First Grade Zoo Field Trip

Yesterday I got to chaperone Cole's field trip to the Indy Zoo. And by chaperone I mean hang out with Cole - there were so many chaperones that I got to have Cole all to myself! This was awesome - he really needed and thrived with some one-on-one time. I told him he was the boss and that we'd do whatever he wanted. And then we did. (It was sometimes hard to keep my opinions to myself, but I did!)

The Indianapolis Zoo isn't the biggest or best ever, but it's the perfect size for a 3 hour trip with a first grader. We pretty much hit all of the exhibits and didn't feel like we missed anything.

We even saw dolphins while in the underwater dome, although I didn't get a picture. They were jumping and playing around, which was fun to watch!

Poor Cole. He doesn't want to show his teeth when he smiles because of all the orthodontia going on in there.

Cole really liked the desert exhibit. I really liked this tuckered out meerkat. Life must be hard.

I was impressed with the big tiger sleeping close enough that we could get a good look at him. Cole was impressed with the age of the computer in the picture on this display. "Look how old that computer is! It's like running Windows 98!!"

The bears were pretty active and fun to watch. The lions were just laying around, but they were all in full view, which is uncommon. I slayed Cole with my "Those lions are just "lion" around" pun. First graders are fun.

We tried to get a picture with the stinky rhinos, but it didn't work.

It was a gorgeous day, warm but breezy. But by 12:30 Cole was hot and tuckered out. I forget how much the sun affects him because he's just so pale. We rested and ate some snacks and tried to make more animal puns.

We also spent a bit of time in the orangutan building. This was - whose name is Kate, apparently - really liked lying there and looking at the kids. There was another one on the other side doing the same thing, who then put on a show by peeing everywhere. The kids LOVED that! She also smiled at us several times, which was pretty awesome. It made me wonder who was really in the zoo, because those primates sure seemed interested in watching us!

The parents didn't ride the bus, which was fine with me! (I got to carpool and chat with a couple of friends.) I took Cole home once the buses got back to school, and ended our day with his last request: a large fry and drinks at McDonald's. That boy sure does love french fries!

And I sure love him! I'm so glad I got to have this opportunity with him!