6 Ways to Have a Blast at the Zoo (Minus the 5 Stitches)

It was field trip time for the 2nd grade at MES yesterday. To be honest though, we teachers were not at all enthused over the pending forecast considering it included a cold, overcast day with the possibility of rain...and, our trip was to the zoo. However after all was said and done, I think this trip could possibly go down in the book of epic field trips.

First, let me not forget to mention that we had approximately 120 2nd graders with us. Honestly, is there any better way to explore the zoo than with a slew of curious and inquisitive children and some wonderful parents? 

It is springtime, although it's hard to tell, and love was definitely in the air - for the animals that is, especially the giraffes. There were several times we had to shoo the children away from the giraffes exhibit to keep from having an inopportune birds and bees discussion or, at least, coming up with some story as to why the giraffes were trying to "play leapfrog". Momma giraffe had plenty to say about that!

Another way to have an awesome time is to interact first-hand with the animals in some way such as taking a class or attending a show. We signed up for an animal classification class and were able to get up close and personal with some of the animals. Say hello to a sweet little Mexican Burrowing Python named Val.

We also got a lesson on how to convincingly strut our tail feathers from Clyde, an impressive Mexican Serama Rooster.

Coming nose to nose with a neurotic, bee-bopping polar bear is another amazing way to make your trip to the zoo a success. He had that head flip action going on and couldn't get enough of us. Of course the kids loved him too. The chilly overcast weather was right down his alley I'm sure.

The flamingos were a sight to see. I'm not sure where they were headed when I took this picture; but when I saw it, they reminded me of a group of women speed walkers, especially the three in the middle. They have such good form and leg extension.

Yep...this is us, Mutt and Jeff (my student teacher, Mallory, and me).

See the resemblance?

Now about the stitches...my class arrived a little early for the sea lion show, and we were actually the only people in the little amphitheater (a definite benefit of going on a chilly, overcast day). So naturally, the kiddos were playing. One of my boys tripped and hit his right brow bone right on the edge of one of the wooden bleachers causing about an inch long gash. It looked like one of those cuts boxers get above their eye and bled like one too. Poor thing looked like he'd been in a brawl. All I had was a travel pack of tissues in my purse and a zip lock bag of ice in my lunch bag. Well, I placed a thick pad of tissues on the cut, wrapped the ice bag in a scarf, and put it on top of the tissue. I thought this would cut down on the swelling and possibly help stop the bleeding. Then, Beau and I had to make the trek from the back 40 to the only first aid station in the whole zoo which was all the way back at the front entrance. Beau was a trooper! They cleaned and bandaged him up, and he was good to go. I called his mother from the zoo and provided the details as well as suggested they meet us upon our return to the school cause I suspected he might need a few stitches. They did, and he did...5 to be exact. All's well that ends well. And now, Beau has his war story which all little boys need.

Have you had any exceptional experiences at the zoo or on a field trip? If so, I'd love for you to share them.

*Thanks for dropping by!