Class Trips 2025

All three of the kids got to go on class overnight trips this year! Last year, it was just Kaden and Khloe, but Harrison (begrudgingly) had the opportunity as well this time.

It was rough to be without all three of the kids, but we managed.

Harrison

Harrison's Year 3 class went to Helsingør for two nights and three days. Helsingør is where the "Hamlet" castle is located. It's only about a 25-minute drive from our house, but he was still very nervous to go. His teacher knew he was apprehensive though, and she made sure he was in a room with two of his friends.

Zac and I met all the kids at the train station and drove their luggage to the hostel where they would be staying so that they wouldn't have to haul it around with them all day until check-in time.

(Fun fact: Zac and I have never stayed in a hostel, but now, all three of our children have!)

The kids were responsible for making their own beds at the hostel. The first day, they wandered around Helsingør and got to explore sea life with an interactive exhibit. Harrison told me he wasn't going to touch any of the sea creatures, but there is photographic evidence to suggest that he changed his mind. :)

On the second day, they went to Kronborg Slot (the Hamlet castle). They had a guided tour and got to see some of the rooms that aren't normally open for the public. Of course, they also visited the Casemates and saw Holger the Dane.

They spent the afternoon playing by the ocean, collecting rocks and shells, and climbing around on the big boulders.

On the last day, they went to the Maritime Museum and then took a train home. Harrison was glad he went after all, and I was proud of him for being so brave.

Khloe

Khloe's Year 9 class went to Ranum, Denmark and visited an efterskolen there. The kids had a variety of activities to choose from!

They took a 3-hour train ride, then rode a bus the rest of the way to the housing quarters. They were able to unpack in their houses, which had four rooms each with two beds in each room, a kitchen, a dining area, a living room with a TV, and two bathrooms with shower facilities. Khloe got to bunk with her friends Mazvita, Olivia, Bruna, Marina, Isabella, Esme, Sophia, and other Sofia.

In the evening, they went to the rec center and had a pizza party. They explored the resort, went swimming, and played games. They finished the evening watching TV, eating snacks, and hanging out with each other in their houses.

In the morning, they had breakfast made by the teachers, then divided into groups based on whether they wanted to wakeboard, windsurf, or sail. (Khloe wanted to wakeboard.) The wakeboarding was not behind a boat, like we do in North Idaho. Instead, you strap your feet onto a wakeboard, sit in the water, hold onto the handle, and then an automated pulley serves as the boat to pull you through the little pond. Khloe wasn't able to get up but had a fun time anyway!

Then, the kids went to the waterpark, had some free time, and then headed up to the Ranum Efterskolen.

There were many opportunities for activities. Khloe chose Asian cooking. They divided into groups of three, picked up their ingredients, and listened to a lecture on the preparation of ingredients. They made eggs with tomato, chives, soy sauce, onions, and garlic. Khloe said it was pretty good, but the texture was a bit weird ("Squishy.")

Afterward, they played in a big outdoor game area, bought some snacks for the evening, and headed back to their living quarters for the night. The girls in Khloe's house cuddled up and watched TV, enjoyed their snacks, and got a great night's sleep.

Khloe tried windsurfing on the ocean the next day! They learned the different parts of their equipment, put on wetsuits, and paired up. First, they tried balancing on the boards, and then they learned to steer. The instructor took them further out to catch better wind, and Khloe says the windsurfing was fun, it got easier to balance over time, and there wasn't too much wind, so it was a little difficult, but she was still able to make it work.

At the Efterskolen, Khloe joined the canoeing group. There were three girls in the canoe. Khloe said it was very fun. Everyone rowed, they were the fastest canoe, and they had a good time even though they got sunburned. In the evening, they played Kuub and Rounders in the game field.

Back at the home base, the girls in Khloe's house broke all the rules and left the house after lights-out, but it was to see a pretty sunset, so I guess that was OK. :)

On the final morning, the girls were responsible for tidying the house, packing up, and getting themselves out to the bus on time. The trip home was uneventful, and we picked her up at the train station a few hours after Harrison arrived home!

Kaden

Kaden's Year 10 class went to Berlin, Germany. This is actually Kaden's second time in Berlin since he recently went for a baseball tournament as well. The class met at the school early in the morning so they could take a bus and ferry to Berlin.

This time, the kids stayed in a hotel instead of a hostel. Kaden said it was a very nice hotel, but the bed was uncomfortable. The class visited the beach on the first night. They had it all to theirselves because it was raining, and the water was still a perfect temperature.

The class visited the parliament building, took a tour of the Berlin Wall and learned about its history, escaped a room, went on a canal cruise, explored the city, and had a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

View from the rooftop of the parliament building

Sightseeing in Berlin

Cool architecture

Canal cruise with Louis

View from the canal cruise

View of the "Death Strip" between the outer and inner Berlin Wall with guard tower on the left.

Guard tower in the Death Strip between the outer and inner walls at the Berlin Wall

Kaden had a wonderful time on the trip, except for the bus ride - he said the leg room was worse than it is on an airplane! The beach was the most enjoyable part of the trip. The class and teachers thought the tour guide at the concentration camp was terrible, which was unfortunate because there was so much to observe and learn about, and they felt they barely scratched the surface.

* * *

We are sad that we have to pay for the kids to be in private international school sometimes, but it's actually incredible that they get the opportunity to travel, learn about important world history, and experience new places and cultures so frequently.  I mean, my world history teacher, Mr. Amende, once took us on a "field trip" to clean the wrestling mats in the gym. (No shade to Mr. Amende. He was an excellent teacher.) We are just glad to see the kids getting out into the world a little!