I recently volunteered to chaperone my son’s field trip to the zoo.
I thought spending the day with a class of fifth graders at the zoo would be fun.
It turned out to be a huge mistake. When I showed up at the school at seven o’clock in the morning, I wasn’t expecting to be boarding a school bus. Since the zoo is over an hour’s drive, I assumed the school would rent an air conditioned transport bus. Not only are these buses more comfortable but provide better safety features as well. Since it was the second week of June, the outdoor temperature was already in the low eighties when we took our seats. Not only did the bus lack any type of air conditioning but the windows were restricted to opening no more than an inch. The skin of my legs stuck to the vinyl seats. The overheated conditions and noise kids created an instant headache. The bounce of the bus made me sick to my stomach. I was extremely relieved when we arrived at the zoo. That’s when I realized that the majority of exhibits are outdoors and there’s very little shade. My group spent a lot of time in the air conditioned gift shop and wonderfully cool reptile house. I encouraged a very slow exploration of the indoor aquariums and insect exhibits. Because the kids were also hot and sweaty, they drank a lot of water, sodas and slushies and required frequent trips to the bathroom. At the end of a long and very tiring day at the zoo, we then needed to get back on that horrible bus and make the ride home.