Your Very Own Guidebook – Sintra Chapter
Just like we talked about last week, you are making YOUR OWN TRAVEL GUIDE BOOKS!!! Your books will be full of just the stuff you find important and interesting – stuff about the places we’ll see, the things we’ll learn, and the people and traditions we’ll encounter. Along the way, while you’re writing your books, you’ll accidentally find out about tons of hidden gems – great pieces of information and sites that you’ll want to see that we might have missed otherwise.
To top it off, when we’re done writing your book – we’ll add in a few pages more – places for you to journal about what you saw, how you felt, and the things you experienced while on your amazing trip.
This is your book. Make it as good as you want it to be. This is something you’re going to save and keep for the rest of your life. The 8th grader that submits the best article on each topic will have their work published in our group’s guidebook (if a 6th or 7th grader writes a better article, well… that’s just embarrassing for you Spain kids).
This week we’re going to work on the second chapter of our book – which will be about the second city we’re visiting on this year’s trip – Sintra, Portugal. Sintra has an amazing history, so be sure to read up and find out what you want to see while we’re there. We only have about half a day in Sintra, so make sure you figure out what you want to do – we won’t be able to see everything.
Take a look at the online worksheet on the next page and take some time to do a little research and writing about one of Portugal’s most beautiful cities. We promise you, this work will make your trip better. You’ll find little things that you want to see and do, you’ll learn bits of history that will make what we see more meaningful, and you’ll know the stories behind all the things we do in Sintra.
A TAP Story for a School Snow Day
If you think your driveway looks scary right now, you should have tried “the gorge.”
Neuschwanstein Castle in a picture perfect snow.
In the Bavarian Alps in mid-March, you’re high enough up that winter hasn’t ended just yet. So if you ever find yourself visiting Neuschwanstein Castle for spring break, you might want to consider bring some of those tennis-racket-looking snow shoe thingies. That was the one and only time, at least so far, that TAP has dealt with snow, and let me tell you, it was quite an adventure.
First off, let me tell you that TAP has not been to a more beautiful place. Imagine the most picture perfect postcard type mountains. Now fill that mental picture with huge full pine trees. Then, add in a bright blue sky with those poofy white clouds that you think you could just float around on like they’re heaven’s bumper cars. Finally, to finish off this little recipe for touristy perfection, throw in the most amazing looking castle in the world – I’m talking about a castle that would make the Cinderella go, “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang, now that’s a nice castle.”
Read more…
Doors of Dublin
By Cara Filetti
Just a few of the 76 doors that Miss Filetti dashed through the streets of Dublin to snap pictures of.
When you’re talking about a city with as rich a history as Dublin, it is quite interesting (or maybe insane) to say that the most captivating aspect of the town, for me at least, was going from door to door taking pictures, and I don’t mean knocking on the door and taking pictures of the people inside, or of their houses, and I’m not even talking about the famous sites – I’m talking about actually taking pictures of the front door of these people’s homes.
You may be thinking to yourself, “Why on earth would anyone want to take a picture of someone’s front door,” and oddly enough, that is exactly what I did.
And not one or two front doors.
76 of them.
As we roamed Dublin, I found myself fascinated with the sight of a street filled with multi-colored front doors. Most of us were. Yes, I’m using the right words there – fascinated and front doors don’t normally go together, but that day they did.
Your Very Own Guidebook – Lisbon Chapter
Way back in 2007, when TAP took its first trip to Germany, every student kept a journal throughout the trip. This was a fantastic idea, because it preservedthe memories and feelings those kids had during their trip forever.
In an Irish hotel, Dylan discussed the day's events with Miss Filetti and Mr. Doerr while the group works on their journals.
Most of the kids also lugged around some sort of travel guide book. Some of those are great. The TAP teachers find the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide books invaluable when planning our trips. However, they’re heavy, take up space in your suitcase, and have lots of information that we just don’t need (restaurants, hotels, airports…).
So, a few years ago we decided to make our own guidebooks. Actually, let’s rephrase that – YOU are making YOUR OWN TRAVEL GUIDE BOOKS!!! Your books will be full of just the stuff you find important and interesting – stuff about the places we’ll see, the things we’ll learn, and the people and traditions we’ll encounter. Along the way, while you’re writing your books, you’ll accidentally find out about tons of hidden gems – great pieces of information and sites that you’ll want to see that we might have missed otherwise.
To top it off, when we’re done writing your book – we’ll add in a few pages more – places for you to journal about what you saw, how you felt, and the things you experienced while on your amazing trip.
Taking a Closer Look
Our website is still so young and fresh that it still has that new website smell about it, so here at TAP we’re still playing with some different ideas for our weekly articles. This week we wanted to take one picture from one of our trips that we really like and tell you the story behind it.
Picking one picture to sum up our Ireland tour wasn’t easy. Between my regular camera and my iPhone (which I was using to upload pictures to Facebook throughout the trip) I took somewhere around 1,200 photos in 10 days in Ireland. With that many photos, there’s no way I can remember the story behind every single one of them, and even though I actually don’t even remember taking this picture – it’s become my favorite pic from Ireland.
You write the caption for this one. Come up with something creative and fun.
Four girls going somewhere.
TAP isn’t about being somewhere, it’s about going somewhere. What’s the difference? It’s simple. Being somewhere implies that once you get there, you sit, you lounge, you read a book on the beach, you have a spa day. TAP isn’t a spa day kind of adventure – TAP is always on the go, always seeking something new, always digging deeper, and always finding more. Read more…
HoopsMania
Hey there folks. We’re real excited to introduce our latest fund raiser. We think this one is going to be huge for both the group and you.
Today we introduced HoopsMania, a basketball related raffle ticket. We’re asking our students to sell HoopsMania tickets to friends, family, and neighbors. We’re asking moms and dads to ask co-workers and friends. Pretty much anyone can play HoopsMania.
How does it work? Read more…
Minooka TAP 