Tag Archives: Zoo Fun

The First Day of Spring Brings a Roar at the Zoo

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The past year most certainly has been quite different. Many of the traditions my daughter and I look forward to have either been canceled or modified beyond recognition. Though there was no free Rita’s water ice for the first day of spring yesterday, we still had a wonderful time spending a day at the zoo with our cousins.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that many of the animals were our and about and quite vocal too. We’ve been going to the zoo since Quinn was a baby, but yesterday was the first time we saw and heard the lion roar. In some weird way, it offered us comfort in knowing that the lion was claiming the day and was ready for spring to get underway. While we are still navigating these new norms, seeing the animals, being in the fresh air and feeling the sun as we casually walked around was a wonderful way to bring in the spring.

Lion Roaring at the Zoo

All the best,

Tanya

Mesmerizing Moments at the Philadelphia Zoo’s Luminature

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The weather was perfect, and the view was absolutely mesmerizing with colors from just about every spectrum in the rainbow. Though my daughter and I, along with my friend and her daughter, were at the Philadelphia Zoo, we were magically transported into a spectacular world of lights reminiscent of scenes from the movie Avatar: Luminature!

Immediately upon entering the gates, I kept stopping every few feet to take pictures and admire the beautiful scenes while the girls were eager to get to the next light display. My six year old said, “You’re walking so slow, Mommy! You never walk that slow!” I couldn’t help myself. The lights had me totally captivated as though I was in a trance. Seeing the lights and displays, hearing the background music and the giggles from the girls and feeling the joy in the atmosphere truly touched my spirit.

It made me think about the power of light and the occasional necessity for darkness. In order to fully enjoy and see the beautiful lights, it needed to be dark. Then we could fully appreciate the illuminated pathways, trees and displays as we navigated through the zoo. Sometimes we may have dark moments in life, but a little light can give us a glimmer hope.

When I look at my daughter, I see her as a beautiful light. She often shines bright, especially when I may be experiencing a dark moment. While admiring the light, any darkness I was experiencing becomes a distant memory.

If you’re looking for a fun, beautifully captivating activity to do and live near Philadelphia, I strongly suggest Luminature which runs through January 5th!

All the best,

Tanya

Spending Time with My “Boos” at the Zoo!

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At least five Woodys! Plenty of super heroes from Iron Man to Spider Man to Superman, the Incredibles and anyone else you can think of! Plenty of princesses, unicorns and even a family dressed as the characters from Wizard of Oz. No, this wasn’t a costume party but the absolutely fun Halloween event held annually at the Philadelphia Zoo: Boo at the Zoo!

This makes the sixth year that my daughter and I have attended and the second year that we’ve met up with our relatives for some “cousin” fun along with my mother. We arrived at 9am (The zoo opens at 9:30am but allowed members to enter as early a 8:30am), and while the day started off rather chilly, the weather was perfect as the day progressed. The sun was shining the entire time, and we were even able to unbutton our jackets as the light breeze blew. In between seeing the lions, tigers, giraffes and plenty other animals (who were all out and about today), Quinn and her cousins eagerly ran to the different stations to trick or treat for tasty sweets and did different crafts while admiring the costumes of the other children and adults in passing.

Spending time with my extended family, seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces, hearing their laughter and simply feeling their joy truly puts a smile on my face. If you’re looking for a fun and safe event for your child or children and live near Philadelphia, “Boo at the Zoo” is perfect! You get to dress up, get sweet treats, and do fun activities all while seeing animals.

All the best,

Tanya

Winter Fun in the Summer at the Philadelphia Zoo

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“Can we go down the snow slide again, Mommy?” my daughter pleaded. A couple of weeks ago, she had a playdate with her friend from school at the Philadelphia Zoo. Even though I have a membership, somehow I didn’t know about the fun interactive winter exhibit that’s absolutely perfect during these hot summer days. We actually stumbled upon it while looking for Bear Country and to see the flamingos and couldn’t resist getting a feel of the snow in the the summer.

Even though there is an additional fee on top of general admission or a membership (which Alison, the mother of Quinn’s friend kindly covered), it was well worth it. The girls had so much fun. Actually, we all did! They excitedly went up the long and steep staircase several times trying to help carry their snow tubes to slide down “the Snow Leopard Slope, a 120-foot-long, 20-foot-high, snow-covered incline.” They made little snowballs to throw at the targets, made a couple of snow castles and slid around trying to maintain their balance as they climbed the little snow mountains. It’s good that we found the winter at the zoo area after seeing most of the animals because getting the girls to leave this area was no easy feat.

If you haven’t been to the zoo in a while, just would like to go again or want to do an outdoor activity and still keep cool, take advantage of Winter at the Philadelphia Zoo. It’s. fun for both children and adults alike. I’m tempted to take Quinn back before it ends on August 20th so that I can go down the slope a few more times too.

All the best,

Tanya

My Little Girl: The Zoologist (Part 3)

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2015-06-06 09.07.11One of my daughter’s favorite outings is going to the zoo. She loves seeing the monkeys, lions, tigers, tortoises, zebras…well just about every animal at the zoo. One of our regular stops since Quinn was just a year old is to the petting area with the goats and sheep. While some children and even adults become uneasy with the goats and sheep invading their space, she welcomes them. One time, about four or five of them surrounded her, and instead of being nervous, my little girl said, “Look at all these goats, Mommy! I have to be gentle.” My little girl is at that inquisitive age of two and a half and wants to know everything about the animals, especially the big cat falls exhibits with the lions, tigers, pumas, leopards and jaguars. At first, she referred to all of them as tigers, but now, my little zoologist looks at the big cat intently and will inform me, “That one is not a tiger mommy; it’s a puma!” I love watching her fascination with animals as she becomes entranced by their movements. Though she most certainly is my little artist and doctor, I  can imagine my little girl being a zoologist too!

All the best,

Tanya

Autumn Fun with My Little One (Part Three) Boo at the Zoo

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Quinn Riding a Camel at the Zoo

Quinn Riding a Camel at the Zoo

I just love the month of October, and not just because my birthday is October 11th but because it’s a month full of fun activities for my two year old daughter. During the summer, I posted an entry about how much fun Quinn has at the Philadelphia Zoo. That fun is magnified for two weekends in October as Quinn is able to not only see lions, giraffes, zebras and monkeys (and many more animals) but little robots, aliens, dragons, doctors and several famous characters from some of her favorite shows.
This past Saturday, Quinn and I got our money’s worth from our zoo membership and attended the Boo at the Zoo event along with several other families and children. Though we went last year, Quinn was not fully aware of the concept of children wearing costumes, but this year she giddily pointed out every character she recognized. “Mommy, there’s Minnie Mouse! Look, I see a princess! Oh, there’s another Minnie Mouse. That’s two!” Also, Quinn was able to practice saying, “Trick or Treat” at the different stations where she received candy. (Which she rarely has but was excited to have put in her bag). I was so proud of her for putting her shyness aside and saying “Trick or Treat” and “Thank you” without me prompting her to do so. This certainly was a great trial run. On top of trick or treating, Quinn and I both enjoyed craft activities, riding on the carousel, a draft horse and a train. Since the weather was brisk, the camel was a bit temperamental, so only children were permitted to ride. At first, I was a little nervous about Quinn being on the camel by herself, but she put on her serious face, held on like a big girl and told me she had fun riding the camel. If you are in the Philadelphia area, the Boo at the Zoo event continues this upcoming weekend, October 24th and 25th. It is fun for the entire family, and I highly recommend it if you are looking for an alternative to taking your child or children trick or treating or are just looking for another outing for full of fun activities.

All the best,

Tanya