Year 3's Big Day Out at Chester Zoo
Date: 23rd Nov 2023 @ 10:04am
On Wednesday 22nd November, Year 3 took a day off school and visited Chester Zoo.
This tied in nicely with some of the topics we have studied this year.
In Science, we could observe carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. One of the onagers even decided to show us its huge incisors.
In English and History, we knew some of the Stone Age creatures’ ancestors. Oscar enjoyed the facts about the Woolly Mammoth at the elephant enclosure.
In Geography, we looked at some of the countries and continents where the animals live. The children are very good at recognising Africa and South America maps. We also used Darren’s map to find our way around the zoo and will be following this up with some map work in class; using compass directions to navigate our journey to the zoo and the path we took around it.
Along the way, the children were full of questions and kept the zookeepers chatting everywhere we stopped. We saw animals from all over the world. Sumatran Tigers and Bactrian Camels from Asia, Andean Bears and Humboldt Penguins from South America, Tree Kangaroos from Australasia and Congo Buffalo and Rothschild Giraffes from Africa.
Some of us became members of the very exclusive ‘A Bat Has Done A Wee On Me’ club. Fist bumps all around. Our next official meeting will be next Thursday in the bat cave.
Here is what the children thought.
“My favourite animals were in the bat cave. They hung from the roof and one flapped next to my face”
“I liked the baby Sulawesi Macaques because they put their hand on the glass just like I was doing.”
“The Sumatran Tigers lay together on a big rock. The orange and black stripes were really bright.”
“There were fish tanks in loads of different places.”
“I asked the zookeepers lots of questions like ‘Where did the animals come from’ and ‘How do you take care of them?’”
“The python was 22 feet long. In the wild, they only eat once or twice a year”
“The capybaras were rare to see. I remember feeding them and stroking them at another zoo.”
“I like the venomous Gaboon Vipers and the poisonous Blue and Strawberry Dart Frogs”
“The scaly, spiky, bright green lizard was lying on a branch near a light and lives in the rainforest.”
“The penguins swam really fast through the water.’
“The okapi had stripes, like a zebra, on the back of its body.”
“I made heart signs to the Red Pandas because I love but they just slept.”
Due to the terrible traffic on the journey there, we didn’t get time for the gift shop but this wasn’t going to put a dampener on a great trip. On the way back, some of us slept while some chatted about what a great day they’d had.
The children were excellent and a few of the visitors and zookeepers made comments about their good manners and overall enthusiasm. I cannot wait to see where our next out-of-school adventure takes us.
Please feel free to look at the photographs together so the children can share their day with you.
