Our nature school learned about nature photography from a park ranger.
The first station was zoom and focus. There we used little toys and practiced zooming and focusing.
In the second station, we learned how to fill the frame. There, we had props and filled our camera space as much as possible without them getting cut off.
The next station was angling. We used a variety of props and shot them from different angles.
After that, we learned about patterns. We sprayed water on DVD’s and took pictures.
We did three fun things on our field trip day last week. First, we went on an archeology field trip. Next, we went to Tio’s Tacos. Finally, we went to the Misson Inn.
Archeology Field Trip
We got there early so my brother, John, could work on his Boy Scout archaeology merit badge. We played games while we waited for the actual class to start. Finally, the class began. We first learned a little about it, and then we played a fun game. We had to match the artifacts to what it would be nowadays. My partner was Elena, and we did pretty well. Finally, we got to the digging part. Kasen was late, so he joined our group. I started off as a sifter while Elena dug, and Kasen brushed. Once the bucket was one-third of the way full, I sifted it. We all took turns digging, brushing and sifting.
It was super fun!
Tio’s Tacos
When we walked in, there were lots of sculptures to celebrate the Day of the Dead. They were all made out of recycled products. I had one chicken taco and one meat taco. The place was creepy though the food was good.
The Misson Inn
After the tacos, we went to the Misson Inn to see their Christmas lights. First, we got a gingerbread man at the Gingerbread Shop. Then, we walked through the hotel to see the lights and a talking macaw.
We arrived at Pier 33 at Fisherman’s Wharf to get onto the boat. On the way there, we sat on the top of the boat even though it was raining. It was about ten minutes to reach the Alcatraz dock. The boat was big, and it was three stories.
We’re in line!
There’s the boat!
Finally, we arrived cold and wet. We rushed inside. We were going to watch a movie about Alcatraz, but it wasn’t working. We headed to a place that told about Alcatraz. I wanted to go see the cells, but Mom insisted on reading through all the stuff.
Looking in
A cell.
Here are the showers!
Finally, we went up to the actual prison. We waited in a long but quick moving line to get our audio tour headsets. There were rows and rows of cells. It talked about how they loved their recreation time. One man said it was like being freed from hell!
Ruins of a house.
The boat!
We saw John and Clarence Anglin’s cell. Also, we got to see Frank Morris’s cell. In their beds, there were dummy heads that they made to fool the guards. There has been evidence showing that they made it out alive. Most people, like me, hope that they got through the bay water and made it to shore. We learned about the bloodiest Alcatraz escape attempt that failed. It was all very interesting.
Here is Frank Morris cell with the dummy head.
This is what a regular cell looked like!
After we finished the tour, we headed over to the gift shop. I bought a couple things there, and then we boarded the boat to ride back to San Fransisco.
Jolene Babyak, the lady in the picture, grew up on Alcatraz because her Dad worked there.
CommuniKate 