My Trip to the Zoo with Grade 2
This week, I had the chance to tag along with our Grade 2 students on their trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo—and honestly, I wish I could go on every field trip.
From the start, it was clear this wasn’t just a day to walk around and look at animals. Our students showed up ready. Notebooks in hand, they moved through the zoo with curiosity and purpose—stopping often, looking closely, and asking so many great questions.
We began in Amazonia, where the pace slowed right away. Students leaned in—watching carefully, pointing out details, and beginning to make connections to their study of habitats before we had even made it to our next stop.
“My favorite part was just getting to see some of the animals we are learning about in school in real life."
Grade 2 has been studying habitats, and it was amazing to watch that learning come to life in real time. Small groups gathered around exhibits, pointing things out to each other, sharing ideas, and sometimes even debating what they were seeing. There was this constant back-and-forth—“Wait, do you think…?” “Oh! Maybe it’s because…”—that made it feel like I was watching real-time thinking happen.
At one point, a group stayed at the bearded emperor tamarin exhibit longer than expected - giggling at the silly-looking creature and trying to figure out what made it the right environment for that animal. At the Reptile House, another group was sketching alligators and jotting down notes, completely focused on capturing what they noticed. No one was rushing. They were into it.
One of the highlights of the day came when we realized the Komodo dragon wasn’t in the Reptile House where we expected it to be. Instead of moving on, the students were determined to find it. That search led us to its new outdoor habitat—where, despite the chilly weather, we were lucky enough to spot it. The excitement was immediate and shared.
“I thought we missed it, but then we found it—and it was even cooler outside.”
And what stood out most was how much they leaned on each other. Students were listening, building on ideas, and noticing things together. Their teacher was right there with them—asking questions, encouraging them to look a little closer, and letting the learning unfold naturally.
Of course, there were also those classic field trip moments—the excitement of spotting an animal just at the right time, “Look, there’s the spoonbill!”, and the pure joy of being together in a new place. Those moments matter just as much.
By the end of the day, the notebooks were full—but more importantly, so were the students. Full of ideas, questions, and that kind of energy that tells you something really stuck.
Days like this are such a good reminder: when students are given the space to be curious, to collaborate, and to explore, learning becomes something they truly own.
