field trip

I love having the flexibility to take a day off when my kid's class has a field trip. This week the grade sixes went to the Toronto Zoo, and I (and a few other parents) tagged along.
I love the Zoo. I really do. Especially on very quiet days when we were among the few people there. We got to see more than usual, and a little of the behind the scenes stuff.
We were in the outdoor as well as indoor exhibits.

A Jellyfish.

These were very cool - there was a whole tank of them, and the light was shining, so I had to go no flash in the dark to see them properly.

Also inside was the Komodo dragons, lazing about. The kids thought it was hilarious that she kept sticking her tongue out at us.

This Indian rhinoceros was pretty good - we got to get pretty close, and then the kids in my group (understand I had 10 boys), fell over themselves laughing when he stared at them, then turned his back and took a giant dump. Yeah, there's commentary for you... And no, I didn`t take a picture of the steaming pile. Or at least, not one I would post. My son demanded we take at least one...

But in winter, the outdoor exhibits are the way to go, if you pick the right animals, and the right time.

We got to the river otters just before feeding, so they were hanging around, thinking we were going to be throwing food down to them. Sorry buddies, we had nothing for you.

The two best were the polar bears:

and the Amur tiger (formerly known as the Siberian tiger. Who knew they changed the name) Tatiana the tiger was having lunch, and gnawing on the thigh bone of a horse. Again, something the boys found fascinating, especially when she was ripping strips of meat off it.

Of course, the 10 boys in my group were the most active animals I dealt with all day - man was I tired when I got home that night! I did do some knitting on the bus there and back, and there were a few girls interested in what I was doing. I may do a knitting class during the school year. To be honest, I`m not the best person to teach kids - my patience or lack thereof rivals theirs, but we`ll see.

All in all, a pretty good day!