My Kindergarteners’ Class Trip: What to expect and how to prepare

It’s that time of year again – the school trip. My child is in kindergarten so we took the yearly excursion to the Zoo. The Houston Zoo is not as large as some but, the layout and attractions make it very easy to navigate. The zoo successfully keeps the kids hunting for the next attraction. Since this is my first school trip I really didn’t know what to expect. It’s been thirty years since I went on my kindergarten trip to the zoo so it’s all a little foggy. What I did expect are a lot of kindergartners running around with short attention spans and plenty of energy – they didn’t disappoint.

Be prepared

Before I get into the details there are some items you should bring and wear before you go. Wear a backpack, sunglasses, rubber soled shoes (think large zoo, three kids and you), a watch, baseball hat and sunscreen (whether you think you’ll need it or not, luck favors the prepared). Bring with you a camera (take plenty of pictures, I have a Canon PowerShot SD790 IS and it rocks), cell phone (fully charged), six bottles of water, a bag lunch (make it the night before), a couple of bananas and apples. The night before the trip make sure the camera is fully charged or has fresh batteries and make the bag lunches – for your child and yourself. Also, bring some extra cash as well. I brought a hundred dollars with me for my admission and souvenirs. You don’t have to bring that much but in case the vendors don’t take credit or debit cards you should at least bring forty. 

Expect to chaperon a few more kids

Be ready for the hand off of a couple kids right when you go through the front gates. The teacher will let you have your kid plus plus. From what I took in each parent had their kid and two additional kids. The teacher will make you aware of the time and place to meet at the end of the day. Also, ask for the teacher’s cell phone number just in case something happens so a school representative will never be too far away.

Everyone will be wearing name badges but take the time and effort to learn the children’s names and let them know yours as well. You’ll be with them for the entirety and it helps build a level of respect and trust. Besides, you don’t want to be called hey mister all day. More than likely you’ll eat lunch right away so you can go through the getting to know each other and niceties while you eat.

Lay down the rules and give them a reputation to live up too

Before they ran around like wild Indians we went over how the day was going to proceed. After lunch I looked each child in the eye, even my own, and I told them we will go forward as a team and that meant we stay together and respect each other. Furthermore, I explained that we will listen and behave – like I know they want too. I asked each child to repeat to the team that will behave and listen and they each did. I also told them that at the end of the day we will all eat ice cream considering the day went without incident. I ended our little session with a hearty praise, “I’m sure we have the brightest, kindest and most well-behaved kids in the entire zoo” – they agreed.

Another thing I did was take pictures from the very beginning, with all three children in them, so they knew we were a team and be together all day. There is something about posing for and taking a picture with someone that solidifies a bond – my thoughts anyway. It’s easy to see when they are in front of you smiling and laughing. 

How did it go?

I really didn’t have any issues all day. I was reminding them about our arrangement throughout and from time to time I had to bring the kids together but, in all, it was a fun day at the zoo. What a great experience to be with my child and to see how she interacted with children, her own age, which she sees on a daily basis. I highly recommend going on your child’s next class trip – its fun!

As usual, if this post is helpful or not or you just want to through in a comment please let me know. Thank you for your time.

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Tags: class trip, kindergartener class trip, trip to zoo