#sol18- November 13, 2018
We were feeling bad- we had not yet been on a field trip this year, so as we started our unit focusing on innovation we arranged a trip to a nearby spot- The Factory. If you read the linked article you will see the original concept and it has developed since then.
Just after snack/recess, we met our students at the edge of the field, piled into three buses and we were off. Happily, it was a short trip with no traffic, so we were there in just about ten minutes. We walked past active construction in our search for our guide, Kobe. In just under an hour we saw the coworking spaces, restaurants, performance/exhibition spaces, amazing street art, a trampoline park, a skateboarding area, and more. We learned about collaborations with groups that help street children, plans for the future (including a new art museum and more), and peeked into buildings not yet renovated where we glimpsed the past as ghostly remnants of the abandoned garment factory remained. All in all a perfect start of unit trip- many of the students had visited the trampoline park, but the rest of the place they had hardly noticed. As for me, I continue to be impressed by the innovation I see daily in Phnom Penh! Now I look forward to seeing where our third graders will go with this unit.
A slice from Zhi Hong.
Ms. Victor Reads 
What a great field trip to launch your new unit! The Factory sounds (and looks!) like a wonderful example of innovation.
Sounds like a great way to start a unit! And who better to guide it than third graders.
Wow! It looks like it was a great field trip. What a cool spot! Field trips for every unit?!?! Wow!
I would love to read more about your students’ reactions to this space. I’m hoping they are as inspired as you are about the good things that seem to be happening there!