Last Thursday I took the kids (Andrew, Hannah, and Jacob) to the zoo for Homeschool Days. They each got to participate in a class designed for their age group and they had a specific topic to learn about. This included meeting some animal friends like a skunk, hissing cockroach from Madagascar, and another animal. I have yet to print out the follow-up questions they sent me by email but hope to soon. I enjoyed taking them to the zoo and the weather was warm but nice. It was special to have some one-on-one time with Andrew and talk with him about things like his interests and just enjoy observing the animals. Many of them were resting in the warmth of the day. The snow leopards were totally sacked out on their tree trunks. Other animals were wide awake such as the alligators. They are usually like statues, sound asleep. Their eyes were wide open and they were actually moving around. Yikes! Andrew and I each purchased a drink that had free refills. It was expensive but we refilled it several times over so I think we got our money's worth. :) When Andrew was in his class I took Hannah and Jacob to see some of the animals and to ride the carousel. They liked that very much,too. They also ate some nachos for a snack and some geese on the loose ate a nacho or two. They had fun feeding them nachos which was probably not very good for their health. We tried to just give them the ones without cheese. Other animal highlights included the meerkats. They wrestled and sat up on their haunches. They also dug with their little claws and were quite playful. The monkeys were swinging around and the red panda was yawning. It is a nice shady zoo so even when it is warm you can feel the canopy above you give some kind of protection from the sun. The vegetation is very lush and green and artistic. I think my kids are a bit zooed out though which is somewhat sad. We have renewed our membership several times off and on over the past couple of years. The zoo adds new animals periodically but I think the kids are ready to explore some different zoos. With a zoo membership you can visit other zoos for a discounted price or even for free with the reciprocal aspect. I would like to visit the Memphis and Knoxville Zoo since they feature different animals than Nashville. I am thankful that the kids and I could have some more time at the zoo recently, especially before our membership expires. It is always good to see the animals and to see what they are up to on any given day. Even though we have the zoo memorized, there is still something new each time. Seeing animals can actually be relaxing and healing and therapeutic. I think it brings us back to what is important...food, shelter, clothing(fur/skin) and relationships. I think it is refreshing to go as a family too and to detach from technology and other distractions. I hope our family can visit it one last time before May 31, 2012.