How to do the zoo

Matthew has a growing interest in animals. Each night, he picks out books to read and lately he's been heavy on the animal stories. He wowed me the other night by pointing and naming seventeen different animals in one book. This morning he pointed to and named the yak (the yak!) in "Animal Alphabet." Time to get this boy to the zoo.

Sadly, the last time I took the boys to the zoo Cameron was fairly uncooperative. He whined and dragged his feet and repeatedly asked for Icees. It was not my most rewarding parenting moment. When, this morning, I suggested we head to the zoo, Cameron was again unenthusiastic. Until I mentioned that there would be an animal scavenger hunt. NOW we were talking!

Oufitted with a pen, a list of animals to find ("Find an animal with a tail," "find an animal that is nocturnal") and a camera to document his progress, he fairly skipped into the zoo. It was a wildly successful family outing, with Cameron looking at the map, plotting our course ("OK, we have to find a reptile. Hey! The reptile house! OK, let's go.") and snapping photos. Meanwhile, Matthew pointed and laughed at every animal and even remarked, "Dat funny!" at the pygmy marmoset display.

This scavenger hunt idea has real possibilities . . . grocery trips, the library . . . I could get some real mileage out of this one!