Spotted at the Zoo

Before Grace, I never imagined I would spend so much time at the zoo. Who knew it would be such a fun, enriching place to visit? Most zoos these days focus on natural habitats, education, conservation, and rehabilitating animals for re-integration back into the wild. Recently, we have seen animals that would have died in their natural homes but were able to live because they were brought to the zoo. So, I have changed my mind about visiting the zoo. Plus, when Grace tells me on a stormy day that it reminds her of the rainforest and that she wants to see porcupines again (both things we saw and talked about weeks ago at a visit to the Cleveland Zoo), I have to be happy we have included the zoo as one of of our family activities.This weekend, our zoo excursion was even more special because we met up with some friends for a preschool class about how animals' spots, stripes, and colors help them camouflage for protection.

Grace wore her spotted jaguar coat to go along with the theme!

They listened to a story, sang a song using sign language, did a craft project (using colored sand to make stripes in a bottle).... ...enjoyed a spotted and striped snack, met an animal up close (a tortoise from India)......and then we all went on a guided tour of the zoo where we looked at other animals and the way their skin, fur, and feathers help them hide to survive in nature.One of my favorite things is watching how our kids interact with each other. They are all so unique. It is amazing to listen to their conversations and to watch how they play together. After Ryan went home, Douglas was the only boy and he kept saying, "Come on, girls, lets...." and they all followed along!