Calgary Zoo Field Trip

Whew!  What a day.  I volunteered to take Phoenix and a little group of boys around the Zoo for their 1st Grade Field Trip.  It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work.

We started out, of course, wandering through the Pre-Historic area.  They're boys, they're 7 therefore they like Dinosaurs.  I've never been into that part of the zoo, so it was fun for me too.

Next up was the Canadian Wild Life.  This beautiful Caribou had the most gorgeous rack of velvet I've ever seen.  And he, like every other animal in the zoo, was shedding off their winter coats.  Too bad these don't actually live by us, they are just amazing.

Next up, the Penguin Plunge.  This is Sicily's favorite, and we missed out last time because they close earlier than the rest of the zoo and we didn't know that.  So we were much pleased that we got to see the penguins this time.  Please note the crazy boy's I got to look after today.  :)

This sweet little teddy bear was taking a nap and must have been dreaming because he kept flinching a grunting.  I thought how cute he was until he rolled over and showed us his 6 inch claws.  There's a reason people take some major precautions when camping around here.  Grizzles are everywhere. 

We were so excited to see a few Peacocks in the neighborhood.  It'd started to rain half way through the day so we didn't think we'd see any.  We actually got told off by a Zoo Keeper for this one.  I think he thought we were going to stab the poor thing with our umbrellas.  But he wasn't a shy peacock, so we were just taking a closer look.  I mean really, they're just fancy chickens, and the spikes on his legs were bigger than any roosters I've ever seen.

The butterfly house was a much desired break.  It was warm and friendly and NOT raining.  None landed on us but even my most crazy boy of the day wanted to stay and hang out with the butterfly's.

Phoenix loves the tigers, and so do I.  They're so powerful and proud.  I think they have 3 or so and their enclosure is just massive, so they have plenty of space to roam.  That always makes me happy to see.

So after all the craziness we topped off our day with popsicles and ice cream.  Yes, I did bribe them into behaving.  Had they been my own children they probably would not have all gotten ice cream.  But to the credit of my 2 kids that were with me they deserved XL Blizzards compared to those other boys.

It was a good day overall.  I love the zoo, and I love seeing my kids have fun with their little friends.  Even if the conversation tends to revolve around poop and burping most of the time.  :)