Zoo trip 2012

The first time we brought Christian to the zoo during the Chinese New Year in 2010, he was a wee toddler who wasn't very interested in the animals (only popcorn), who played at the waterplay area at the end and fell asleep in the pram hugging a 1.5l bottle as his bolster.

We brought him to the zoo again on Thursday, our 2nd trip after that not-very-successful 1st attempt. He really enjoyed it and was so excited about meeting the tigers, lions, lemurs...all thanks to the school which had tons of activities surrounding the theme of "animals" in the past 5 weeks, and had built up the suspense for the 'amazing race' around the zoo by prepping them for the riddles..

"What has a long neck, long legs and eats plants?"

I was so glad that P took the morning off to accompany us at the very last minute, after he was worried about me driving such a long distance to the zoo. Hah. I think i could have gotten us to the zoo safely, but there's no harm in acting a little incapable now and then, and getting the help of the husband.

This second trip was so much more enjoyable; we went hunting for the animals after making a guess at the riddles, and took photos as we went along.

 

Thank goodness P went too, cos Ch got tired towards the end and asked to sit on his shoulders. The race ended at Kidzworld, the waterplay area..but Christian was afraid of the water tub that would splash water periodically, and resolutely refused to go in even though I assured him that I would go in with him.

 

Oh well.

The day ended with Teacher D presenting us with our Mother's and Father's Day presents. P was so touched when he saw his present that he was at a loss for words and I joked to Teacher D that he was probably about to cry.

Teacher D proposed that the children draw themselves and their fathers on a special piece of plastic which she then made a keychain of - it shrinks and turns hard after being baked in the oven.

P saw that 'he' was coloured green in the keychain, and realised that Christian decided to do so because that is his designated 'favourite' colour. (Ch loves blue, and refuses to let his father like the same colour as him, and has since a looong time ago said that his father's favourite colour is green, even though it's not true. P says that the colour is growing on him though..and he has ever more reason to love it now.) Teacher D pointed out that Ch is in blue cos it's his favourite colour, and he coloured the shoes red cos he happened to be wearing red shoes that day. We were impressed cos we did not realise that Christian was capable of even drawing stick figures. She divulged that Ch initially wanted to put the arms sticking out the ears, before she intervened and asked him where would be a more appropriate place. She also told us that he was the only one in his class who insisted that there be shoulders, so his stick figures have arms which jut out a little, before continuing downwards.

As for me, I got a bracelet made of beads that he thread with a fine nylon string. After seeing these, and the various artwork he brought home from school, we think Teacher D is a genius and am convinced he does not need art enrichment lessons at this preschool stage. :)