted, we had a total of 56 people enrolled in our classes.  Hmm....who else "should" be allowed to go?  Who would "appreciate" a musical about immigrants and might not ever get to see a show.....How about the ELA (English Language Learners) teamed classes?! (again, classes with two teachers and half students with ELA plans and half in general education).  ML shares an office with the social studies teacher who teams ELA, so this was easy to coordinate. This brought our total pretty close to 100, so we opened the opportunity up to students in other 11th grade US History classes--making sure they knew the project performance and had an overwhelming (at times) response.  In the end we took 97 students and 11 adults.

The second issue was how to get there....RTD (bus and light rail) with 110 people at rush hour?  Urg...School buses?  Can't use them in the morning, as they are needed elsewhere...ok...a charter bus (two, actually) it is...Buses are how much?  Urg.....Enter GoFundMe....and generous donations from our Life Groups, Book Clubs, friends, family and co-workers...and for the win...our principal who said, "We'll find some money...book the buses".

Issue #3....lunch....GL says "Have the kids bring lunches..."....Students say, "um, I get free and reduced lunch at school every day...what do I do?"  While I was planning how to make 100+lunches in the school kitchen after school, ML reached out to her fabulous friend who works for 104.3 The Fan in Denver...and he reached out to his contacts at Sam's #3 in Aurora (and graduates of our high school!)  who donated lunches...all the lunches...for free.... (and they were tasty lunches as well....mmm...pickles, chips, fruit, sandwich, beverage....mmmmm).  As an added bonus, the fabulous other ML (the teacher who teams ELA classes) bought an extensive and delicious variety of snacks and drinks for breakfast on the bus and a snack on the way home.

Issue #4  Chaperones...really a non-issue--in the end we took the Social Studies team-teaching staff, their ELA and IEP counterparts (me!),  the fabulous EH (A former team-teacher of mine who is retiring and also shares ML's office), the 11th Grade English IEP teachers (general and special education staff), an assistant principal (over the Special Education Department), and the school psychologist.  It was a fabulous group of adults who all worked super hard before the trip and the day of to make it fabulous for our students.

Not an Issue #5...$10 tickets...I was a little worried about the number of students who we had promised scholarship tickets to...ML was counting money and I was watching.  I said, "How much are we short?"  She replied, "None...its the exact amount".  We recounted...God is good...

Our students created some truly fabulous performance pieces and our fantastic Video Production Teacher volunteered his time and the use of the studio to record several to submit one (as required) to Gilder Lehrman.  Unfortunately, our student was not chosen for the live performance, however, we have some really awesome videos for the students who participated.

The night before the field trip I woke up at 3:14 am, not quite panic-stricken, but a little worried about the next day.   There were a couple details, some involving specific students and their needs and some involving things like keeping the lunches cold that worried me a little.... I said a prayer, asking for everything to be smooth and for everyone to have a great day.  Later, after, the day had been super smooth and everyone reported it was fabulous (great, fantastic, really cool....) ML, my office mate, and I were chatting on the bus. They both noted they had done the same thing....God is good....and He certainly heard us, as the day couldn't have gone better.

While I won't claim that the day and the musical were life-changing, I will say this: (comments in no particular order)

• The play was good--I enjoyed it and have some of the music stuck in my head today.  I really enjoyed trying to catch all the Easter Eggs (lines from Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific, Macbeth, 1990's rap songs....).  There were a couple instances of historical fiction, but (and?) they didn't interfere with the story.  Hamilton was not painted as a hero nor as a villain but as a human (and the same could be said of most of the other characters).  King George was hil-lar-ri-us......
• Our students were so great and grateful.  They were polite, they were attentive...I couldn't be prouder.
• In fact, as we walked out, one of my students who admittedly doesn't love school said (something like), "Miss...that was really good.  And I actually learned something.  Cool."  I asked, "From the play?" (worrying a little about the couple historical fictions) and he replied, "Nah, from the research project...the play was cool, but the research helped me understand what was going on". (What more can you ask for?)  Today the same student walked into class, threw himself into a seat and said to ML and me, "Hey. Thanks a lot. Sigh.".  We said, "Um?" He replied with, "I have that song, you know the one that goes ba ba ba ba ba ba ba, stuck in my head....". (Cue laughter....)
• And, as often is the case, my favorite moment was one I couldn't have seen coming....as I sat in my seat waiting for the second act, the student sitting behind me said, "Hey, Miss, is that <student name>? "  Since it wasn't an uncommon name, I was racking my brain and scanning the crowd, when a young man, turns around (apparently hearing his name) and says "Mrs. Lemire!!!!!"  Before I knew it I was being hugged by a football player sized giant of a high schooler....who left our school a couple years ago as an immature 9th grader somewhat in crisis.  We had a few short moments to catch up on his life...and I thought again about all the seeds that teachers plant that and never see flower and reminded myself to remember moments like that one when I'm struggling as a teacher.  Needless to say, that made me a little more teary than expected during the emotional second act.

So now I don't know how to end this other than...it was a great experience...ML (who I've bragged about by name on my Facebook page) is fabulous--this was a (possibly) once in a lifetime opportunity for many of our students and they had a fabulous day....It was remarkable as a field trip because there were no emergencies...a couple stressful moments, but nothing like some other trips I've been on or chaperoned....it was just really, really great.  Thank you (again) to everyone who made it great...through your donations, your prayers, your excitement to carry us to the actual day of....it was a really, really good day.  (The End)......

Things to do in Denver Part I

Some friends from out of state are coming for a visit later this fall and asked for some ideas of things to do with their young kids--I am going to chat with them, too, but thought it might make a "fun" post I've talked about some of these places before, but here is the "whole list" in one place... "things to do in the Denver area" with (or without) little children....  A lot are mentioned in The Preschooler's Guide to Denver, a book that we have used a lot more since the kids started school than before.  Whenever I can I've included a link to the location's official website.

Children's Museum-I hate to start with this one, because it is one of my least favorites (sorry museum fans).  I was "spoiled" by growing up near the fantastic Indianapolis Children's Museum, so the Denver Children's Museum has always seemed small and over-priced.  We have spent some fun afternoons there--mainly rainy or cold days when we've been cooped up too long.  It does have a some great play areas for younger kids-it is aimed at the 3-5 year old crowd is my opinion and anyone older or younger isn't thrilled..but it is ok if the weather has been stinky for a long time.  And it is a good "go-to" for little kids and grandparents--lots of things to play with.

Aquarium-I haven't been to the aquarium since around the time it opened and we had free passes.  It is supposed to be great...it is funny to think of going to an aquarium in Denver though.  And again (I'm cheap) but it has always seemed pricey.

Museum of Nature and Science I do love this place--lots of stuff for kids to do and entertaining for the adults too.  Has an IMAX theater.  It is pretty similar to Nature and Science Museums in other cities...I can't think of anything that makes it drastically better or worse than any other Nature and Science Museum.  Entrance prices also seem about the same as other cities.

Zoo When we lived in Denver proper we had a zoo membership and would "pop over" for a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon. it is a nice zoo, lots of buildings with indoor exhibits so you can escape from the rain/snow/heat. We used to be famous for our polar bear cubs, but it seems like we haven't had any in awhile--but there are snow leopard cubs!  Here, too, there is an entrance fee, but it is never surprisingly high and (at least used to be) lower in the winter months.

Denver Botanic Gardens-Right now the Gardens are hosting a Chihuly exhibit and they have added a "kids discovery area".  It has always been a nice place to go play.  I think there are discounted tickets available through King Soopers sometimes.  It has a few indoors areas as well to escape the sun/rain/snow.

Lowry Beer Garden-Why might you ask, is a Beer Garden on a "kids's list"?  Great question...Here's my answer.  This place is situated right next door to the Wings Over the Rockies Museum and has a fantastic outdoor patio as well as a great indoor area.  Tasty food...and...a box of toys/games for the kids.  Granted, my kids are older, but they spent several happy afternoons playing Apples to Apples with my co-workers while I snacked on "half price food for teachers" during happy hour . I once fed the kids and I dinner for $12.  $12.  Not kidding.

Wings Over the Rockies-A very miniature version of the Air and Space Museum, has a fee, but often there are discount tickets online or in the kiosk at hotels.

Wildlife Experience-One of my favorite museums ever.  There is an area where you "walk through several climate zones" and along the way get snowed on as well as see lots of taxidermied animals.  That section alone is worth the price to me.  It also has an IMAX and a fun kids discovery area.

Butterfly Pavilion-Haven't been there in years, it was lovely, especially since when I went I had free tickets.

Westlands Park--Great park, no where to go inside, of course, but fantastic if the weather is decent (which, let's face it, it is a great deal of the time in Denver).  Has an observation tower, nature walks, and several fantastic playgrounds/play areas designed for kids of different ages and abilities.

Littleton Historical Museum--They advertise that they are "always free", but I would pay to visit.  A small, traditional, museum and several restored historic buildings.  Chickens, ducks, cows, sheep...lots of space to run and things to explore.  Special events throughout the year-we were there last spring on "Cow" day--we sampled homemade cheese, butter, and ice cream and heard about ice houses.

Hudson Gardens-Another smaller botanic garden.  During the summer they charge a fee, but in the winter I don't believe that they do. Lots of fun places to explore here, too--a hobbit hole is one of my favorites.  On special weekends there is a large outdoor model train area.

Belleview Park-We've only been to this one a few times--they have a great train to ride on (for a fee, I think) and lots of other "park" things.

Tiny Town-One of my favorites when the kids were toddling--this is a whole village (outdoors) of tiny houses and other buildings. There is a train to ride here, too.  I remember thinking the price was reasonable...I'm sure all that info is on their website.  They may close for the winter as well....but winter is kind of fluid here in the land of 340 sunshiney
 days.

Red Rocks-Free, including a small "museum".  Worth it to let kids run up and down all those stairs and perform on the same stage that the Beatles did.  Lots of hiking trails, too.

Colorado Railroad Museum-I know I've been here, but not for a long time.  I have a coffee mug from there!  The Boy reports "it was fun and Grandude bought my ticket".  So there you go.  As I remember, it has a lot of real trains that kids can tour and sometimes there are train rides

Airplane restaurant--This place, and the  next four, are all technically in the Colorado Springs area...which isn't super far from our house, but would be a hike if one was coming from downtown Denver (of course, some of the list above are a hike for us!).  I have mixed feelings about this place and always tell the folks we take that I have mixed feelings.  No one has ever been disappointed though (or at least they didn't tell me so).  The food is so-so most visits (it is attached to a Ramada Inn, I think), but if you call ahead or get lucky you can actually eat in a real airplane.  Even if you have to sit in the restaurant, there is a ton of airplane memorabilia to look at and kids are encouraged to visit the cockpit and rear bay of the airplane to explore.  Lots of great photo ops!

Air Force Academy-A very nice (free) visitor's center.  You will have to show your driver's license or other ID at the gate, but don't have to have a reservation to go in.  Most days you can take a short walk to the Air Force Chapel (down a paved trail with lots of things to look at).  A fun (usually short) stop on the way to or from somewhere else.

Olympic Training Center-Another free visitor's center.  The last time we were there they were remodeling (again).  Usually there are lots of hands on things to do and tours of the grounds are given.

Garden of the Gods-Very pretty to walk or drive.  Free entry, parking can be a pain if it is a nice day.  There is a nice visitor's center, too, mostly a gift shop, but a few things to look at/touch for the kids.

Santa Train-We haven't done the Santa train, but did take the cog railway in the summer.  The Santa train sounds very fun and we've been told that tickets "sell out fast".  Make sure to stop in Manitou Springs on your way to or from the train and try some of the water from the town's springs (the springs are free, just bring your own cup). With older kids they can pick up a map and lead you on a scavenger hunt as well as a taste test.

Bonus Link to "Best Hikes for Kids and Families" We've done a lot of these--downtown Golden is fun as well as the one to "the castle"

I'm also a fan of our public libraries--no matter what part of the "Denver Area" you are in ,there is probably a great library with a children's area, many including a"play room".  Phillip Miller (in Castle Rock), Castlewood (Centennial), and Schlessman (Denver) are some of my favorites.

Hey, Coloradans...what else should I add?

End of summer adventures with the family

Since IM didn't get to go with us to Michigan, we've tried to take a few day trips on weekends this fall.  A couple weeks ago (maybe it was even Labor Day weekend?) we decided to go to the Art Festival in Manitou Springs for the day.  We never actually made it to the actual festival...but we had a lot of fun in the Springs...here's our travel log with commentary, of course!

This is what happened when IM said--"hey, have we ever gone up that street before?"  And by up, he meant up...yes, that is The Girl huffing and puffing in the background.

This building says "old depot".  Interesting.  It looks like it is an apartment building now.

 As seen on Zillow....IM is intrigued by this house.  I am not, as it has no off street parking and is on a giant hill...but it is surprisingly larger than it looks!

What would a visit to Manitou Springs be without some spring water?  Actually The Boy was sticky for some reason(who knows) and this was a convenient place to clean up

Look!  A snowman in August!  This was entertaining...and a little hot when touched.

Again...these two will pose with anything.  I mean, what is this?  Sculpture, a bike rack?

Ah, the "I can't find my keys" gag.  Never gets old.  Luckily (for him) they were in his pocket all along.

Dinosaurs, Golden, and grumpy kids

I actually have visited Dinosaur Ridge before... but realized that the kids have never gone!  Mr. Ranch rides his bike and runs this path and nearby, so he knew the lay of the land, so a couple weeks ago when Grandude visited, we thought this would be a fun day trip.

 Off we go!

 This might be when The Girl started chanting "This is boring, let's go to the museum where it is air conditioned".

 I want to live here...just saying.  I'm intrigued by who lives there, too--I counted at least 8 mailboxes in this youtube video--be warned, it made me a little dizzy!

 Dinosaur footprint #1

 Girl in footprint

 A whole bunch of dinosaur footprints!

 Red Rocks in background

 Grumpy Boy pointing to cool rock

 Grumpy Girl avoiding us

 Happier Boy, pretending to be a dinosaur

 Happier Girl posing with Dinosaur Boy.  After this we made everyone happy by driving into Golden for lunch.  We originally planned to go to into Morrison, but it looked like there was probably an event at Red Rocks, so we drove on.  We ended up having a nice little lunch at the Old Capital Grill and going for a walk through downtown.  We ended up by the river and Mr. Ranch and The Girl ventured down below to test the water temperature while The Boy, Grandude and I hung out on the bridge and people watched.  There were a lot of kayakers and tubers--fun to watch!

The Girl, happy, probably because she is wearing her birthday gift (backpack) from Grandude, The Boy, melting down because he is hot and tired.

We were slightly bummed to see that the slide from the park was closed--wouldn't that be a wet surprise? 

 By the end of the day, after being fed and watered, our grumpy children were happy and reported that the trip was a success.  

A new adventure!

We moved to Colorado in 1996 and we still find adventures that are new to us!  Last weekend, we attended The 39th Annual Territory Days in Manitou Springs (Really in Old Colorado City, but I guess their "postal code" is Manitou Springs).  We've been to lots of festivals and events in Colorado, but never this one.  It had a lot in common with lots of other festivals--funnel cakes, trampolines, lemonade, and so on.  There is a nice history of the town if you choose the link above.  We've always loved going to the shops and restaurants in Old Colorado City.  A long time ago, Mr. Ranch and I spent a lovely weekend in a Bed and Breakfast there (which is still in business...we may have to go back!) We caught a shuttle from a historical site near Garden of the Gods (and drove around there afterwards).  Here's our photo journal from the day!

Off we go--I get the middle of the backseat to separate the feuding children

 We hopped on a shuttle--a school bus--and The Girl pointed out she doesn't remember ever riding on a school bus before.  I told her that I think we rode another shuttle school bus a long time ago, but that she might not remember it...Notice the porta potty in the background...her favorite photo subject when she was two...

 The Girl couldn't finished her lunch (at the Bon Ton Cafe, seen in the background...we highly recommend it by the way) because she saw this performer (and her Cowboy partner, not pictured).

 Panning for gold

 Mmmm...what's a carnival without some funnel cake?

 Resting (and eating funnel cake)

 Before The Boy was born, Mr. Ranch and The Girl rode one of these little trains at another street festival.  It did not look as exciting as they previously believed.

 The search for a hat for Grandude continues

 The Girl wanted to know why we couldn't buy anything at the shop behind Mr. Ranch...he, he...check out the proprietor...and the name "Hard Core Rummage". Although I'm intrigued what makes rummage hard core...

 And the drive through Garden of the Gods before the children and I fell asleep and Mr. Ranch and Grandude had a quiet drive home!

"Did you have a good day?"