Zoology

This week, we have been reading zoo books and learning about zoo animals in preparation for a big zoo visit.  Thanks to our local library, these are the books we read to get us in the zoo mood.

Our favorite of these books is 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle. It is mostly just the numbers 1-10 and pictures, but the kids engage with this book really well. They love to find the little mouse on each page. Josiah seems to think that all of the animals want to eat the little mouse; poor mouse.
After raiding our local library, I google searched zoo animal activities for toddlers and  found these activities for animal themes and how to make elephant trunks and ears.  Alexandra wouldn't let me take a picture of her painting, but Josiah obliged.  He had fun mixing the white and black to make gray; although he was convinced that I said the color was "glue", a gray-blue hybrid.

I think their favorite zoology activity may have been singing the "One Elephant" song. We played this over and over and over.
Today, we started our zoo adventure with an elephant ear breakfast. (Josiah did not like raisins thank-you-very-much-mama.)

Grabbed our trusty zoo map.

Then headed out the door for a day of zoo animal fun.

As I was editing the pictures for this post, Alexandra saw this picture:

and says "Somebody can touch him, but I don’t want to touch him. You can touch him." The zoo had a time when the 47-year-old elephant would watch along the fence and you could pet her. As soon as the elephant came near, Alexandra started climbing up the stroller and me trying to get away from this big gray animal. Which I find quite ironic considering she regularly enjoys going up to the Holstein heifers in the barn. Josiah was brave and touched the elephant's trunk. Unfortunately, I snapped the picture just a little too late.

All of the fun (not to mention walking) must have worn them out because this was the view from my rearview mirror not five minutes down the road.

After naptime, I made my sleeping beauties Diego Safari Animal Cheese Snacks.

Alexandra was so not interested in any part of these, but Josiah didn't mind because he ate hers too.

All in all we had a very yummy day at the zoo.