Lessons from the Zoo

     Taking children anywhere can be an adventure, both for the kids and the adults.  This last weekend we took a trip to the zoo!  It was Amelia's first trip and we also had my sister and her three boys, my husband, my mom and dad, and my brother so it was quite the crew along.  Here are some of the lessons from our first zoo trip.

                         

You cannot feed the cheetahs.
Shortly after feeding the giraffes we walked by the cheetah enclosure where one of my nephews loudly announced "I want to feed the cheetahs!"  Have no fear, we explained that he probably didn't want to feed the cheetahs ;).

At times rocks and gophers are bound to steal the show.
I think the first third of the zoo was spent pointing out the gophers and asking gopher related questions, while Amelia gathered rocks.  It is so funny how little minds work, but in all fairness the kangaroos were just laying there and the gophers had a lot going on.

If you lift up your shirt and press it against the fence a duck will bite you.
First, I would like to say it was not a child with our group that discovered this little fact.  Secondly, the child while surprised was not injured.

Amelia LOVES the carousel.
Getting onto the carousel I was fully prepared for an epic meltdown when the ride started.  This is because the first few times I put her in a swing, let her feet touch the grass, and all trips to the pool have had that kind of an effect.  However I was pleasantly surprised to find she love, love, LOVES the carousel!  She kept yelling "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" and smiling and laughing, it was the highlight of my whole trip (well that and feeding the giraffes).

New York city is not located in Africa.
Walking away from the African section of the zoo one of my nephews asked "Is New York in Africa?"  I am not sure how New York popped into his mind but it was pretty cute.

No matter how hard you push, the turtle statue is not going to move.
After contemplating giving the turtle a kiss, Amelia spend a good five minutes trying as hard as she could to push that turtle.

Even the best toddler has their limits.
It was hot and we were there for a while so eventually someone ran out of steam.  She perked right up once we went inside.  All in all she was a trooper!

Flamingos are not born pink.  Their pink (or orange or white) color comes in a few months from the food they eat.
There you go, I threw in a zoo fact ;).

    There you have it, our first trip to the zoo.  I would call it a big success.  Everyone had so much fun and I can't wait to do it again!  Do you have any lessons from a memorable trip with your kids?  I would love to hear them, please leave your stories in the comments!