Ok forgot to put this up yesterday.  We went on a field trip to Petco on Monday.  Only 2 other families went so the group was small.  Because the group was small, the kids all got to hold more pets and spend more time with the animals.  Petco is one of the only petstores that still sells pets around here and even they are starting to shut down their "pet" business so we were really blessed to be able to spend time there. 

The kids started with the birds and got to touch a parakeet.  They were new to the store so were a little worked up so we didn't bother them too long.  The kids found out that standing on poles is actually good for their feet-it's called "perching" and helps keep their feet healthy and in shape.  They also learned that males tend to have a true blue band right over their beaks close to their nostrils.

Then they went to the small mammals....mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and rats (ugh...OMG this one was HUGE).  The kids all got to hold a guinea pig.  It was very soft and pretty content being pass around-very curious about the kids!  The kids learned that these animals all have to chew constantly so that their front teeth stay manageable.

Of course then we had to go to the reptile section (ugh again).  The kids all got to hold baby bearded dragons!  Cool pro-mo for the upcoming "Nim's Island"!  They were sort of cute (for reptiles) and fit in the palms of thei kids hands.  The bearded dragons love to be with their owners and can be taught to "hang out" with them.  Drawback-they get big quickly.  The kids also got to hold corn snakes (eek!).  The snakes and kids did very well.  These were baby corn snakes and small enough to handle easily.  Corn snakes are the most popular "pet" snakes and even come in a variety of colors (oh yea.....like THAT will win me over...).  The kids also got to hold geckos...which were a little to fragile to me it seems.  Next they go to SEE Red-Haired Tarantulas and Emperor Scorpions!  Ok we looked.....we DID NOT TOUCH!!!  What scary things to keep as PETS!? 

Then the kids got to the fish department.  There was a turtle encounter and they got to see different types of fish and Betas.

They kids rounded out their tour with a revisit of the small mammal section where they got to hold a teddy bear hamster-who was NOT interested in being held!

The kids learned that the following make great "first time" pets:

Small mammals: Guinea Pigs and Rats (ugh again...sorry Shannon...just can't do it)

Reptiles: Corn Snakes and Bearded Dragons

Fish: Bettas and Angelfish

Our family is planning on at least getting an aquarium.  We'll be studying Zoology 2 this year-Swimming Creatures, so it should be fun.  Isaac LOVES fish and dear dad can probably handle an aquarium full of fish better than he can a guinea pig (MY favorite choice) or a bearded dragon or corn snake (Cameron's choice.....).  Sorry Shannon, no one wanted to bring home the rat.....

All in all it was a great field trip and the kids had a lot of "hands on" with several different types of "pets".  We used good hygiene and learned why it was important when handling pets.  We then had a nice lunch at a local park.  Isaac had so much fun he fell asleep before we even made it to the park! 

Next week it's a field trip to HEB and the world of groceries!!!