Well Hello There, Fall!

 Every fall, our class visits a local pumpkin patch/apple orchard as part of community-based instruction program.We were originally scheduled to go last Friday, but we postponed because of the rainy weather which actually turned out to be sunny. Thanks, weather channel. It was actually perfect that we postponed, because today's weather was PERFECT. The air was crisp, the sun was shining and, best of all, there was no mud on the ground! Our goal was to complete a scavenger hunt, check out the store and make some purchases before heading back to school. 

Warning: Soapbox Statement Below!

These are NOT field trips! We are out in the community to practice the functional life skills we learn at school. We use money to make purchases, navigate community settings, make social exchanges (greetings, asking for help), identify survival signs (stop signs, bathrooms) and practice appropriate behavior. These are the skills that are going to help us move our students towards independence as adults, so it is critical we have the opportunity to practice them across settings.

Hopping off my soapbox now....

Our bus was running late, so we took some great pics of us waiting in the hall. 

How sweet are these kids?!

 When we arrived at the orchard, we got right down to business! We grabbed our clipboards and headed out into the orchard.

 Of course I made everyone pose for some obligatory pictures first ;)

 We found some beautiful apples- this orchard was jam-packed with every imaginable variety.

 We also checked out the pumpkin selection and found our favorites.

 We located some hay and talked about the texture and how it is used.

 Our job was to mark down all of the different items we found on our scavenger hunt checklist.

We carefully filled out our scavenger hunt checklists...

 And were graciously offered a free ride around the property! How cool is that?!

 Along the way we talked about the different kinds of apples and pointed out our favorites.

 We even took sometime to ham it up on the wagon!

 Back inside the store we selected our purchases...

 Then we practiced greeting the cashier (she was AWESOME), selecting the correct dollar amount, paying for our items and receiving our change.

 On the way back, we enjoyed some music, singing along and dancing in our seats.

 These are the days I will always remember as my favorites. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!