We start buy packing a big cooler of healthy snacks:
Whole Grain bagelsAny easy to eat and easy to transport foods we can fit in our cooler are packed along with a few ice packs (which can double as first aid remedy if we have a twisted ankle, bee sting or other injury), cold water bottles, napkins in a zip loc baggie (so they won’t get soggy from condensation and the baggie can be used to store orange peels and other garbage if there is not a waste can nearby our picnic site) and possibly some wet wipes for sticky finger or for cleaning scrapes that might happen!
Baby carrots
Snap peas
Apples
Oranges
Cheese sticks
Whole grain crackers
Granola bars
Before we go we make sure everyone has appropriate clothing, worn in layers to accommodate any weather combinations that may occur throughout our day. A jacket or a hoodie is a must, as are comfortable shoes.
A small first aid kit always comes in handy. Make sure to have band-aids at very least! I can’t tell you how many times I have been glad for this! If you have room you can add hand lotion, lip balm, bug spray, sun block, pain reliever (in case mom gets a headache) and /or any natural remedies your family likes to use!
Some family members like to bring their own small backpack with a hat, a pair of sunglasses, a camera or other personal items. This is pretty much limited to the family members who are careful enough NOT to lose anything or else mom gets stuck counting to make sure all bags are accounted for!
As we get into the car we make sure we have directions, money or zoo passes and a little extra cash for tolls and incidentals we may need later.
Upon arrival, make sure to make note of where you parked! You’ll be glad later. We usually make up a silly saying of some sort to help us remember, such as “Lot C is the place for me”! When all of the children chant a funny saying a few times you are sure to find your vehicle easily when you are tired later!
After everyone is paid for and ready to enter the park it’s fun to check the map for any special show times coming up. Plan around that. It’s always disappointing to realize later that you just missed the last bird show of the day so it’s good to know at the beginning of the planning!
We have special favorites that we always like to work into our visits:
For some reason my children are fascinated with the puffins! When Kaitlyn was about 4 she received a wooden puzzle that spells out her name and at the end of her name was a little wooden puffin. I THINK this started the interest, but I am not sure! Anyway, every time we go to the zoo the children all claim there is one puffin who always comes to the edge to greet them. They call him "PUFFY" and they all start squealing, "OH, there's Puffy! Hi PUFFY!"You will soon figure out your own favorite exhibits and may want to revisit them over the years!
On our most recent zoo trip, the children were really interested in the penguins. They were playing a game they call "Bird Theater" while they watched the penguins that day. "Bird Theater" is when they make up voices and dialogue for birds, animals or even humans that they are observing. This game started when my husband was driving around a store parking lot one day waiting for me to run a quick errand and the baby (now 6 years old) started crying for
mommy. So he began to make up voices and story lines for the birds to occupy her! Then, it became a tradition.Anyway, they were sure these penguins were planning a "zoo break" just like the penguins in a cartoon they had seen and they had us all really laughing. It really did seem like the penguins were planning something. Then (now this was weird) the penguins started making a loud noise that sounded as if they were braying like donkeys! It was very loud and definitely not a sound I expected to hear from penguins!!!! That trip was over two years ago and odd as it may seem, we all still talk about the penguins’ strange noises!
That day we saw a Wildlife show in an
amphitheater. We “met” a porcupine, whose name is CACTUS JACK”! That particular day was VERY cold (for Washington anyway) and an icy rain began (it snowed that night). Because there were not many people at the zoo that day we were able to get some behind-the-scenes kind of stuff while the staff was working with the animals. That day, Cactus Jack was practicing walking a particular path across the stage. We watched for about 15 minutes! We have found that most zoo staff enjoys answering questions and we can learn a lot by just taking the time! We also got to watch a great session with the walruses. It was fascinating and I had no idea that walruses were so intelligent and their handlers really enjoyed telling us all about them!
“Our” zoo also features an aquarium. When it’s either too hot or too cold outside it’s nice to get out of the elements and spend some time watching the sharks, fish, octopus, mantarays, and even seahorses in an exhibit of their own! My youngest, Hannah, loves the sharks and was almost in tears waiting for us to get to the shark tank!
As we walk from exhibit to exhibit usually I find the older children reminding the younger ones what is coming up next or retelling facts they have learned from the animals we have just left. I love to hear it from their point-of-view!
We usually set aside a little money for either hot cocoas on a cold day or ice cream on a hot day. That day was definitely a hot cocoa day and we decided to ride the zoo’s carousel too! All of the children had fun picking a favorite animal to ride. There was no one else there so they had many options including a muscular beluga whale, a sleek tiger, a fluffy husky, and a whimsical sea horse (half fish, half traditional carousel horse!) My son, Jordan chose a bench instead of a moving animal. With his Asperger's Syndrome he sometimes really struggles with coordination and this was just easier for him... plus it had a lot of YELLOW, Jordan's favorite color!We didn’t spend any time on the zoo’s playground and the water features were NOT runny on that cold, cold day, but we had a great time and talked about it all the way home in the warm van! It’s been way too long. I definitely think we will need to go again when grandma comes to visit!
It is such a joy to explore and learn about God’s marvelous creations. We will often research more about something we saw on a trip and we learn how to refute the fallacies that are often stated as fact regarding evolution. When I see how uniquely designed each one of these creatures are I can only stand amazed at God’s mighty works! I am so thankful to share these times with my family!
Mrs. Brown is a GGM contributor and owner of a small custom crocheting business/ministry named Bundled In Prayer. She enjoys Bible study, writing, scrapbooking, sewing, reading and more. She is happily married to her best friend, Russ and is in her 12th year of homeschooling her five children.
When small children are present, keep an eye on them. Make sure they do not get too close to the edge of the water. Little children do not understand about sinking and drowning.
When you first arrive at a body of water, always enter a body of water with your feet first. Never dive into a body of water until you have checked for obstacles and have found out how deep it is. Never dive in shallow water or in water that has obstacles in it. You could damage your spinal cord and be paralyzed for life!
When the sun is out, be sure to drink plenty of liquids to prevent from getting dehydrated.
diagonally to the shore. Even though there are life guards at some beaches, they cannot see everything. Watch to make sure small children do not go into the ocean by themselves.
When buying a life jacket, look for the U.S. Coast Guard approval number. When boating, rafting, etc., wear a life jacket. Arm floaties will not prevent anyone from drowning! Arm floaties are not a substitute for a life jacket and adult supervision.
