Baltimore Jewish Day Schools

There is little that brings as much joy to schoolchildren of any age as a field trip. Somehow the idea of boarding the bus with classmates and traveling to new destinations brings great excitement. These trips can serve as the opening chapter to new curriculum, occur as supplemental learning or culminate units. This year found the students of The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew traveling far and wide to visit many different places of interest. Our youngest students visited a farm in the fall where they got to see and touch the animals as well as pick their own pumpkins. After finishing a unit about Dr. Seuss, they attended a performance of Seussical the Musical and also attended The Milk Shake Concert at Oheb Shalom. Trips to the BSO and Baltimore Museum of Art continued to foster our emphasis on the importance of music and art in our curriculum. In keeping with our Judaic program, a trip to the matzoh factory was made. The older grades also took several trips to integrate Judaics and general studies. The second and third graders took a walking tour of Baltimore with stops at the Jewish Museum and the Lloyd Street Synagogue with lunch enjoyed on Lombard Street. The Shot Tower, Flag House and Reginald Lewis Museum were also part of the day. Our oldest students begin the year with a trip to Echo Hill, where they combined science and nature with bonding and teamwork. However, the most anticipated outing for them was the all day trip to Philadelphia where they visited the newly opened National Museum of American Jewish History To include a secular piece to this trip, students visited Ben Franklin’s home and Independence Hall.

Our students also took some trips where they were the stars of the show themselves. Singing for a large lunchtime audience at the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) conference, as well as entertaining holiday shoppers with Chanukah songs at Kenilworth Mall had us out and about.

Field trips are an essential part of learning, not only for their exposure to new places, the arts and drama. They help foster teamwork, good manners, socialization and correct decorum. For Jewish day schools, they allow opportunities for students to explore places of significance and importance to their heritage, as we are fortunate to have many such places within our grasp. Parents should always inquire about the availability of field trips when looking for a school, as they are invaluable curricular tools.