The end of 3rd grade comes with a big presentation where students participate in a "living museum" where they dress up and memorize a script about a local historical figure. Axel was assigned Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer who colonized much of the coast of southern California and Baja. He spent weeks memorizing a full page monologue and was very proud of his final performance.
I got to be a volunteer on one of Axel's field trips. It was a blast from the past - riding the school bus and eating school lunch again with his friends. Totally fun experience!