Up in the Sky: A Memorable Trip to Arusha Airport for our Under 3s

Our trip to Arusha Airport was a long-anticipated excursion! It had been reported to the teachers multiple times that the main topic of conversation at home was 'going to the airport to see the planes'. We're learning about transportation so to be able to be up close and personal with an airplane was the ultimate experience not only for the kiddos but also for the adults! 

Before we started we remembered ways that we could show our excitement: stomping feet, clapping hands, telling our neighbour "I'm SO excited!"... an attempt to curb any screamed decibels which may damage our hearing! 

The day started on the bus, which was the perfect time for us to blast our all-time chart-topping favourite song, 'The Wheels on the Bus'. Each child sat expectantly, swinging their legs, singing out their favourite Cocomelon tunes and looking out the big windows to the wide open greenery of the Arusha landscape - it was a moment of pure joy! When we arrived we watched with awe all the passengers who had the privilege of getting off a plane that had actually just flown. We saw all the bags stacked up and were in wonder. The airport staff ushered us through security and led us to a little safe haven where we could have our snack, look at the parked private planes, and watch planes landing and taking off - what a dream! 

After our bellies were full, we were finally led to the pinnacle of our trip - the airplane! The kids had no fear as they scrambled to be the first on the plane. The adults, with a little more social awareness, were better at hiding their eagerness as they mounted the jet. The children were like excited geckos climbing on the seats, looking out the windows, buckling and unbuckling their seatbelts. One little boy found his seat next to me, buckled up and looked at me with giant eyes saying, "We fly now?" 

The time went by fast and the job of knowing the difference between excited children and overwhelmed-hitting-a-wall-from-all-the-adrenaline children is a very fine art. I realised they would never choose themselves to get off the plane, and so I had to be the 'boring teacher' and start herding the troops back to the bus. Staff and children alike were sad to hear the words, "time to go". 

The trip home was a stark difference between the trip there. Quiet, tired little bodies, small eyes slowly blinking, coming off the high of being on an airplane (no pun intended). Each with a little foam glider in their hands- a gift organised by the teachers with help from 'This and That'. A little reminder of their time on the plane to have at home. 

It was a whirlwind adventure and the kiddos did wonderfully! Definitely an excursion to remember.

Article by Justine Russell

Pre-creche & Creche Teacher