808 visits TD Garden!

The kids and teens of 808-812 were fortunate enough to be invited to the Salvation Army's "back to school" event at TD Garden in Boston last week. The kids got to shoot baskets on the Celtics' hoops, shoot into the Bruins' nets, take pictures with championship banners, and more.

At the end of the event, the kids each received a brand new backpack filled with school supplies. The kids and teens had a great time. Check out some pictures from the event below!

February Vacation Field Trips!

We were lucky enough to go on two different field trips on February Vacation: one to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and one to the MIT Museum in Kendall Square. The kids had a great time on both trips, and it was great that the outings were both fun and helped the kids learn some things.

They got to do things like touch a turtle, handle crystals and fossils, see dinosaur bones that are millions of years old, learn about simple machines and robots, and see some of the coolest holograms on the planet.

The kids talked about each trip for days afterwards, and they all had a great time. Below is a slideshow of pictures from both trips. Thanks again to the Management Office for making these trips happen!

Georges Island!

This past Tuesday, JRyan Solutions took the kids of 808-812 Memorial Drive on what has become an annual tradition: the yearly summer field trip!

This year, we decided to go to Georges Island, just one of the many Boston Harbor Islands. After taking the Red Line from Central Square to Downtown Crossing, we walked to the waterfront where we boarded the Harbor Islands Ferry (not before spending some time playing in the fountains on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, of course). For many of the 20 or so kids who took the trip, it was the first time they had ever been on a boat of any kind.

After a 20-minute boat ride across Boston Harbor, during which we saw planes landing at LoganAirport, people fishing off of Castle Island and numerous lobster pots, we arrived at Georges Island, arguably the most famous of the Boston Harbor Islands.

We ate a quick lunch at the island's snack stand, and then used the rest of the afternoon to explore the island, which is dominated by a Civil War-era fort, Fort Warren. The kids were able to walk to beaches, explore every nook and cranny of the fort and even go on top of the ramparts, from which the views of the city of Boston and the harbor were spectacular.

We also scoured the beaches for nice pieces of sea glass, sea creatures and perfect flat rocks for skipping. By the time our return boat arrived a few hours later, most of the kids were wiped out from an afternoon full of fun and exploring.

As the boat made the return trip across the harbor, one of the kids, Ayoub, declared that afternoon's trip to have been "the best field trip ever!"

Here are some of the other kids' answers to the question "what was your favorite part about the whole field trip?"

"The boat ride, because it was mad fun, speeding and driving crazy."
-Adem

"Going to the beach, it was better than everything."
-Nebil

"The dark caves [in Fort Warren]."
-Doodie

"Going inside in the dark and hearing the people scream [from others trying to scare them]."
-Shahir

"Getting scared in the dark places...I like getting scared."
-Sirak

Below are some photos of the field trip, but these are just a few. A YouTube slideshow featuring tons more pictures can be seen at the very end of this post as well.

All-in-all, it was a great trip, one that the kids will hopefully remember for a long time.

Above: The kids playing on the beach and in the water.
Below: A view of the harbor and of Boston from the outer edge of the island.

Above: Ayoub posing for a picture inside of Fort Warren's jail.
Below: The Boston skyline from the back of the boat as we headed to Georges Island.