When we got to Busch Gardens, we got our wrist bands and headed inside. The first place we went was the chimpanzee and gorilla area. They had all 6 second grade classes plus two classes from another school all huddled into one place, the chimpanzee viewing area. It was a hot mess. There were students all over the place, and I could not hear myself think, let alone try to get the attention of my students. There was also no tour guide, so we were on our own with a map. My teacher and I decided to stay back until all of the other classes went and we were the last ones there. This way, we were able to enjoy the exhibit without students running all over the place. We were able to talk to the students about what they were seeing and give them some learning opportunities. On our way to the next area of the trail, we saw a termite mound, as one of the foods that chimps eat. Here, I paused to make a connection to the text from that week, Animals Building Homes. In the story, termite mounds were one of the homes that was discussed. I thought it was awesome that we were able to make a connection to a book that we read. They were able to see what a termite mound actually looked like, and got to see how chimps use tools, like sticks, to pull the termite from the mound. However, as we continued throughout the exhibit, our students were not as eager to make connections partaking in the learning opportunities being offered. My CT had to talk to the students and encourage them to take part in the learning opportunities that field trips offer. When she did this, it made me realize the purpose of a field trip. The students are supposed to have a learning experience, not just have fun and get out of the classroom. This made me stop and think about what I was doing, and try to encourage the students to learn from the exhibits, not juts look at them.
Our next stop was the tiger. We went up to the fence where the tigers were and one came right up to us!! Our guide shared some fun facts about tigers as well, like the coloring of the tiger is completely genetic, like the color of our hair. We also went over to the water, which is also a part of the tiger exhibit. Here I learned that tigers love to swim, which is why they included water in their living space. Tigers are one of the only animals that swim for fun. They have webbed feet that help them do so.
After a long but fun day at Zoo School, it was time to go home. I had a lot of fun on the field trip and learned a lot about what to do on a field trip, like have teachable moments and have the students engage in learning opportunities.