Zoo Crew

Recently, I went on a field trip with my daughter's preschool class. After only ten minutes into the day I started to wonder on which side of the fence were the wild animals supposed to be? While I know that going to the zoo is exciting I couldn't believe the unbridled enthusiasm these 3 and 4 year old kids were showing. They traveled in small groups and broke off from the pack like little voracious velociraptors. It was amazing to see how when I pulled out a snack for my daughter how quickly the "hungrys" spread throughout the clan. Little kids at this age walk without regard to their surroundings. I guess I can't blame them since they are seeing everything from 2-3 feet off the ground. Sometimes I forget just how big I must appear to them at 6'7". It's a marvel that I avoided stepping on all of them. At one point a boy, so excited to see the prairie dogs tripped and fell and was almost trampled by a dozen pairs of miniature Keds. Preschoolers don't go back for one of their own. If you go down it is hasta la vista, baby.

On Wednesday, I volunteered to chaperone my son's 1st grade trip to the Philly Zoo. If you know Philly fans you can understand just why they are so high strung. Seems like everywhere you go in Philly it is a madhouse. Much like shopping in a Wegmans, people have no regard for one another's personal space. Hey! I am getting groceries ova here! Get out of my way! I guess that I will be in charge of a small group of kids who will be identified by their school issued tie dyes that they made for this trip. This will be my first test as to whether I still have it as a teacher keeping the little animals alive and accounted for. I also will be backpacking with 8 sack lunches. Let's hope Chris Farley isn't the school bus driver.