Field trip

(a post from Bea)

We took another Monday field trip, this time to the bald eagle tree across the river. First, we had to wade across the river. It was very rocky, and I bumped my knee on a rock. The water felt really good, but a little chilly. I brought my boogie board so I could play in the rapids, which is really fun.

We landed at eagle beach, which is a small sandy beach with huge tree roots in the sand and along the bank. There were lots of bones on the banks, even an animal skull. We knew that these were from the eagles who live in the great big pine tree.

We also crept up to the pine tree. It is HUGE. It would take at least five kids putting their arms as wide as they could to circle around that tree. We also noticed many sticks and a bit of the eagles’ nest that had fallen to the ground. The nest part was made of pine needles, hay, and mud. It was very packed down and detailed. It’s not like they just threw it together. Clearly they had really worked with it to make a a strong and firm material.

Then we saw a pawpaw patch—it was pawpaw paradise. A pawpaw is a silvery green fruit a little larger than a mango, that grows on thin-branched trees with long, tapered leaves. It has a really wonderful smell. Some people think of it as the “West Virginia banana,” which is hilarious to grownups for some reason. I’ve never had a pawpaw but I have several patches that I’m keeping my eye on. Once the pawpaws are ripe, we’re going to pick them!

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Because of COVID-19, I have only been on one single school field trip in my whole academic career. I am about to be in second grade, and I hope I get to go on a field trip this year. I would really like to go to a place that has octopuses because I think octopuses are really cool, and I’ve never seen one.

Most of my friends are too young to get vaccinated. I’m going to get vaccinated as soon as possible. I’m a little scared of needles, but I’ll do it because it’s better for everybody.

When I think about grownups who won’t get vaccinated, it makes me really mad. They could get COVID and die, or they could give it to somebody else. But the worst is people who go on talk shows that millions of people watch and say that you don’t need to get a vaccine. They’re really wrong, and they’re causing and convincing other people to make that choice.

It’s not fair to us kids who can’t get vaccinated. So, if you know somebody who is afraid, please try to convince them to get the vaccine. You can tell them that you got the vaccine and were fine, or you can tell them that they might get really sick if they don’t, or even die. Tell them about me and my friends, who aren’t protected yet!

Tell me about your favorite field trip, and if you’ve have any unusual animal encounters!