Normally, we don't attend any field trips offered by our homeschool organization--we are just too busy doing our school work to take a break for a random trip to the farm or a museum, etc. We usually take one day a week off from schoolwork (when Jimmy is off work), and we use this day for housecleaning, yard work, various outdoor maintenance tasks around the house, long runs, errands, appointments, and other things that just don't fit into our regular school days. So, I am reluctant to give up another school day for a field trip!
This week I changed my mind. We went on a field trip!
Olivia and Julie waiting for the tour to begin
Sam--showing his excitement at getting to see how a newspaper was produced
Clay and Leah
Since we receive and read the newspaper every day, I thought learning the behind the scenes might be interesting. Also, I worked at our local weekly newspaper for a while when I was in high school. Not as a writer or a reporter or anything like that! I stuffed the sale circulars into the newspaper, counted the papers, and then bundled them for delivery. I described my part time responsibilities to the children before we went. This was 25 years ago, so I told the children that I was sure that everything I did at the paper manually would now be automated. I was looking forward to finding out.
Here are the children before the tour. Notice Sam's cooperation.
The tour began with the reporters' and writers' offices. I recognized many nameplates on the cubicles---it was neat seeing the writers in real life. Our tour guide showed us all of the different departments: various news writers, ad salesmen, classified ads salesmen, the finance department, and circulation. It all proved to be very interesting!
Next was the huge warehouse-type room that housed the printing press....and the machine that stuffed the sales papers into the newspaper! Just like I thought! My job was obsolete!
the printing press
the sales circular stuffing machine! This machine can insert up to 15 circulars I think!
the huge rolls of newsprint--each one is 8.5 miles long, I think our tour guide said
Clay, standing with the newsprint rolls
After the newspapers are printed, folded, and stuffed with circulars, a machine then counts and bundles them. Just like I thought.....another one of my previous tasks eliminated by a modern machine.
At the end of the tour, all of the children gathered for a group photo (for the yearbook). Again, Sam was most cooperative.
Can you tell that he likes to have his picture made?
We concluded our tour at 10:00. I bought two end rolls of newsprint, and we headed home. We did school until 1:30, and then we headed out again! This time, for homeschool bowling. We have not been bowling all year either! There was a small turn-out, and Sam slept in my lap the entire time, but the older children had a great time.
We bought groceries on the way home, and arrived home just before dark--just in time for the boys to play in the woods for a little while.
Monday is going to be a full day of extra stuff too, so I divided one day of schoolwork into to days--they did half of it on Friday, and will complete the other half on Monday.
Fun trip!
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