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!

Our trip to the Children's Museum

       Last weekend we took a trip to the Children's Museum and it was ah-maz-ing!  I am sure Amelia would love if we just moved into it, no seriously though, we would go every week if it was in town.  It is the perfect outing for a busy toddler, she could run, touch, and play with everything!  The best part is while having all this fun they are also learning.  My husband was worried she would be too young but the museum did a fantastic job of providing entertainment for all age groups. Here is a look at our trip (with an over abundance of pictures)!

     Our first stop was at the supermarket.  As you can see everything is at your child's level so it is easily accessible for them.  Plus they can push and fill their own little cart and check out their groceries as well.  I wasn't able to get photos of absolutely everything but they also had a cafe, newsroom, postoffice and auto body shop for kids to explore as well.  Amelia pushed her cart for about two steps and then she spotted the mustard!  She wouldn't put the mustard down although she did also choose a carrot.  Our cart was pretty empty because she would rather carry her groceries.  We did have to have a little talk about shopping in other people's carts though ;).

    Next we moved onto the prairie and farm exhibits.  At the farm they could collect eggs from the chickens, milk the cow, water the plants, harvest vegetables, and pick flowers!  Amelia took to the watering can right away.  She watered the flowers, the vegetables, and then decided she was "thirsty" and watered herself (don't worry it was pretend water).

    In the prairie area there was so much to see! Exhibits here included a windmill, climbing apparatus (for older children), a little house, teepee and a wigwam (I think thats what the stick house is called?).  This was such a nice big open area that Amelia got to run from one activity to the next.  She checked out the teepee and danced along with the Native American hoop dancing.  She was also drawn to the xylophone inside the wigwam.  It was so much fun to allow her curiosity to lead the way!

     Amelia was not so sure about the water room.  It could have been she was tired from the other activities but she just wanted to be carried through this room.  I didn't mind since the floor was quite wet and I didn't want her to slip anyways.  Other kids were having a blast with all the contraptions in this room, so maybe another time she will give it another try.

   After our short visit to the water room we moved onto the next area.  In here there was a wall with instruments and objects to make music with and on the opposite wall a whole set of clock gears.  Amelia got a kick out of both of these activities, until she saw the giant lite bright at the end of the room!

      It is hard to compete with a giant lite bright and this was the clear winner of the day!  At first she was just enjoying pulling the pegs out but eventually she figured out putting them in as well.  They are translucent pegs in many colors and when they put the peg into the slot it lights up.  We played at this activity for a long time and she was a pro by the end!

    We did not spend much time outside but the story wouldn't be complete without a mention of the giant t-rex!  I hope you enjoyed hearing about our first trip to the Children's Museum.  We had a lot of fun and will definitely be visiting again soon.  Now to start preparing for our trip to the fair tomorrow and the zoo on Saturday!  We are keeping busy and having tons of fun!  What fun summer activities do you have planned?

IBAbloggers