Einstein and the Zoo

A quick stop at the Einstein Statue for a picture and some of our photos from the National Zoo.

When it's raining there is no crowd! 

 This is a sculpture made entirely out of garbage that washed up on one beach.

There were several of these giant sculptures throughout the zoo and all using garbage from that same beach. We really need to start taking care of our planet.

Observing the elephants

(Otherwise remembered as "Did you see how big its poop is?") 

Panda baby!!!

Zoo Trip

You know how much we love visiting the zoo off season. When it's cool, cold, or rainy the animals are more active and it's less crowded.

Here we are looking at the elephants and ostriches.

Giraffes, zebras, and a couple of others that are difficult to see in the photo... 

Up close with a Red River Hog 

The waterfall as viewed from the monorail. 

A traditional photo with the elephant statues 

A less traditional photo :)

Snakes and Birds at the Zoo

I've done many posts about our zoo, but this one will show you parts I've never featured before.

Sweet daughter wanted to bring this guy home with us. She said he could sleep in her room. I managed not to panic at the thought of a snake in our house and firmly told her no.

Normally the like to climb on the elephants for a photo. This time they found a turtle. It was even better because they could get on and off without help.

We waited until the kids were a little older before letting them feed the birds. This way we were able to explain what was happening when the birds started flying toward them.

We did manage to convince the birds to stay on wonderful husband's arm to let the kids feed them.

 The kids were happy in this exhibit for a long time considering they didn't like the idea of letting the birds near them. The loved watching the birds' tiny beaks try to get the seeds off of the sticks.

Apparently no trip to the zoo would be complete without a photo on the elephants. haha

Wroclaw Zoo

After leaving the farm, we headed to Wroclaw to visit more family. Anyone who has read this blog for very long knows how much we love animals and regularly visit our zoo, so a trip to the Wroclaw zoo was on the schedule.

Some things we do to amuse them, some things we do to amuse us. This photo was mostly for us. haha

We decided to get a wagon to pull the kids around. While we all took turns, most of the trip sweet son pulled the wagon with 1-2 of us riding.

 

The zoo was under construction when we were there, but we still had a great time. My kids love getting up close to animals and this giraffe encounter was no exception.

Apparently this tiger didn't like his nap being disturbed by kids on the other side of the glass. I should note the kids were not touching the glass at all, the tiger just really didn't seem happy.

This was a really cool experience. You sit in a jeep and are part of the experience getting close to the lions. The kids also loved the bear habitats, but we didn't get any great photos of those. We love zoos that have such wide open habitats rather than the old style of cages.

How to get through a day without TV

I wrote a post almost a year ago that is still upsetting many people. TV and Computer Time for Babies I've had many people ask me how we make it through a day without the kids watching tv. Here's our typical weekday schedule. (The photos aren't related to the content of this post.)

Sometime before 7:30 The kids wake up and play by themselves - usually completely destroying the playroom.
Between 7:30-7:45am We wake up and tell the kids to get dressed.
7:45-8:15 Breakfast
8:15 bathroom/wash hands/brush teeth/brush hair - drive the kids to school (both kids go T and W, one or the other goes M and Th)
8:30-12:15 School - if one child is at home we have a "Mommy Day" which consists of things like grocery shopping, reading books, playing games,lunch etc. On Fridays both kids are home and we play games, read books, and go to the park.
12:30-3 Nap Time!!!! The most glorious time of the day.
3:00 Circle Time and Snack Time
3:30 Art project
4:00 Play with toys, read books, play outside
5:00 Husband comes home, he plays/reads with kids while I cook (or vice versa)
5:30 Dinner
6:00 Family walk around neighborhood
6:45 bath/shower time
7:00 bed time

That's a full day for the kids without any tv. We only have one tv in the house and we don't turn it on when the kids are awake. The kids don't even know to ask for tv. It's never been an issue or a big deal. On the weekends we are even more busy - always out doing things and on the go.

Now for some confessions - I'm slightly addicted to tv. The minute the kids are in bed, that tv is on and I'm watching it. I'm most likely also sitting with my laptop, something else my kids aren't allowed to use. I have difficulty getting through a day without many hours of screen time and I don't want my kids to have the same issues.

The zoo AGAIN

Yes, we love the zoo.

  We can look a giraffe in the eye!

 And in the mouth...

 We can eat lunch while looking at lions.

 We can smell a wart hog. (Or is that a red river hog?)

We can even attempt a family photo on the butterfly bench.

Another Zoo Trip

It's cold again so we spend a lot of time at the zoo. I know I've mentioned this before, but it's perfect. The animals are out and active and there are very few humans to get in the way!

It's fun to walk down the path and see the guinea fowl headed our way. My kids wonder how close they can get to these birds.

That's when the birds herded my kids together. Suddenly there was no way to escape or get away from them, which the adults all found amusing. My kids just kept spinning in circles trying to figure out what was going on. There is no way this would have happened with the crowds in the Summer.

Then we headed over to the cheetah. My kids wanted to say "hi" and see if it would come closer.

I love when they can get close enough to count the spots. All three of them stood still looking at each other for almost 5 minutes, which is an eternity in the life of a 2 year old.

Winter Zoo Trip

 

Here's a great travel tip: The best time to visit the zoo is, of course, winter. The animals are out and active and the humans stay home so it's not crowded! This may not apply if you live in a really cold area, but visiting our zoo in the Summer when it's over 100F outside is awful and yet, that's when it's the most crowded.

Normally the giraffes only get this close if you have food. We are too cheap to buy the food, but without the crowds the animals are just happy to see people.

This animal is so cute we ended up taking him home. haha

We went walking along the giraffe area and they were following us. Sweet daughter was convinced it's because they wanted to play with her. She didn't understand why we wouldn't just set her on the other side of the fence.

Did I mention other people stay home when it's cold? It's wonderful! The kids can run in front of us without getting lost in a crowd, we can buy lunch without waiting in a line, and it's just more fun to feel like you are on a private tour of the zoo.

Yes, this is an elephant rump. If you hit it firmly you can hear different calls elephants make. Normally this attraction is so crowded my kids don't get a turn, but in the winter they can play for as long as they would like.

A quick trip to the zoo!

One of the great things about our local zoo is that it is divided into 3 areas. Since we have a membership, we can go as often as we like and that's usually 9-10 times a year. This means each time we go we can visit one of the 3 areas. The trip is more doable with this age and we don't try pushing past our kids limit just to see everything in one visit.

 The 3 areas are Zoo North, the Children's Area, and Wilds of Africa. My favorite is the Wilds of Africa. It has only been open for a couple of years and they are able to introduce animals to each other. You look out into a giant savannah and will see herds of many different types of animals together. It's much better than a zoo with the animals in cages and segregated.

 My kids love all of the areas, but this trip we focused on the Children's Area. You can walk along the path or climb over the rocks to enter. We don't believe in doing things the easy way, so up and over we go.

 The petting zoo has mostly goats, but a few other animals as well. There was only one black goat in the bunch and while the other kids all went to the white goats, my kids were fascinated by the one that's different.

 He's singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and is very happy about it. In other ares of the children's section there are farm animals, birds you can feed, pony rides (for a fee), a nocturnal animal area, indoor educational areas, a riverbed for kids to splash in and a playground.

 All of the playground items are based on animals rather than a traditional climbing/sliding playground. One of the best parts of the zoo is the Nature Exchange. If a child (or adult) brings in an item from nature they get to trade it for something else from nature. The more you know the more points you get. You can save the points or exchange every time you attend. Items like acorns aren't worth much because they have so many, but specialty items like sand from a beach in Dubai are worth a lot more. When you bring in an item they ask you to tell them about it and the more you know, the more points you get. They also teach you about the item you select to take home. It's fun and educational!

I'm waiting until my kids are a little older before they start participating in the nature exchange each visit. There is no age minimum or limit, but I want my kids to be more verbal and to understand what is going on when they start participating. I hope they can start nature journals when they are around 2.5 years old which they will be able to take in for credit as well.

My favorite part of the nature exchange is the sand. They have sand from all over the world. They will take a small amount out and put it under the microscope so they can help the child analyze it. They talk about why it's certain colors, if it is magnetic, and how sand is made. Many of the people who work there can look at a rock or sample of sand and tell you where it came from. I'm always impressed when people know things that I have no interest in learning. :)