How to Survive a Field Trip to the Zoo

araurviving a field trip to the zoo should be a college preparation course for all teaching candidates. Seriously…if you have not yet taken your class to the zoo, and you are about to, this post from the experienced teachers in our Facebook Group is going to SAVE your trip! When you are finished reading, be sure to request to join the group so you can see what everybody’s suggestions were! They were ALL so valuable!

A little story about my first year to the zoo…

I had 33 kindergarteners in my classroom, most of which were English Language Learners. We went to the Phoenix Zoo. Being from Illinois, I was unfamiliar with the layout of the zoo. I managed to swing the majority of the trip because I was quite prepared, and I did my homework. We were having a great time until it was time to leave. Since we weren’t allowed to split up, I had my whole class and about 3 chaperones with me. I didn’t exactly know the way out, and none of the chaperones could figure it out either. I decided to start walking in the direction I *thought* we were supposed to be going. As we were walking, I tried locating someone who worked at the zoo, but we never ended up running into anybody who could help. We ended up walking the wrong direction for about five minutes, and we had no water…and about 3 kids needed to use the restroom. So that five minutes seemed like forever!!! My advice to you would be to familiarize yourself with the area, and get yourself a map right away! As much as I tried to prepare, I STILL struggled. I wish I had access to this advice beforehand from all these teaching pros. So sit back, enjoy, and take some notes for the sake of your sanity!

How to Survive a Field Trip to the Zoo

I always like to give students a purpose so they’re not just running around. Most of my students have been to the zoo for enjoyment with their families so instead of just another visit, I like to tie it directly to our study with a little scavenger hunt sheet (ex. Draw and label a reptile you saw, sketch the habitat of your favorite mammal)….just a few to make it purposeful. I also like to have cameras for students to use! It’s so fun to see the trip from their eyes afterward! 😉 -Amanda from Teaching Madness

Educate on poop, butts and um…mating!!! Seriously or have responses planned!!! -Tessa M.

Give parents a list of the names of the kids they have (no more than 5 per parent-4 is ideal) and write your phone number on the paper. Don’t give yourself a group so you can handle emergencies or behaviors. Ask parents to take lots of pictures and send them to you. You can print them (I use iPhoto) for very cheap. Sunscreen is a must, children carry backpacks so they can carry lunch and water. That way adults can have lunch when their group wants it rather than waiting for the whole group to gather. Teach students not to yell at animals or tap on glass cages, to wait their turn while others are looking at animals. Give incentive tickets to those who are following the expectations that they can turn in for extra recess or another reward when they get back. I don’t usually do a scavenger hunt-I just ask students to pay close attention so they can report on an animal or exhibit when they get back. They might bring a notebook and pencil for this purpose. -Sarah S.

Find the bathrooms first. -John M.

I took second grade to the zoo! If you have approved chaperones , preferably parents you have worked with during the year, please take them! The children got really excited and its normal children run to place to place the extra eyes and hands were so helpful! -Paola D.

When we go, I take as many parent volunteers as I can. In groups, I have all boys or all girls (for bathroom issues). If you have mixed groups, I’d pair a mom group up with a dad group so that one can always bring a kid into the bathroom and one can stay out with the rest of the kids. I give them my cell number and I take their cell number. I keep all allergy kids or kids with health problems with me if their parent is not on the trip with us. I make a list of exhibits to see and have them try to find one or two facts to bring back to the class. I tell the kids that they CANNOT bring money for extra food and PARENTS cannot buy treats for their group (in fairness to the other kids). We have a meeting time for lunch so we can all do head checks. When I box up lunches, I put our group numbers on each box with MY name. I put ot on THE BRIGHTEST fluorescent paper that I can find. Zoos are often packed for field trips and its often hard to find your box. Each parent has a list of their kid’s names, time to meet for lunch and time to get back on bus. I have all my kids in my class wear the same color of tshirt (usually bright orange or yellow) so they can be easily spotted. I NEVER put first or last names on nametags on my kids as strangers could call them by their name and try to trick them. Hmmmm…all parents get band-aids. Parents are told that they NEED to put sunscreen on before we leave. ABSOLUTELY NO parent chaperone can meet us at the zoo or bring their child home from the zoo. (This creates problems if we have to wait for someone or if they leave). NO siblings can come. A zoo is a big, scary field trip, as far as making sure kids stay together and don’t get lost. 100% of focus needs to be on my kids, not on siblings who might need diaper changes, bottle feeding or frequent potty breaks. The zoo scares me with other people’s kids. I become a control freak. Lol! -Sara S. from First Grade Funtastic.

Every teacher needs baby wipes on a field trip! -Bonnie Kathryn from Bonnie Kathryn Teaching

Have your parent groups stay close or have meeting times to check on everyone. -Karin F.

Wear tennis shoes, print road trip bingo (look on Pinterest), and divide parents into groups and make sure everyone meets back at the same time. -Erin P.

Have lots of parents come with so the groups can be small. Talk to students about how animals don’t ask to use the bathroom. 🙂 Wear matching shirts or the same color. Avoid gift shops! -Betsy S.

Bring snacks and books to read on the bus ride back from the trip. I love reading “There’s an Animal Strike at the Zoo”. -Meghan H.

Remind parents to stay out of the gift shop, and not to purchase stuff for the kids in their group. One year we all got back on the bus, and one group of kids got on with stuffed animals and ice cream. And get all of the chaperone phone numbers in case you need to contact someone while you are there. -Michelle A.

Make sure that you see your school nurse for any medications that students might need (prescriptions, inhalers etc.) to take while you are on the trip. If you have chaperones with you, make them a zoo kit with a list of the kids they will have in their group, a schedule for the day (with any specific exhibits you want them to be sure to visit, times and places you want them to meet you at such as the common area the group is having lunch and the time they need to be back at the bus), a zoo map, kleenex and bandaids. -Beth D.

We have ours (students) wear their spirit shirts so they are easily recognized if they wander off. -Anita B.

I ask trustworthy parents to go. At least 5. I break my kids into small groups. Each parent has a list of kids they have with my cell phone number and I have their cell phone number. I also send them all a pic/text while on the bus in case they lose the paper with a picture of their list. This way I have it too. I also give parents a little Baggie of baby wipes and travel size hand sanitizer. Before I leave school, I put all of the permission slips (has emergency contact info) in my mailbox. This way if there is an emergency I can call the office and they will have the information easily accessible. Students wear school shirt and gym shoes. Remind parents to put sunscreen on students before they come to school. Students bring their own lunch. I strongly suggest they brown bag it. Otherwise they have to carry the lunch bag all day. It’s up to the parent when and where they want to eat. I tell kids to bring a small back pack. They can bring cameras. But I make it very clear, any thing they bring is their responsibility. The only thing I am responsible for is them and their safety. Have a meet up place at the end. If bus is picking up at 1:30 I tell the parents the bus is leaving at 1:15. Give some extra time. There is always one parent that pushes the time limit. If you have a child that likes to push boundaries, encourage his/her parent to come with. Have a plan when you get back. I bring a snack for our return and we watch a short show like wild kraits. -Cindy B.

“Make sure you have plenty of reputable chaperons!” -Catherine C

“Research the animals that will be there ahead of time with the kids in class. The zoo’s website usually has additional resources for you. Your students will get so much more out of the trip if they know what to look for and educated questions to ask the zookeepers. Tell each of your chaperones to take a photo with their phones of each of their students responsible for so that you can make a classbook of your trip with animals and kids in the photos. And share with parents that didn’t get to go. Take a class photo before you head in, they will look their best plus for emergency reasons you can use it incase anyone is lost with their last seen photo and clothes they were wearing.” -Kim V from The Educators Spin on It

I have a list of my students with their emergency contact number on the back of my badge. You could even highlight names of students with allergies, Epi Pens, ect. I have found this to be useful for many different situations (field trips, fire drills, ect.) -Jeanette S.

Discuss with parents and kids your expectations for gift shop / concessions. For us it is a NO. -Kim L.

1. Make a list of expectations for chaperones- no gift shop, face paint, popcorn purchases
2. Get the chaperones’ cell phone numbers.
3. Send the kids and chaperones on a scavenger hunt looking for animals you’ve listed on a paper- reptiles, mammals, birds, etc. -Joan S.

We assigned groups of 5 to one adult and they stay together through out the trip—-and NO to the stores. -Frau S.

We do the zoo in second grade and it’s a lot of fun. We do not have our own group of students, so that we can take care of any problems (behavioral or otherwise) but all parents have background checks and are able to contact us. All students are expected to ride the bus to and from the zoo. I teach at a high poverty school so just going to a big city and to the zoo is a first experience for many of my students. We let this be a day of exploration, but use it to connect to animal research as well as writing when we get back. -Valerie C.

I always take a photo of each group before I release them to explore the zoo. I also do color coded hats. I get the foam hats from the dollar store and each group gets a different color. This makes it easy for me to see my groups from a distance and make sure they are where they are supposed to be. (Why is a green hat with the red had kids?) It just takes the pressure off finding my list or remembering who is in what group. -Jennifer from Simply Kinder

I give each parent a teacher bag with a bottle of water & safe snack for each kiddo, a checklist of where/ when to meet, emergency numbers. On the paper, I have write dos/don’t for when we are there. The first thing is NO purchases of any kind. We also include that in the original form that goes home. Also, I assign kids to a group and ask those kids to wear a certain color on the day of the field trip. That way, groups can be easily/quickly spotted. -Rainah P.

I bought paper bracelets from Dollar Tree and wrote my name and number on them. They were never needed, but provided comfort for parents, kids, and myself. Also, take pictures! It’s so much fun! Take hand sanitizer and sunscreen for kiddos! -Kimberly C.

Have everyone wear the same color shirt, wear hats. This is my big trick…..Don’t make everyone walk back to one spot to eat lunch in the picnic area. You lose a lot of time. I give each parent chaperone a backpack or fabric bag with kids’ lunches for their group. No lunch boxes, only disposable bags. They can stop and eat on a bench whenever they are ready. We also give each group a snack for each kid, bandaids, Kleenex and hand sanitizer. I also give each parent my cell phone number. I have never had this abused and I collect the card when we are done. We don’t go as a class around the zoo, each parent group (I put 2 parents per group) gets a map and goes in the direction they want. The kids are happier and it is less stressful than keep in a giant group together. I NEVER HAVE A GROUP. I walk around checking on groups and dealing with an issues. On give them a spot and time to meet back up at. I have been using this system for several years. It works great. -Laura O.

Wear name tags around their neck. If they bring a brown paper bag lunch, tie a plastic bag around it. -Debra W.

Divide children into groups of 4 and assign a parent or aide to each group. Tell children not to bring money and discourage parents from buying just their group anything. Have a designated spot to meet at lunch and check attendance. Give each parent or aide your cell number. Have a designated spot to meet when it is time to leave. Check attendance again. Take a small bag with first aide supplies and any medicines that students need. Students that need medicine should be in the teachers group as only the teacher may give medicine. Write down the bus number first thing and the bus driver’s name. Take permission slips with you for each child with their emergency contact info. Have children dress in school colors or school tshirts. Do NOT let any parent leave the zoo with their child or any child. Each child should bring a completely disposable lunch and a bottle water. Hope this helps! -Anne R.

Make sure they take time to read the placards with the chaperones that tell about the animal. Also, make sure they keep their fingers and hands out of the fences or they may not go home with them. If an attendant tells them not to do something, they need to respect that adult and do as they say or the class may not get to come back again. They are representatives of your school so behavior should be exemplary. Also, they need to be mindful of other visitors (no running, no pushing, using their manners, etc.) -Amy Z.

“Have a scavenger hunt so they are focused on learning about animals.” Dawn S.

Another thing I really should have had were more materials to educate my little ones on all the animals before going to the zoo. We did a few activities before hand, but I would have liked them to know the characteristics and a little fact or two about each animal they were going to see. That is why I created my Zoo Animals Printable Unit, which is packed with activities to do before and after visiting the zoo.

So now that you have read through all the fabulous advice from the pros, your zoo experience will be SO much more fun! I would love to see how your trip went, so be sure to send pictures of your activities, or tag me on Instagram! If you liked this post, be sure to share or pin it for your teacher colleagues! If you want to stay updated, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Teachers Pay Teachers to keep up with the latest freebies, tips, and ideas.