On October 11th, there were field trips for the 6th and 7th graders. Us, the 6th grade, went to the Ecotarium for our field trip.
We walked up the trail to where we would eat our snack, and on the way we saw a big white and gray owl in a cage to the right and a bald eagle on our left. Already, I knew this was going to be an amazing experience. Finally we got to the picnic tables, where we ate our snack. Then we went inside. One of the first things that caught my attention was the glass case with two huge rats inside. There was also a mineral dome which had gems, crystals, and minerals in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Another fun activity was playing computer games like listening to different sounds and building things.
We went upstairs and there was a hurricane stimulator which I was very excited to try out. The wind in the simulator went up to 70 miles per hour! I explored further and came to a section that had big glass cases filled with water. There was a big fish that had the shape of a turtle, a long nose, and a very stretched out neck. I read the sign and found out that it was a Spiny Softshell turtle. There were also possum, fish, and snake exhibits. Then we saw a Planetarium show which was one of my favorite activities of the field trip! We sat in reclined chairs so we faced the ceiling (which was a dome shape). The show was about outer space and it felt like I was actually there!
We went outside and came across the wildcat station. The cage was very big and in the back of the cage there was a mountain lion sitting on the very top. It looked so peaceful resting up there! Next, we came to the otter home. There was a little house for the otters to sleep in and next to it, a big tank of water for them to swim in. We saw the two otters lounging happily in the little house. One of the otters peeked his head out a couple times. They were so cute. We also went to a small animal corner where we saw a beautiful bird and a small owl.
To finish off the day we went to the gift shop, where I got a stuffed animal mountain lion.
I had a great experience at the Ecotarium and I think that I am free to say, the whole 6th grade did too.
By Eloisa Pap ‘30, Contributing Writer
