Best Field Trip Ever!

One of the coolest things about my school is that they encourage us to go on as many field trips as possible.  Usually I only get one or two trips per year, but this year we're taking five.  Our third field trip was this past Thursday.  We have to teach UAE history, UAE culture and animal adaptations, so we took them to Al Sahra Desert Resort to learn about all things UAE.  It was the number one best field trip ever, tied with the field trip to Bass Hall where the performance was so good I was moved to tears.

It was a bit toasty, as you would imagine the desert to be, but it was so worth it.  We learned about my favorite animal, kissed an Arabian horse, mixed horse feed and learned about the date palm and Bedouins.  The kids were so well behaved and genuinely interested in everything.  Definitely going back next year.

On our way to the camels!

This girl got to "make" the camel sit down.  So cute :)

Checking out his amazing eyelashes.

My cuties loving the camels.

 He totally posed for this pic.

This boy got to make the camel stand up.  :)

 

The beautiful Arabian horse!

Mixing horse food.
The girl on the bottom's face cracks me up.

Sipping camel milk :)

Is this not the perfect picture for a camel milk advertisement?

 Back to the bus.

And the teacher shot :)

Things we learned about camels:

1. They have 2 sets of eyelashes, one long and one short, both to keep out the sand.
2. They can CLOSE their nostrils during a sand storm and KEEP BREATHING.  They're wondrous animals. 
3. They used to be the size of rabbits but have evolved over time to be the gentle beasts of the desert.
4. They used to have 5 toes but have also adapted those to better suit the desert.
5. They have a square gait, meaning they walk with two right feet, then two left feet instead of one of each.  This creates a rocking motion when you ride them which earned them the nickname "ships of the desert".
6. Contrary to popular belief, they do not store water in their humps.  It's fat, which their body then uses for food and water when they haven't eaten in a while.  If a camel hasn't eaten in 2ish weeks, its hump will fall to the side.  A day or two after it has eaten again, it pops back up to the top.
7. They spit, but only during mating season and if they're fighting with other camels.
8. They have two layers of fur that actually keep them cool in the summer.  They trap a layer of air between their fur and that cools their temperatures.
9. Their milk is more nutritious than cow's milk and a little bit saltier.
10. They are the number one coolest animal ever.  So gentle, so sweet with the kids and just so fun to look at.

Last week was a pretty exciting week for third grade - the wax museum, pizza party, awesome field trip... I don't know how this week will be able to compete!