We have a zoo membership and I have settled into a routine that works for us- both beating the crowds on a Saturday/weekend and working around Neil's naptime. We go to the zoo as soon as it opens, walk in, see what Neil seems most interested in if we don't see everything, eat lunch at some point in there and leave around when Neil usually starts his nap. He falls asleep in the car and it's about a 20-30 minute drive so he's still asleep enough that he transfers easily to the crib. This time we had a birthday party to go to so we focused on the aquarium and petting zoo (no pictures from the petting zoo- I was by myself and it can be hard to carry the diaper bag, make sure Neil isn't wandering off or not listening to instructions on how to pet the goats in the petting zoo, etc.)
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| This tiger was really moving around and then settled on the waterfall, lapping up water. |
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| I love our shark exhibit |
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| They were feeding the sea otters when we first walked by and nobody else was around |
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| Polar Bears |
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| I leaned down to look under the water and so did Neil |
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| Another view of the polar bears |
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| Trying to pet the sea otters |
This time we were at the zoo for a birthday party. The zoo provided food (chicken nuggets for the kids, sandwiches for the adults), cake, and ice cream. They also brought out 4 animals to show the kids and let the kids pet them. I didn't get pictures of Neil actually touching any of the animals but he did touch all 4: hedgehog, chinchilla, gecko, and boa. I did take pictures while they were introducing the animals although we were getting past Neil's naptime and he was starting to get cranky so I had a hard time even with that.
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| Hedgehog |
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| Chinchilla |
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| These hats were some of the party favors the zoo provided |
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| Neil really liked the llama |
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| This was actually crowded and the best picture I got of the sea lion with Neil |
The zoo looks a lot more fun with a kid than it does just going as adults.
ReplyDeleteYeah it is. Definitely. It's a very very different perspective. Maybe when you guys visit next we can go, if you want and it will work out. It also changes as they get older. When Neil was Ella's age really just the aquarium was fun with him- he didn't seem to notice most of the other animals. Although I think in a lot of ways Ella is also more advanced than Neil was so it would be interesting to see how she reacts to the animals! When you come it will likely be cooler but maybe that also means there will be less crowds. (They also tend to have more activities there though to draw the crowds.) So it's up to you guys!
DeleteWhat a fun idea to have a birthday party at a zoo!
ReplyDeleteI actually thought about it for Neil's first birthday but he was too young. It seems like it's geared towards kids who are at least 3ish (and the birthday girl turned 3). Neil was too cranky and wanting to sleep to really enjoy having the animals brought out. They had a good discussion on each one before letting the kids pet or touch the animal but Neil didn't have the temperment to last through the discussion. Still was a lot of fun though!!! We'll have to consider this as Neil gets older although I'm not sure how expensive it is.
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