Toucans
and sloths!
First, we went into a butterfly habitat and learned about their life cycle, and then we went on a forest nature walk and saw some big fat bullet ants (4 bites from these could kill a guy), laid in twisty turny tree limbs that look like hammocks, ate termites that legitimately tasted like broccoli, and lots of other things. At the end of the tour we saw and fed some enormous crocodiles.
After lunch we went to a paper recycling place, where the kids learned about how to make recycled paper using ripped up pieces of paper, banana fiber, and water. They even got to practice sifting and drying the pulp. 
After that, we went to the dairy farm, which some kids had a little trouble getting through because it smelled so strongly of manure. One of my favorite little boys kept running to the front door to gasp a lungful of fresh air before returning to the group. He was trying to be discreet about it, but it was still one of the funniest and most adorable scenes on the trip.
That evening after dinner, most of us were waiting around for the last of the students to finish calling their families so I got a game of “Honey Do You Love Me?" going. It was a HUGE hit. From that point on, the camp counselor in me took over. I was absolutely thrilled to get to share a camp-like experience with my students. We played other games, too (Bungalow, 007, and Big Booty, if you were ever a camp kid) and basically got to play the part of "big sister" to the best 5th graders in the whole world. Yep, I'm blessed.
The next day was our day with the Malekus, an indigenous people group. We met Maleku students, hiked through the jungle, learned some words in Maleku, witnessed a ceremonial ritual, and even danced with them.
The best was that as we were all watching the ceremony, an iguana danced into the middle of the circle to celebrate with us!
That night, we did a night hike to prepare the soil and set out food to study animal tracks. Later that night after another round of "Honey Do You Love Me?" I taught the kids "Bungalow.” Really, it’s more of a song and dance, but it ended up being an even BIGGER hit. The kids all went to bed humming and singing the song, which made me smile and feel like I was back home again.
Our last day we made plaster molds of the prints we found and learned a little more about the need to recycle. We also learned about some specific plants in the forest before holding crocodiles and alligators. That was the highlight for the kids, for sure.
Then we got our graduation certificates, cheered, and went home. It really was an excellent trip. I even enjoyed being a supervisor on the boys’ side because I got to know them all so well. (Perhaps a little too well, in some cases…!) I feel like the experience really bonded our class together and brought out the more carefree, lighthearted side of the kids.
In closing, the biggest ants of your life:
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