Field trip!

About 50 kindergarteners and 20 parents from Whittier took Brookfield Zoo by storm Wednesday. I had the pleasure of chaperoning Will and his buddy Kit; they checked out the zoo map and plotted their course on the way there.
The first stop was the zoo Discovery Center, where the kids learned how to classify animals (bird, reptile, mammal or amphibian) by their coverings (feathers, scaly skin, hair, smooth skin).
They also met a few animals up-close-and-personal, including a rooster, a guinea pig and a charming box turtle.
After lunch, Will, Kit and I headed toward our first stop: the giraffes (maybe you've heard Will is a fan). Along the way we passed...
camels...
the kangaroo habitat (only one kangaroo, though)...
and zebra(s). We were initially bummed because it seemed the giraffes weren't home. But after a little searching...
we found them inside! Apparently the weather was a little too sub-African.

Snakes were on the top of Kit's list, but the Feathers and Scales exhibit was closed. Luckily, we managed to find snakes big and small at The Swamp. And, look who we found outside!
Is it Michigan J.?

Making our way over to the big cats before we headed home, we spotted Will's favorite animal of the day...
Next time we'll catch the apatosaurus' friends, too. It was a wonderful afternoon. Thanks to the weather and District 58!

I'm *still* tired. :)