A coworker heard the following about a field trip from another teacher at another school and I knew the Buffistas needed to hear this:
The teacher took a group of 3rd or 4th graders to the local zoo. About 30 minutes before leaving, they noticed a little boy was missing. They looked all over the zoo for him and could not find him. Finally, he walked up and was soaking wet from head to toe.
The teacher asked where he had been and what happened to him. The boy would not answer. He was asked repeatedly and refused to say a word. They finally got on the bus to come back to school. On the bus ride home, the parent chaperones continued to ask the boy where he had been and what happened that he was wet. The boy continued his silence.
When they got back to school, the teacher called the boy's parents and told them what happened and that he wouldn't say what happened. They came and got him and took him home and continued to question the boy. He still refused to answer. The parents, frustrated, finally said that if the boy wouldn't answer them, he was grounded and to go up to his room. He took off running to his room.
A few minutes later, the parents heard some strange noises coming from the boy's room. They went in and found their precious son playing with.... a penguin!!!
He had jumped into the penguin exhibit, swam across and stolen a penguin. He put the penguin in his backpack and carried it home with him.
The parents called the zoo who sent out a zookeeper to retrieve the penguin.
Can you imagine?? I keep picturing billytea with a penguin-filled backpack.