BE VEWY, VEWY QUIET
Today, the fourth graders went to the Salato Center as a sort of culminating activity to what we've been learning in Science. Before we left, I sat down with the kids and told them my rules for the field trip. The standard, "pay attention to my instructions," and "don't ask a gazillion questions, wait, listen, and then if they haven't answered the question during the presentation, THEN you can ask the question," and so on and so forth.
I saved the best part for last, though. It went something like this. "Now I know what it's like to see animals ... real, true, live animals and just lose your mind! I know. I was a fourth grader. I still love looking for animals, and I still get excited to see them, but here's the deal. If you squeal at the top of your lungs, jump up and down, and then beg the animal to come to your by hollering, 'Here beary, beary, beary,' they are going to travel to the farthest corner, curl up in a ball, and look at you like, 'whose the dork jumping up and down making all the noise'." So don't do any of that. You've essentially scared the crap right out of them."
Of course, the whole time I'm saying this to them, I'm acting it out, just so they can see how ridiculous they are going to be.
"Now, let me let you in on a little secret." They all leaned in. "In order to really get animals to take an interest in you, you've got to be very, very quiet. I know it's difficult, but we're going to try to be extremely quiet. That way, we can actually see the animals you've come on the field trip to see. Remember, they are wild animals. They aren't really interested in seeing your version of wild animals."
I really didn't expect them to take heed to anything I said until we were sitting at the shelter eating, and one of my colleagues' kids saw two does and their fawns walk over to the fenced deer area. They went running head-long toward them, screaming their heads off, and, of course, the deer high-tailed it outta there.
"Look at those fools," one of my kids said. "That isn't how you get an animal to look at you."
Oh it gets better!
We go into the center itself, and they were good as gold! They talked to each other is hushed whispers (for the most part), and all the animals were very curious and came right up so my fourth graders could get a good view! The bear even sniffed the air, and, as if on cue, after I said, "I think he thinks 4th graders smell bad," he sneezed violently and shook his head. The kids loved it.
The best for me, though, was when we were all sitting and watching the bison come into feed. Yes, I said sitting and quietly whispering and watching!!! We could hear another class up the way, and one of mine said, "They're never going to see any of the animals being that loud. They'll scare them all away."
At the deer refuge, you could have heard a pin drop! 15 fourth graders tip-toeing across a large, wooden deck to get a better view of the fawns. AMAZING!
Other good quotes from the day:
Upon seeing the baby bison calf ... "AWWWWW he's cu .... ewwwww, he's ugly! Miss Murray, those animals are ugly!"
"So, Miss Murray, those turkeys are the ones we eat at Thanksgiving?!"
"Why does it smell like poop around here?"
I saved the best part for last, though. It went something like this. "Now I know what it's like to see animals ... real, true, live animals and just lose your mind! I know. I was a fourth grader. I still love looking for animals, and I still get excited to see them, but here's the deal. If you squeal at the top of your lungs, jump up and down, and then beg the animal to come to your by hollering, 'Here beary, beary, beary,' they are going to travel to the farthest corner, curl up in a ball, and look at you like, 'whose the dork jumping up and down making all the noise'." So don't do any of that. You've essentially scared the crap right out of them."
Of course, the whole time I'm saying this to them, I'm acting it out, just so they can see how ridiculous they are going to be.
"Now, let me let you in on a little secret." They all leaned in. "In order to really get animals to take an interest in you, you've got to be very, very quiet. I know it's difficult, but we're going to try to be extremely quiet. That way, we can actually see the animals you've come on the field trip to see. Remember, they are wild animals. They aren't really interested in seeing your version of wild animals."
I really didn't expect them to take heed to anything I said until we were sitting at the shelter eating, and one of my colleagues' kids saw two does and their fawns walk over to the fenced deer area. They went running head-long toward them, screaming their heads off, and, of course, the deer high-tailed it outta there.
"Look at those fools," one of my kids said. "That isn't how you get an animal to look at you."
Oh it gets better!
We go into the center itself, and they were good as gold! They talked to each other is hushed whispers (for the most part), and all the animals were very curious and came right up so my fourth graders could get a good view! The bear even sniffed the air, and, as if on cue, after I said, "I think he thinks 4th graders smell bad," he sneezed violently and shook his head. The kids loved it.
The best for me, though, was when we were all sitting and watching the bison come into feed. Yes, I said sitting and quietly whispering and watching!!! We could hear another class up the way, and one of mine said, "They're never going to see any of the animals being that loud. They'll scare them all away."
At the deer refuge, you could have heard a pin drop! 15 fourth graders tip-toeing across a large, wooden deck to get a better view of the fawns. AMAZING!
Other good quotes from the day:
Upon seeing the baby bison calf ... "AWWWWW he's cu .... ewwwww, he's ugly! Miss Murray, those animals are ugly!"
"So, Miss Murray, those turkeys are the ones we eat at Thanksgiving?!"
"Why does it smell like poop around here?"
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