Kindergarten Teacher Goes Viral for Remote but Lively ‘Field Trip’ to the Zoo

Young kids are still not allowed to go out and visit public places. So, a kindergarten teacher chose to be creative when he ‘took’ his 27 students to a remote field trip to the zoo!

Kindergarten Teacher’s Remote Field Trip to Zoo

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed our lives. There are many things that are no longer allowed, including minors and old people going out of their homes, crowded public places, and going out without face masks.

Schools and a lot of offices were forced to make use of distance learning options or else they can’t operate. Teachers and students also had to change the way lessons are done, with remote learning options being implemented.

Field trips, class meetings, and other school gatherings, even graduations and important ceremonies, are canceled or not allowed. But such rules did not stop Garrett Talcott, a kindergarten teacher in Seattle, from bringing his students to Woodland Park Zoo – on a remote field trip, that is.

I was excited to take them all there. There is a lot we can learn from the zoo. Our school is brand new, we’re in our third year, and we don’t currently do a field trip to the zoo. Myself, living ten minutes away from the zoo, and teaching remotely, I wanted to use those resources,” Talcott explained.

So, carrying his laptop around, he took the kids to the zoo. Just like a real field trip, he points out the animals to the kids and asked questions about their habitat, food, and other information that the kids can learn about the animals. He also encourages the kids to participate as he chatted with them about the animals they could see at the zoo.

It really seemed like a real field trip, but the difference is that the kids are actually in their respective homes yet interacting as if they are there. Impressive, huh? The teacher did not expect that his video would go viral. He really just intended to show how a remote field trip can be achieved, but people appreciated the gesture.

They were like — come on down! The thought was rather than showing videos, let’s bring the zoo to the students. Teachers are the experts in their areas. How great to bring them to the zoo and learn directly from zookeepers,” he explained.

Check out his fun field trip videos here:

@vividmichael

Field trip with the class to the zoo! #woodlandparkzoo #zoo #penguin #zookeeper #antarctic #arctic #seattle #fieldtrip #onlineclass #remoteteaching

♬ original sound – Mr. Talcott

@vividmichael

Zoo field trip in <30 minutes 🐗🦏🦧❤️ #kindergarten #teacher #school #zoo #woodlandparkzoo #tapir #rhino #orangutan #seattle

♬ original sound – Mr. Talcott

Learning Challenges in COVID-19

There are many learning challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Foremost is that because face-to-face learning is not applicable, many parents are forced to become their children’s teachers. Moreover, many have problems with the availability of learning materials, including gadgets for learning and even the printed modules.

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