A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Zoo Trip


Our zoo membership is good until winter, so I took our little visitors to the zoo this week!


We were excited to see the jaguar this time, since he was hiding last time we were there.


Everybody checking out the big kitty.

November 2015, February and July 2016

I think my kids are getting tired of posing in front of the same statue every time.


The snow leopard is another favorite.  So majestic!


And such a fluffy tail!


I've mentioned before how Katie tells us which continent each animal comes from.  This time around Hannah (above) read the signs and shared interesting tidbits with us.


After lunch, we headed into the reptile house, where we saw snakes, lizard-ish things, frogs, and turtles.


There's a lizard-ish creature now.


After the reptile house, we ran over to the playground to burn off some energy before getting back in the van for the long ride home.


While we were playing, Katie said, "Hey Mom!  That kid has a brace like mine!"  It's been ages since she's had to wear her AFO, but she still remembers it.  The other mom and I shared a smile.


Miss Katie was keeper of the zoo key for this trip.  I always forget to bring it in with us, but this time, I put it on satin cord and had her wear it from home.  Not all of the boxes were working, and she got Spanish a couple times instead of English, but she had fun trying each box we ran across.  Hannah asked if she could be keeper next trip.


While we were at the playground, someone realized we'd missed the giraffes.  So we went to see the giraffes before we left.


I borrowed a stroller from a friend while our little visitors are here, but it's a bear to steer.  I'm either going to get great arms or stay home more often.


I like to bring sketch pads when we come to the zoo.  Katie was the only one who chose to draw while we were there.  She also drew pictures all the way home.


This was about the time the little ones started losing it.  It was past nap time, and it was getting hotter by the minute.


There was some discussion about riding zebras, which made me laugh.


There's a big metal giraffe sculpture up by the observation deck.


I admit, I'm grateful someone actually took a couple pictures with me in them.  I'm always the one behind the camera.  Now there's evidence I was really there.


I was really surprised our little guests didn't fall asleep on the way home!  I thought sure they would.  But we got home and not only did they crash out, but Katie and I did, too!  I think with little ones we need to keep expectations low and not try to see it all.


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10 comments:

  1. We have a zoo pass too. It's good till Feb I think. I have been wanting to go to the zoo but it has been way to hot and humid. You never know how the animals will be each time you go. It's fun to be able to see the favorites. I loved the idea of bringing pencils and sketch books. I have done that when we go to the Wildlife Sanctuary. Never thought of taking it with us to the zoo. Loved seeing the pictures.

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    1. Ours is good 'till November. We'll have to go again right after school starts, when there are no summer camps there. I'd like to get library books about some of the animals they have and do some research ahead of time, and then really spend a while observing just a couple kinds of animal. It's easier to draw from an actual animal, then to draw from a fuzzy memory of what we think an animal looks like.

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  2. What a lovely day at the zoo!
    Blessings, Dawn

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    1. Thanks Dawn! It's been super busy around here with the Little Ones back, but I feel useful, which is nice.

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  3. Zoos are such fun! Waiting for winters to get over so we can head to one:)
    #practicalmondays

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    1. Winter... are you in Australia? My eldest daughter was there for a year. :)

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  4. I love zoo trips! My boys light up watching the animals and love to read all the signs aloud. Sounds like you had such a great time... we usually end up staying until dinnertime so a nap is usually out of the question but I love the idea of ending the day with a nap!

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    1. I'd be dragging by dinnertime, lol. One of the nice things about having a membership is it gives me mental permission to leave when we start being "done."

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  5. Wow, that snow Leopard is gorgeous!!! We have yet to go to our the zoo in our new area. It's something I'm hoping to do in August or September. I was hoping for a bit of cooler temperatures. Looks like the kids had a blast!

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    1. It stays hot here through October! It was fun, and a good reminder that we need to get a few more trips in before our card expires.

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