Our October co-op field trip took us to Laser Ops Extreme Gaming Arcade. Our goal with our field trips this year were to have STEAM field trips that connected to various fields of science since we are focusing on science in co-op this year and planning for a science fair in the spring. Instead of me going with the kids, Gary wanted to go and play laser tag with them, so a big thanks to Vanessa Arnold for sending me these photos.
First thing they did was play laser tag. They divided into two teams. On the red team was Britt, Ruth, Jonathan, Mrs. Vanessa, Dakota, and Kate. The blue team included Sadie, Evelyn, Rebecca, Sophie, and Adley. The first game was the basic, shoot more of the other team more than they shot you. When a player was shot too many times, they'd have to sprint to the charge station, and get recharged. The teams played the entire time that the music played. There was just blue territory at one end, red at the other, and no man's land in the middle. The second round was just like the first. Then the third game, there was a post in the middle of the course that you had to shoot to turn red or blue to win. Of course they still also shot each other to keep the other team from getting close enough to shot the post. They all agreed that it was the best part of the day.
After an hour of laser tag, they had two hours of time in the arcade. Britt and Ruth enjoyed a game shooting with a bow. They wore a protective mask and tried to shoot one another with nerf arrows. Ruth also had a ball on a dancing game, where they had to step on the right arrow to move, and move the stick in their hands to the side or stab toward a circle. The guns were Rebecca's favorite. She said they were heavy and shot little balls out of them, which they then shot at each other. Sadie and Rebecca were on a team against Britt and Jonathan. Kate couldn't decide on her favorite, there was a "funny bunny game" that involved driving that she played with Adley, but there was also air hockey which she had a lot of fun playng against her daddy.
While the day was a ton of fun, you might be wondering about the educational aspect. Laser Ops will send you a online lesson about lasers and the business that explains some of the science and engineering behind the game. I can't vouch for it, as they never got it sent to us, so we weren't able to complete that. Overall it was a great time for the kids to bond and spend time together doing something out of the ordinary.
My bunch real enjoyed both the laser tag and the arcade games, and they even learned a bit about the science behind the fun from me at home. If you'd like to make a trip the address to Laser Ops is 6283 W Waters Ave, Tampa, Florida, and their phone number is 813-443-6509. You get an hour of laser tag and two more hours in the arcade for $18 as a field trip, or get a regular ticket for laser tag for less and pay for arcade games on an individual basis.
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