Field trip fail

Usually, I'm a fan of field trips. Usually.

But I wasn't a fan of Friday's field trip. We took 45 first graders to the IMAX to see "Bugs in the Rainforest" and the kids were beside themselves with excitement!

I'm not sure which IMAX worker billed this experience as "perfect for grades 1 through 5" (maybe someone with no kids), but it wasn't at all appropriate for our first graders. Somewhere between the ultra-close up of a frog feasting on a fly in all its gory glory, and the two praying mantises doing it, I started hoping that none of the children would be haunted by nightmares.

At the end of the film when the caterpillar/chrysalis/butterfly whose life we'd been closely following ended up getting eaten by the praying mantis (again with the close ups of every bloody detail), we gave up hope for any redeeming quality of the movie.

How did the kids handle it? They all came up to us afterwards and bragged about how NOT scared they were. Which we all know in first grader-ese means: "I almost cried and peed my pants but I'm saving face in front of my friends."

8 comments:

Mrs. Fine said...

Hilarious! I find Grade 1s fascinating...just what are they thinking in those cute minds? Fifth graders will certainly say...and a bit more too!

Kenzie said...

That almost sounds like a disaster. Thank God no one peed their pants!

JoAnna said...

I am SOOOOOO not a fan of field trips. Something about getting on a bus just send waves of nausea over me. 5 years ago, I joined the French teacher from our other middle school in the district and we started a trip to Quebec city. While there has not been a single issue and it has been nothing but great, after 3 years, I had to stop attending the trip. 9 hours on a bus (coach, but still) with 48 kids just makes me ill even thinking about it. So glad I'm not in elementary school where field trips are a monthly occurrence!

Shell said...

LOL They need a teacher as a consultant when they are picking the age-appropriateness of such things.

Cortney said...

That is hilarious! We took a group of 45 kids to the aquarium back in October. Who ever designed the aquarium must have been an idiot and didn't think about the types of people that would be coming in. My students have Autism and most of them are non verbal and have very limited reading skills. So, the petting tank where you can touch the fish and marine life is open on top so you can touch them...and we encouraged the kids to reach in and touch...and they did. However, 2 feet away from the touch tank is another open top tank with baby sharks that you are NOT suppose to touch. So considering we just taught the kids to reach in and play with the sea life in one tank they really wanted to touch the sharks in the other open tank. Why would you have an open tank that you DON'T want people to put their hand in next to a tank that you can touch in? Dumb!

I'd love to take my kiddo's to an IMAX though, I think they'd get a kick out of it.

Anonymous said...

I can see why you were bugged!

Carol E Wyer said...

Brilliant. It reminds me of my old days teaching. I dropped by to read your competition entry for Girl Next Door (which was excellent by the way and put mine to shame) and found myself signing up to be your latest follower. Great to meet you and good luck in the competition.
Carol from www.facing50withhumour.blogspot.com

Sarah Garb said...

Who would have thought? I mean, what's not to love about bugs? You'd think the movie would have been filled with lots of cute / helpful things that bugs do for us....although come to think of it, I may just be imagining the adorable animated characters from "A Bug's Life." I guess the non-animated reality is much more grim and scary ;)

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