Field Trip!?!

When I announced last week that our class would be taking a field trip to a local farm the classroom was filled with rejoicing.  We have been studying animals in science so this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about God's creation.  The farm we went to also is a vet and animal rehab place.  There were many neat animals that have been rescued from the wild including a 3 legged servile cat and owls who are blind.   For children who rarely ride in a car, the ride alone is enough fuel for squeals of excitement.  Each of my 17 students happily loaded into a vehicle bound up the mountain to the farm.  

We saw many animals in addition to those who have been rescued including mongoose,  pelican, ducks, geese, lambs, goats, horses, cows, bush pigs, warthogs, servile cubs, etc.  The two animals that caused the most excitement were the monkey and horses.  The monkey met us and decided to join the tour.  His first interest was my quiet, charming student Neema.  Her eyes grew wide in disbelief when he jumped on her head but, she stood very still.  When the monkey decided it was ready to move on to the next person, she grabbed it's tail and would not let go.  This surprised us all; Neema is a gentle spirit.  After Neema, the monkey jumped on most of the students and tolerated their screams and nervous gestures.  In the end they decided they liked him after all.  

The second cause of excitement was the opportunity to sit on one of the HUGE horses.  Victoria initiated this by asking our guide, Mr. Raffa, if she could "climb."  Though the students aren't used to being around animals, they had a good time and were disappointed to return to our village "before lunch" since their teacher(me)  told them they would be back "in time for lunch."  However, they were quick to forgive me when I pulled out the pretzel goldfish Luanne sent me in a package.  We've been studying blends in spelling and they did not know what a pretzel was.  5 goldfish crackers each was all it took.  They were thrilled with the day once again. 
Enjoy the pictures on the slideshow at the top of my blog. :) And, sometimes seeing it in action is all the more meaningful so enjoy this short video.