First Grade Field Trip

Yesterday was my daughter's first grade field trip to the Nashville Zoo. While we may have been many times before to the zoo, she was as excited as ever as her classmates would all be there.

Since my company offers their employees 2 volunteer days a year, I was able to tag along as  a chaperone. We had plenty of other parents chaperone this trip, which made the individual groups very small and easy to keep track of. Our little group:

Amelia, Lailah, and Rachel

The weather was a bit cool in the morning but by lunch time the sun came out and it was perfect. There were not many people at the zoo, which made this trip even more enjoyable. These three little "monkeys" enjoyed running around the zoo and visiting all the animals. 

The zoo keepers we met were helpful in answering the girls' questions and showing them details about the animals they were working with. Fun Fact: I love watching animals shows on TV and my current favorite is The Zoo (Bronx Tales), which takes the audience behind the scenes of the world-renowned Bronx Zoo in New York City.

The kangaroo exhibit was a must for all the kangaroo lovers in the group, myself included:

Recently a new Bear exhibit was opened and while we did spot the Andean bear before he laid down for a nap, Amelia's favorite part of this exhibit were the guinea pigs. Since a while now she is asking for one and we told her when she turns 8 years old, she will get one. Now, she is counting down the months. 

Selfie time:

 Mommy and her little girl:

Tackling the rope bridge:

These classmates are like siblings:

 Picnic lunch on the lawn:

After lunch, we had one hour left to ride the carousel, visit the giraffes and explore the jungle gym playground. While most children and parents headed back home after that, Amelia and I stayed a while longer. At 1pm, we watched the Wild Works Animal show at the Amphitheater, where we learned about how helpful cockroaches are to our environment and how we can save the animals in the rain forest by using less plastic bags.  

But by far, Amelia's favorite were the Lorikeets, who sat on her arm and the goats, which she loved to hug and brush. One of the Lorikeets picked on my jewelry...the keeper said they love shiny things.

And lastly, the petting zoo:

I was glad I was able to join Amelia and her classmates on their trip to the zoo and to spend this one-on-one time with my girl. But by the end of the day, we both were exhausted and happily went early to bed.