An impromptu visit to our local Petco became a fun field trip for my children and me one day. Not only was it a great way to see, interact, and learn about different animals, but it was also free! Here are a few tips you may find helpful for taking your own kiddos on a pet store field trip.
Give yourself plenty of time. There are lots of things to look at. All of my kids were eager to look at a particular animal so it was a good time to practice patience and taking turns. We strolled through the store one section at a time, paying attention to the signs on the cages and tanks on how to behave toward the animals.
You can point out the different types of aquatic animals and encourage your kids to find out if it'a fresh or saltwater creature. My kids were even pointing out the different temperatures in the tanks.
Don't hesitate to ask the employees questions. Some are very knowledgeable and enjoy sharing what they know. While stopping by to look at the canaries on our trip I asked a worker about the various colors and stripes on the birds. She was more than happy to tell me all about them, explaining the younger ones have more stripes on their heads, while the older birds have less. You can also tell a male from a female by looking at the color of their nostrils. Boys are blue and girls are pink!
You may even get a peek at the dogs and cats getting groomed!
A clever way to deter begging children who want a new pet is to have them figure out how much it will cost for a new animal, including a cage and monthly costs for food. Talk about the responsibilities of caring for a particular pet and how big the animal may get. Will you have room for a dog to run around in your yard? Who will clean the cage? You never know, they might just convince you!
When you arrive home you can have your kids draw a picture about the different animals they saw. Older students can write a few paragraphs about one particular animal and what they learned about it. Our family discussed our trip around the dinner table, talking about what we liked most in the pet store. And I'm happy to say we did not come home with a new turtle!
