A Trip to the Fair!

Someone said to me at the end of the day, "Well, it's over. Do you even like fair field trips? Or do they make you nervous?"  We had seven wonderful chaperones (thank you!), so with students in groups of two or three, the trip was certainly more manageable and less nerve-wracking. But trips to the fair do make me uncomfortable.  It's such a crowded, busy place and kids get distracted so easily.

I think it's a wonderful opportunity for learning, and a field trip that includes free admission is always nice (!), but it's hard to fit a lot in at the same time. I mapped out a 'fair attack plan' on the way there, trying to get the most out of the four hours we'd have at the fair. Ideally, we'd get to three shows, the petting zoo, and stop by the sea lion exhibit.  

As soon as we entered the gate, we went to the Tricky Dogs show to see some dogs perform.  It was the closest show to the gate and started the soonest, so it seemed logical. The dogs were mediocre at best. Some of them didn't listen (but I absolutely loved that they were rescued from the pound!) and some of the tricks were in poor taste (having dogs pull down the trainer's loose pants?) but once the show started, the kids were pointing, laughing and enjoying themselves.

As that show was wrapping up, we booked it to the next show: a magic show! Now, here's the problem with shows at the fair (or anywhere, really).  You have to get there early to guarantee a seat! Which means waiting. We had a seat on the bleachers at both shows, but it came at the expense of waiting for the show to start for 20-25 minutes in the sun.  This left us with complaining, crying kids. I began to think I'd failed them, and maybe we should have just gone to see the animals instead of the shows, but several kids told me the magic show was their favorite part of the day. So, despite complaints, I guess it was worth it.

We stopped for lunch at some shaded picnic tables (again, thanks chaperones, for moving the tables into the shade!!) and had minimal time left before getting back on the bus. We headed for the petting zoo.  On the way, we stopped to see the sea lions.  The sea lion show didn't come on until 4:30pm, so there was no way we'd get to see that. I hear it's one of the better shows at the fair.  The guy was nice enough to give me a buy one, get one free on the food to feed the animals, so the kids each got to feed one-two animals.

(By the way, that animal with the gigantic horns on the right is called an Ankole Watusi. Isn't he so neat?)

While I had originally planned on the kids seeing the beginning of the pig races at 1:00, we had to be back on the bus by 1:30 so it really wasn't feasible.

All in all, it was a good day! If we go again next year, I may skip the shows.... but I'll also ask for more parent input on the schedule.