Ristedt

This week we have been in Ristedt with my class.

It's my third time taking them there but the first time without my co-teacher who is still on maternity leave so I took Nico, Isabella and a colleague with me.

On the programme we had - swimming (out- or indoor depending on the weather), cooperative games, an English rally, a group quiz, cooking, baking, barbecuing, a disco and a night walk.

It turned out to be a chaotic but fun time and a steep learning curve for me. I'm looking forward to London next year where the kids will be in host families at night.

I was writing to my penpal about the trip and realised I only went on one residential trip with my high school class - in the first year. I went on lots of other fun trips and loved them but they were all optional.

Here, it's normal for every class to go away together every year and apart from the stress for the teacher, I think it's a great way to get the class to bond.

Cuxhaven

At the weekend we drove up to Cuxhaven to join Nico's parents for the first day of their holiday.

It was Isabella's first trip to the coast and she was suitably impressed by the beach. She didn't eat the sand luckily (I did as a baby) and we played with her sand toys for a bit.

Next we headed on to the playground and had lots of giggles on the slide (guess what someone is getting for her birthday).

There was a lovely restaurant nearby where we had fish and chips for lunch before buying postcards and icecream for dessert.

All in all we had a lovely day out and I'm looking forward to many more family trips.

Serengeti Park

Following on with our animal project, we went to Serengeti Park on Thursday.  We had a great day out.  When we arrived, we took a safari tour in the bus and then we let the kids have free time in the amusement park while we had lunch and a drink to cool down in the 31 degree temperatures.

We arrived back in Bremen to thunderstorms but it was refreshing if nothing else.  We all had a great day out and I would love to go again.

Acts of Kindness

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Imagine you've just spent two nights away from home supervising over forty kids on a class trip.  It's also that time of year with cold weather and darker mornings and evenings.  You've had less sleep than usual and are in the middle of helping said forty kids retrieve their luggage from a bus while drivers continue to drive past the bus ignoring the teachers, parents and kids in their way.  (Don't get me wrong the class trip was good but this is how negative I was feeling at that moment).

Then imagine that a pupil from your colleague's class strides up to you with a big smile on her face and a huge sunflower in her hand "For you miss, thank you for the trip."  I could have cried.  I hadn't even learnt her name and there she was with a sunflower for all of us - it made my day.  It also reminded me to start being more mindful again and thankful for what people do for me.

Ristedt

A little video in honour of my amazing colleagues and our successful class trip!  Thank goodness it's Friday!

Haworth

Another item on my 28 things list is to visit the birthplace or grave of a cultural icon.  One of my best friends, Loreto, and I are both mad keen on classic books and both love the Bronte sisters' work.  Earlier this year she visited Haworth in Yorkshire - the home town of the girls where Emily and Charlotte are buried.  When my sister asked us if we wanted to go out for the day while we were back, this place immediately jumped to mind.  We had a lovely day out walking round the town, visiting the old school room, the cemetery and the meadow before a lovely pub lunch in the local.  The only down side to the day was that the church itself was closed and the sisters are buried there so I didn't achieve my goal of the day but in the end, it was such a lovely visit I didn't mind.  We bought a couple of nice keepsakes for the flat and Nico took some amazing photos that just scream Yorkshire every time I look at them.

In the car with Lucas

Haworth Railway Station