Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Today we went to the zoo! We left about 30 minutes earlier this morning to get to the Nirmal Nagar School. Trust me, 30 minutes challenged our energy levels, but we were greeted by 40 bright-eyed kids, all lined up and ready to get the day started. The zoo was the perfect idea for a field trip. From the time we arrived at the school to the time we left the zoo, we all really enjoyed ourselves. Taking a break from following a curriculum plan was a great opportunity for learning in a more relaxed environment.

For many of the kids, it was their first time on a bus (let alone on an organized field trip). Once we left the familiarity of Secunderabad, the area in which the school is located, the ‘oohs and aahs’ skyrocketed. Many of the kids thought they were headed to an entirely new city after about 5 minutes into the drive. From the windows of the bus they were able to point out physical objects like cars, buses, shops, animals, etc. Seeing things firsthand really helped the kids put an image to the the English vocabulary we have been teaching them. Limited resources in the classroom have forced us to come up with creative ways to explain new words to the children. I’ve even been forced to use my artistic abilities to draw pictures of objects in the classroom, which may not be helping as much as it could (I can draw a stick figure any day…but that’s about it).

Once we arrived at the zoo, while we waited to get tickets and other things situated, the kids were able to explore a playground area. I haven’t really seen any parks around the city yet, especially not by Nirmal Nagar, so I’m assuming that going to a playground was a novel experience for them. Before we knew it, there were kids dangling off of monkey bars, climbing up structures, and flying down tall slides. It was adorable! After a brief play time, we all boarded the zoo’s train that took us around to see most of the animals. The kids had a blast. They point out giraffes, elephants, deer, a white tiger, peacocks, and more. Next was the safari. Our group was so large that we had to take 2 separate vans. The first van, which was packed with the majority of the kids, saw at least 4 tigers! We could even hear the excited kids from the other van. Unfortunately, I was in the second van. We only saw 1 tiger…it was in a cage. Oh well, at least most of the kids got to see the tigers up close and personal.

After we saw the animals, it was time for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Every kid has had PB&J before, right?! Well, not every kid. The children from Nirmal Nagar were a little weirded out by the strange pairing. The taste is not something they are used to and we couldn’t tell if they began to like it or if they just ate it because it was there. We had veggie calzones and juice for lunch as well. The kids were all full by the end of lunch. One boy even ate 3 sandwiches and 2 calzones. The only issue was that some kids were trying to take leftover food home with them. We didn’t have enough to go around after everyone ate, which wouldn’t have been fair. As some of the other blogs have mentioned, we have been working on improving the lunch issue at the school. We hope to reach a sustainable solution that will provide the students with a nutritious and filling lunch on a regular basis.

Today, the kids from the Nirmal Nagar School were the teachers – we were the students.  It’s amazing how an experience such as going to the zoo can teach you way more than just facts about lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!). Simply witnessing their reactions to things that seem so common to us DukeEngagers, like riding a bus or eating a PB&J sandwich, is one of the best lessons there is to learn. I think that sensationalizing the field trip as such an enlightening opportunity for the kids gives us too much credit. We all learned just as much about them as they did from us. We provided resources, they provided insight. It was a great day.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.