The day started out bright and sunny, but by the time we pulled up to the zoo, it was rainy and gloomy! Did we turn around? NO WAY! We had a blast! As you can tell by our Flip Flops and Ice Cream post, we know how to enjoy the gloomiest of days! We pulled into the FIRST parking spot at Brookfield and were thrilled with our luck of having an empty zoo!
First stop, the reptile house, so that we could sit in a boat and map out what to do next! The kids love to write on their laminated maps (we are members and don't like to waste maps, so we laminate them and the kids can write on them with dry erase markers) and each write where they wanted to go!
We lucked out and got to see almost ALL of the animals being fed! The kids thought this was just AMAZING and just wanted to sit and watch. They asked questions and got really into everything.
We make everything a learning experience, even while having fun! At doors, I would say:
'open the door that says PUSH please' or we would take turns reading what the informational signs at each animal would say.
Enjoying their maps AND a brief moment of no rain in the sky! It was so rare to get them to all stand still, that I didn't even bother with the smiling! hahaha!!!
My oldest son is really into Giraffes right now and I put together a little field pack for him to enjoy! I try to give each child a little something on their own day every now and then. It's a way to individualize them in their own way! The blanket and bag are from Target (1.25 each!!), the book was from the zoo and the Bus Notebook is perfect for his field notes!
Their favorite part of the day! This was 25 minutes to closing and we got to see this all up close and so personal!!! We were squealing like crazy! haha!
For us, a trip to the suburbs isn't complete without stopping at Hamburger University! hhaha! Yes, there is such a thing and my mother happens to work there as a corporate employee for McDonald's. The kids love to stop and visit with Nana for a brief moment and learn any secrets. To them, Nana has the ultimate dream job, second only to Grandpa who gets to work from HOME in his PAJAMAS! hahaha!! You have to love kids!
Do you have any MUST STOP places?
~Michelle!~
3 comments:
We're crazy for the zoo (and Mickey D's) around here too. :)
...danielle
Yay! Always a good combination :)
What cute kids. My niece is giraffe crazy too. She is in her teens now tho so I look for stuff like giraffe scrabble tile necklaces and giraffe shirts and socks, things like that for her.
PD
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