Since we were blessed with yet another mild December day on the 31st, we decided to take advantage of the time off, unseasonably warm weather, and the last day of our pass for a family fun afternoon at the zoo. 

Make a mental note… for a really good visit to the zoo, try going on a mild day in the off season, shortly before closing time… hardly any people were there and the animals were quite active.  

Scott snapped some great shots of the animals up close and personal.

The lion came right up to the window and then almost seemed to look right past us as if we weren’t there.  It was incredible!

Hungry?

We also took advantage of the petting zoo.  Those goats were adorable!  I had so much fun watching my youngest pal around with them. 

Then he decided it was time for them to go back to their pen and he began herding them… pushing them into their pen one at a time… We were so lucky they didn’t decide to unload on him!!

Last week we took the kids to the local zoo.  We have tried to go once a year for the past several years.  We go in part b/c we want to give the kids a chance to see the exotic animals up close.  It’s so fun to watch their reactions.  But, I’ll be honest, we also go b/c I love to see the animals up close!  It is amazing and awe inspiring and I don’t think I could ever tire of it!  (And I am not even an animal person). 

Three preschool kids at the zoo in Maryland in the heat of summer.  Why, you might ask?  Well, that I’ve already answered that, it’s fun.  How?  We have a strategy that has worked really well for for us.  We don’t attempt to see it all.  We don’t make it a day long affair.  We pick the few select animals we want to see, we take our time and enjoy them, and we leave happy.  I don’t try to “get my money’s worth” and see every single animal in the zoo.  I feel I get more than my money’s worth by enjoying the select ones we do see.  One year I’d like to get a zoo membership and try to go back often and gradually see them all.  The past two years we’ve been pretty fascinated by the same select few. 

The polar bears.

The giraffe

The elephant

And the leopard. 

This year, we had a few exciting moments as we got to feed the giraffe, watch the elephants drink water from their trunk, and watch and listen to the leopard pace and growl.  Because we saw only a few we spent a good deal of time observing them.  We saw more than just these 4 animals, but these were by far the highlight for the circus crew. 

Follow the links for more fun with pictures (some more wordy and some less).  And for more helpful tips, visit here.