KidZania

Simply put, the best field trip ever!  Let me explain.

Do you remember micro-machines?  Well, KidZania is like a micro-city; they have just about everything that a real city would have just scaled down to kid size.  There are shops, restaurants, airports, garages, theaters, salons, radio stations, TV stations, fire stations, and coffee shops; plus probably many other things that I'm forgetting.  The streets are packed with running and screaming kids as they run from shop to shop and experience the joy of working for a living.  The kids get to pick a job and experience providing a service and then getting paid.  For example, if they pick chef they make the food (pizza) and then get paid Kidzos for it.  If they pick fireman they get to ride a firetruck and put out a fire in a burning building and then get Kidzos.  They can use their Kidzos at any of the shops to buy food or gifts.  What a great idea!  I think they should have these in the States!  But wait, I haven't told you the best part yet. 


The best part is that I didn't have to do anything!  Really.  And I didn't feel stressed about it or guilty about it either.  Amazing.  The kids get checked in and then they run off and do their thing.  There are tons of helpers around and only one way out, which is guarded by a security guard, so they couldn't go anywhere.  I wandered around checking out what KidZania had to offer and then ended up sitting in Dunkin Donuts with Kevin, the other teacher, and spent the day chatting.  Oh so relaxing!  Minus the annoying firetruck that kept coming by with kids shouting "KidZania fire team" and the marching band, but other than that it was wonderful!  We told the kids to meet us at McDonald's for lunch at 11:45 and surprise surprise they did!  We didn't have to round up anyone.  They ate a quick lunch and then went off to play for a bit more with the understanding that they were to meet us at the exit in 15 minutes.  Another shocker, they actually listened!  I only had to go looking for 2 of my girls and they weren't far from the exit, which means they were making their way there. 

We headed back through the mall and boarded the buses at 12:45 which was 15 minutes before our scheduled departure.  We were doing good:)  The ride home was uneventful until about the last 10 minutes; Saeed threw up.  The kids just ate so much junk food and it was hot on the bus; I'm actually surprised that Saeed was the only one.  I just wish he could have waited 10 minutes until we got off the bus.  We ended up arriving back at school around 2:15 so I just let the kids play in the room until it was time for dismissal at 2:45.  Like I said, best field trip ever!  I think all field trips should be to KidZania, or just as easy and fun!

Four more busy weeks with the students...

1. MAP testing and concert practice this week
2. Concert practice next week
3. Concert and end of the year party the following week
4. Hopefully they won't show up this week; we've been told that they stop coming the first week in June.  We'll see!

90 degrees at 7:00pm, only up to 99 today which was definitely cooler than during the week when it was 108.