canoe trip

I took my second session to Howell Canoe Livery in Columbus, TX. There Mr. Howell showed the students the basic paddle strokes and demonstrated how to maneuver the boats. We were off for our trip down the river. !! At first several boats had some trouble getting in rhythm with each other paddling, but with a few tips from me and Mr. Howell they were able to manage their boats. We stopped to rest at a few of the islands and get out to look at some vegetation and critters that were along the banks. I'm not saying who started the water fights among the boats, but I remained dry as the other kids got soaked. They couldn't get me and my partner bc I was carrying cameras and told them not to get me. They soon figured out that I had my cameras in sealed boxes and I soon became their targets. We made a stop at at low point in the river and the kids got out to swim and cool off. When we got to the end of the trip, the kids begged to go again and didn't want to get out. Only 1 other student had been canoeing before so the rest had their first experience and loved it. They told me that they planned to bring friends here in the future and go again.
What a thrill it was for me to see the students excitement as they paddled down the river. They practiced several boat maneuvers along the way as I wanted them to know how to do this on their own in the future. I am so glad that this course gives students the opportunity to experience new adventures and show them a variety of activities that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. In my survey/conversation about the trip, I asked students what they would like to see in the future with OE classes. They all said an overnight canoe trip would be fun. I would like to investigate this for next year as I have canoed down the Guadalupe River on overnight trips in the past. If possible, I could make the overnight camp out trip to include a day of canoeing and incorporate other OE skills as well.
Check out my wiki spaces that show animotos and pics of our OE classes this summer:
http://outdooredwais.pbworks.com/
each session has another link that opens up so you can view each session. My homepage is used for basic information and videos and then I added each session so students can see their photos and animotos that they create on my account.