Kindergarten Field Trip

Today was a special day for the kindergarteners at my school. Today they took a field trip. We started the day with the usual Exercise Time followed by Sharing Time, where the kids are encouraged to speak English to me and each other. We then took a bathroom break and headed out to the vans which would carry us to our destination.

Where would we go? The zoo? The park? A museum or exhibit? No, we went where all kindergarten classes of young achievers go: the local brewery.

Okay, so it's not strictly a beer brewery. They also distill sake and wine. And they make other things, too. Like crackers. And cigarettes.

We met Mr. Wang, who would shepard us through the labyrinth of laboratories, distilling machines, stock rooms, and factory areas. He spoke all in Chinese, so I really couldn't tell you if or how he managed to make the distilling process interesting to a group of five and six year olds. There was a flow chart involved, though. That much I know.

Along the way he showed us the various stages of the distilling process, from raw product to distillation, research and development to bottling and shipping. We even got to visit the factory store, which sells foods and cigarettes in addition to all the booze.

Overall, I enjoyed this trip. I don't really understand why we took little kids there, but I guess learning about the distillation of alcohol is just as educational as fine art or child-centered science.

Join me next month, on our next field trip. Where will we go? The crematorium perhaps? Or the taxi dispatch center? Or maybe the solid waste treatment plant? Who knows. Keep checking back.

Until then, you can check out all of the photos from today's trip here:

October '07 Hess Kindy Field Trip