...to see what we can do do do!
This is the new little "ditty" that we sing on days we are headed to the zoo. I started singing it the morning of our last visit, and it's become our "zoo song." =)
Anyway, one of things we love about Brookfield is that there is just so much to do. We went a number of times last summer, and there are still parts of the zoo and certain exhibits we haven't yet seen. It's totally worth it to us to have a family membership so we can keep going back!
Last time we went, the kids were asking to ride the "train", which is basically a tram that takes you around the zoo. As part of our membership, we got some free passes for this "Motor Safari", so I figured that today was as good as any to go for a ride. Unfortunately, it was a lot less exciting that I had hoped. It would have been better if the tram would have kept moving. BUT, it made 3 (very long) stops during the duration of the ride to drop people off/pick new people up. Those stops seemed to be way longer than necessary, although maybe that's just my perspective since I had a very antsy one year old with us. Other than that, though, it was a fun and relaxing way to see the main parts of the zoo without exerting any energy. =)
Even though the ride was a little less wonderful than I expected, the kids enjoyed it.
I only got a few pictures of animals, as it was hard to snap photos as we were moving and I usually had 1 (or more) child on my lap.
Lunchtime!
This little guy had his lunch about 2 feet from our table. He was snacking on someone's discarded fry, which the kids thought was pretty funny. Although, Shane kept asking "fry? fry?" and was not happy that there weren't any for him.
Brookfield has this really great "play zoo" that the kids absolutely love. It is part museum, part zoo. Very hands on and so much fun. We could probably spend the entire day just in here! The rest of the pictures are from there...
Shane loves fishies...
The kids played in some "nests"....there were giant eggs and everything.
They also got to be zookeepers, which they of course loved.
Shane vs. the giant frog...
Cleaning up their "lab"...
There's a whole area devoted to more domesticated pets, such as bunnies, guinea pigs, etc. Shane LOVES bunnies and was so excited to see them today!
The big kids pet a leopard gecko...
Another area that they really enjoyed was a greenhouse where they could water the plants
Shane couldn't really get the hang of the spray bottles, but found his niche at the corner table, where there were different shapes/sizes of tree trunks for the kids to stack...
Meredith joined him as well...
Another highlight is this pretend veterinary clinic. Caleb remembers this place from last summer and was so excited about going there again. There are all sorts of stuffed animals for the kids to take care of, and a great deal of instruments to care for them with...stethoscopes, thermometers, bandages, syringes, etc. There are sterile tables for the kids to lay the animals on, cages in which to transport them, and vet jackets for them to wear (although it was quite crowded today and we only managed to snag 1 jacket). It's so fun to see the kids take care of the animals!
Shane didn't really know what he was doing, but he loved wearing the stethoscope and had plenty of hugs for the animals, like this penguin here.
Meredith took great care of Kitty.
Caleb was all business. He took his job very seriously, and I have no doubt that Hippo and Lizard are better off because of him. =)
We are so excited to go back again, to see some things we've already seen as well as do some new stuff. There's so much we haven't yet done there, and I am eager for the kids to experience more fun!
