by Betty Trummel

Friday (yesterday) was “field trip day” for the year 2 classes at Shine! This field trip was made possible because of generous donations from a couple of friends of mine back home. Thanks to their support, I was able to provide buses, pay our admission fees, and buy snacks for the students and teachers. This was a rare opportunity to be celebrated! We were off to visit Munda Wanga, a wildlife sanctuary not far outside of Lusaka. 

Excited children arrived at school much earlier than usual and hung out on the playground, eagerly awaiting the arrival of two buses. They screamed with joy when the buses pulled into the Shine car park!

Anticipation was building throughout the hour-long ride from Shine to Munda Wanga, and the children spent every minute (and I do mean every minute!) singing and chanting to wonderful African music. Their voices were beautiful but deafening!

Once at Munda Wanga our tour guide, Henry, did an excellent job of teaching the children about the rehabilitation of the animals here, and giving them some great foundations in science. His tour lasted over two hours!

Students saw animals they’ve only heard about or possibly seen pictures of in books, and I loved watching their curiosity and enthusiasm as Henry led us around the grounds of the sanctuary providing details about each creature.

We had time to picnic and play after our tour, and that was a much needed break time.

The grand finale of the trip was watching the lions get fed. A bit of panic overtook some of the kids when the lion roared and rushed the fence…children screaming and running away in fear of this ferocious creature (who was safely secured behind a double fence). 

I’ll use this field trip to build writing skills with level 2 Shine students next week. As a seasoned educator, I know that even students who routinely have exciting experiences will sometimes struggle to get started with writing about them. Students will have lots to write about after such a fantastic day, and I’ll help guide them through the process. I can’t wait!