Hi everyone, we went to the zoo on Friday! We had so much fun. Thank you for making sure your children had sunscreen on upon arrival. We know it added an extra thing for your already hectic morning, but it did make it so we could get right out the door!
The kids were very surprised when we stopped off for breakfast at Mauro's Cafe, a real restaurant. They used their restaurant manners that we have been practicing. The waitress was SO impressed with our lovely group of 8 children!
When we got to the zoo, they were very excited to get a map. Owen was especially excited when he noticed that the big map that is posted was the EXACT same one as his! As we went along, the kids were a little disgusted to learn about some of the things the animals ate, such as owls eat small animals like mice. However, they were fascinated to learn that many of the animals eat vegetables, just like they do. It was very hot, so many of the big animals were resting, hiding from the heat, but the smaller ones were out and some were very funny. Jackson was obsessed with trying to figure out which animals can bite; with each new animal, he asked, "Does this one bite?" Wendy and Laura kept responding, "All animals can bite!" The piglets were very funny running through the mud. Ella could not take her eyes off of them, however, she was especially excited when she spotted the zebras. The deer were a big hit with some of the kids, but Raegan preferred the animals who could NOT touch her. I have not seen her jump that high in a long time. She preferred the baby mandrill, BEHIND the glass window. While some kids fed the deer, others clung on to me for dear life. Then there was Laura, who found this really big rock, bigger than her in the deer forest and that is what she remembers most about the zoo. Colin was much more comfortable in the stroller, no matter how many times Wendy tried to get him to walk with the rest of the group; maybe he thought he could get a better vantage point that way. Evan was also laid back taking in the scenery, but was very vocal when he saw a BULLDOZER working on a new exhibit! Quinn tried talking to the monkeys, but they did not respond. So he screeched a little (o.k. much) louder, but still to no avail as the monkeys refused to even look up. It was nice to see that everyone could enjoy the zoo in their own way.
Even though it was a very hot and muggy day, we had a very successful day and all the kids seemed to have a great time. We hope to make at least one more trip to Southwick's Zoo before the end of summer.
