Home School: Hogle Zoo Fieldtrip

We had the best day ever at the zoo!

I am a big fan of zoos.  I love to go see the animals.  I think Hogle zoo is overpriced at $14.95/adults 12 and up, $10.95/children.

It's not those prices so much as it is that they charge another $2/person/ride on the train once you get inside.  There is also a beautiful carousel in the middle of the park -- so tempting for the kids when they see it -- that (I believe) is another $2/person/ride.  Sheesh!  It's not the world's greatest zoo and the price really starts to add up.

As I posted before, we had a massive spring snowstorm on Wednesday.  The kids played in the snow all day long.  From about 7:15-8:30 p.m., I kept going outside to make them come in (worried they would freeze).  Every time they were so preciously playing or lying on their backs on customized beds of snow watching the giant flakes fall from the heavens -- I didn't have the heart to call it a night until the very last sliver of daylight was gone.

It was a pretty warm day, so the snow melted a little as it fell.  But, it kept falling all day and all through the night.  So, we still had a lot of snow on the ground Thursday morning.  Katie and Isaac played in it until about noon.  They had snow clothes on, but were soaking wet because of the rapid thaw.  It was completely gone by about 3 or 4 p.m.  That was a lot of snow to melt in a short amount of time.

The family I babysit for headed on a trip Friday.  I decided it was the perfect day to go to Hogle Zoo.  The admission prices are a few dollars cheaper until summer season officially begins on May 1.  Plus, Brian got a buy one get one free coupon from Wendy's Thursday night.  Katie, Isaac and I got in for about $20--hooray!

I have always wanted to take a wagon to the zoo, but I have never had the opportunity to until Friday.  I normally have a van full of little people.  Since it was just two kids, we folded down the backseat and made room.

I loved pulling them through the zoo in the wagon every bit as I always thought I would.

Our day was perfect from start to finish.  The weather was just right and the zoo was not crowded.  I enjoyed the newer exhibits.  The animals were so active and we seemed to be in the right places at the right times.  Five hours was perfect to cover every inch of Hogle Zoo.

Katie kisses the elephant statue

We had prime front row viewing to see a zookeeper training this elephant, feeding him snacks and brushing his skin

In the morning, the day was still working on warming up the 50s.  We were cold, so we started indoors at the reptile/small animal house.  The kids loved it so much!

They put their faces up close to pretty much every animal in the exhibit.

These giant turtles seemed unusually active.  We watched them polish off their breakfast and crawl all over the place.

This guy came over to say "hi"

The kids loved staring at him

I loved the bear exhibit.  Katie's fist is clenched in anticipation as this huge grizzly comes in for a closer look at the humans

Clapping with excitement while he stands next to us

This guy was so cute and kept coming nose to nose with the kids

Wait for it . . .

Another nose to nose moment of delight

I also loved this seal exhibit

We must have spent at least 30 minutes watching them swim gracefully round and round

So much fun!

The kids thought they were hilarious nick naming this guy "big fat bullet"

Here comes big fat bullet again doing his signature backstroke

We got to see the baby orangutan playing and take a picture with this close up of his face

My kids wanted their photos taken with every statue we saw

 I indulged them

A beautiful peacock we found wandering the grounds

These two

Did I mention that I loved taking the wagon to the zoo?

To end the day with a bang we took a ride on the zoo train.  

They have expanded the train track, which is cool.  They took out the playground (I have mixed feelings about that).  It looks like they are in the process of setting up an African Savannah for the train to travel around.  I'm happy to see Hogle Zoo is making nicer, more natural looking habitats for their animals.  We got to see the zebras play-fighting.  It was one of the highlights for Isaac. 

Most perfect day at the zoo ever!!!