Trip to Aquaria KLCC

Posted by: serene13 on: April 14, 2011

• In: About Parenting
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Considering this will be Ling’s final year in Kindergarten, we decided to let the girls join their school trip to Aquaria KLCC, and with our company. This will be the first time for them.

The school engaged a tour agency.

That morning, we reached school on time, at 8am. The girls were sent to their classes and we waited outside at the school compound for more than an hour. The tour guides only reached at 9am, though I thought departure time is 9am, the tour guides should reach earlier. .. ..

And when the children started to queue up to onboard the bus, only we realized there were 4 buses of children joined the trip, including those 3 or 4 years old classes. And there is just a little more than a hand full of parents joining. A bit shocked, but too late.

When we reached there, as expected, chaotic was the only word came into my mind.  And the whole journey in the aquarium, the children were asked to queue up, hand on the shoulder, walk in line, no touching anything, no stopping.. The teachers were tensed, on and off there were teachers scolding those children who came out of the queue being attracted to things in front. I couldn’t really sense any ‘fun’ thing in the air.

Ying was kind of upset most of the time as the children in the other class kept on cutting queue and pushed her. And she was annoyed when she couldn’t stop to look closer and longer for things she interested, like the octopus.

Also there were only a tour guide per bus (a bus has about 40+children). Like for Ying’s bus, I think there were about 3 classes of children, and only 1 class was actually being coached by the tour guide. Couldn’t count on the teachers to explain what they saw along the way as the teachers were to keep very close eyes on all children, making sure no one was missing. Oh ya, one more thing, the tour guide’s English was … a bit unacceptable to me. She was asking the children, “Are you exciting? …. Oh, I know you are exciting …” And when she asked, “Any one see the ‘elle’?”, Ying looked at me, confused.

…

However, when I asked the girls whether they enjoyed the trip the next day, they said ‘yes’ (and Ying said she liked the Happy Meal the most).. We personally think the whole trip is wasted. It can be better.

Our mistake, haven’t checked out properly. I remember the previous kindy, for trips, they only allow older children to join. Younger class resume as normal. True also, younger children, harder to manage in public area like this.

… sigh …a bit disappointed.