Zoo field trip
The big field trip for the year in Leah's preschool class is the trip to the zoo. You may remember that I chaperoned this very trip three years ago when Molly went on it. Leah decided that I needed a repeat performance, so I got to chaperone the trip for Leah's class.
Before boarding the bus, while the parents were preparing, Ms. Lorrie led the kids in some of their morning routine. When Leah noticed that Ms. Lorrie was just picking people (rather than going by daily assignments), Leah crept close to her. When Luca finished with the calendar, Leah jumped up and told Ms. Lorrie she wanted to be the meteorologist for the day.
One of the highlights of the trip was getting to ride a school bus for the first time.
Sam joined Leah and me to form our little group for the trip. I really like chaperoning preschool trips, as the adult/child ratio is so low. It makes keeping track of the kids easy.
When we arrived at the zoo, we were surprised to find it almost empty. I guess the snow and cold from the previous couple days scared everyone away. Our bus was the only bus there (when I went with Molly, there were at least a dozen) and there were very few other visitors.
There were perfect head-size openings in the fence to view the rhinos through.
Sam’s happy with the rhinos, but Leah is confused about something.
Some smiling lions. Well, maybe they're not all smiling, but Leah certainly is.
If the giraffe is being standoffish, a friendly wave can help them feel at ease.
The giraffe walked over to the front of the giraffe house near us, and used the metal beam across the front of it to scratch its head.
The other giraffes were inside the giraffe house, and apparently they were doing some very shocking things.
The kids figured out the best way to view the elephants - leaning over the railing.
Lots of preschoolers, all lined up.
It’s sometimes hard to get a picture with kids and animals in the same frame. Note the elephant off to the left, getting a drink of water.
We got to see the first public feeding of the new lion cubs. We actually arrived to see it, waited for a few minutes, then left and came back as the zookeepers were having some difficulties getting them out to eat.
Watching lions with Ms. Carol.
The lions brought out the serious side of Leah.
Sam was willing to get a little closer to this bearded dragon than Leah was.
We sat down and ate lunch on the path next to the chimpanzees. Under normal crowds, this would not have been possible. However, since we had the place largely to ourselves, we could eat wherever we liked.
Back at the front of the zoo, ready to head back to the bus. Just have to pose for a quick picture next to the lion statue.
We had a great time. Leah said her favorite animal was the giraffe, especially the tall female one named Angel. I'm sure we'll be back to visit her again before too long.
Love it, love it, love it! Great father-daughter day!