Homeschool Fieldtrip San Francisco Zoo & Gardens #SFZoo #California #Homeschool

 *Hosted guests of the San Francisco Zoo

I LOVE the San Francisco Zoo. It is a beautiful place with amazing animals. The landscape, buildings, park playground and the food make this place more than a home for the animals, its a destination if you are visiting the Bay Area. 

We are a homeschool family (long before the pandemic) and I try to find ways to make what my son learns in books also an experience in life. This is why I love Zoos and what they do to educated children about animal conservation. I feel like kids seeing these wonderous animals in person will help them further understand why we must conserve the land of these creatures. 

My son LOVES and I mean LOVES Giraffes!! Anytime we can make a visit to a Zoo they are the first animal we check out. We enjoyed a close up visit with an adorable giraffe that made my son so happy. We also learned why they have dark colored tongues, its like sunscreen to not get a sun burn. We were standing in our group circle for this close encounter so he was all ours for a few moments. The Zoo created spots for families to stand in (they are painted on the ground) so people can keep a safe distance.

Educational opportunities are all over the park on signs and posters.

The Eastern Lowland Gorillas are one of my favorite animals to visit at the SF Zoo. I could sit there for hours watching them interact with each other. The silver back is magnificent to see in person and the antics of the other gorillas is adorable! We watched them toss blankets at one another and take turns sitting in a cozy bucket.

As a Californian, bears have a special place in my list of favorite animals. The California Grizzly Bear is our state animal and also on our state flag. The strength and size of the bears leave me in awe to see one close up. Watching one casually play in a mini lake was amazing to see.

We also saw a Mexican Gray Wolf, American Black Bear, Scarlet Ibis, Rhino, Zebra and so many other magnificent animals. We did not see the whole Zoo this trip since this place is HUGE but it is also a great reason to go back and see more of the animals.

THE FOOD. I did not expect the food to be so delicious or have so many options. Our chef was so nice and prepared our food right there fresh. My husband and I ordered the 100% Grass Fed burgers and our son ordered a meatball sub with of course mac n cheese on the side. They maintained safety by having us wear our masks indoors and eat outside on the wooden picnic tables. The Zoo is so beautiful that I prefer to eat outside, you will even get to see all the peacocks walking around as you enjoy your meal.

Back in 2013 my son was the first kid to play on the San Francisco Zoo Elinor Friend Playground. We visited the playground as guests and WOW was it cool! We of course had to take the time to play after we ate. 

Slide 2021 (he doesn't need my help up there anymore!)

Slide 2013 (he is so little and this must have seemed huge to him)

The playground is awesome. It has many places for parents to sit, a squishy ground to help in falls and bumps, different themes for each playground area and hand sanitizer stations too. My son played on the swings, went down the slides and we enjoyed the beautiful cool day outside.

We have a tradition to our Zoo trips that we always leave with a stuffed animal. We visited the gift shop and found a giraffe stuffed animal that we did not already own (this is tough to come by when your kid has dozens of them lol).

Welcome to our herd, Mort the newest stuffie to join our crew.

We always enjoy our visits to the SF Zoo. It is an experience in learning about animals, plants and conservation. All mixed in with a fun playground and even a train ride. We definitely rode the train ride, it is a lovely way to see part of the park and a rest for your legs. Our favorite, the carousel was not running that day but hopefully it will be next time.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Fall Season Fun #discoverykingdom

* We received complimentary tickets to attend for our visit. All opinions expressed are my own.

To celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this Fall my husband and I decided to take our son to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to celebrate. What a better way to celebrate our family than a fun day at a theme park all together.

My husband and I have been going to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for about 19 years now. We have created countless lasting memories as a couple and as parents on our visits to the park. We have have taken many family members over the years as guest to share our love of the park with them. It has changed so much over the years and has become more and more exciting.

My family and I enjoy the animal exhibits the most at Discovery Kingdom. Being able to see wild animals up close and open the door to learning is to me a wonderful thing. The Shark Experience is my favorite animal encounter. Walking through the underwater tunnel with sharks, sting rays and fish swimming above you amazes me every time I see it. It leaves me in awe of the beauty of sea life. My son loves seeing the sharks up close. He will stand there for as long as we let him just watching the sharks float all around as the fish go darting by.

The Dolphin Show is a must see for us, we ran from one side of the park to the other to get to the last showing of Drench!. The theme of the dolphin show has changed over the years and it has been memorable to see the creative ideas they have. It is amazing to see the dolphins jump through the air and splash the crowd sitting close. I still have it on my list of must do things to swim with a dolphin. I am hoping next year I can accomplish that!

One of my favorite things we did for this visit was the Elephant Ride we all took together as a family. My son was so excited and I must admit I was a bit nervous. I nervously chatted with the elephant trainer for our walk, I did learn a lot but wish I would have relaxed and enjoyed it like my son and husband had. Our picture did not turn out nice enough to buy, none of us were looking in the right direction at the same time. It was a very cool moment to pet an elephant and experience a ride.

Our trip would not be complete without a trip to the Butterfly Habitat. This is another exhibit that no matter how many times I have seen it, its never the same and I always enjoy the experience. I love to sit at the bench near the waterfall and see all of the colorful butterflies all around us. It is like being in a fairyland garden.

I love going to the park in the Fall when the temperatures are cooler and the crowds not as big as the summer. I can get hot coffee to enjoy, my son can wear long sleeves and I even wore jeans. I really do enjoy the Fall at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom the most.

We had a wonderful time as a family enjoying the park and all it has to offer. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a great local getaway in Northern California to take the family to on a weekend. Right now they are having special deals for season passes for 2017 that include this year 2016 Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park.

They are open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October for Fright Fest. During the day the park is family friendly and the Halloween decor adds to the fall fun. But as I have said before the night time during Fright Fest is a bit spooky and little ones may get scared. We usually leave before the spooky stuff starts to happen when we have attended Fright Fest and still have a wonderful time.

In November they are open on weekends and the 25th starts Holiday in the Park. You can follow Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for park updates, ticket specials and fun events on Instagram and Facebook.

post by -Laura

Wordless Wednesday

The day before Easter we were lucky enough to see a real live bunny!! 

He lives at a local store and his name is Bun Bun.

We love Bun Bun!

What does a Squirrel Say?

My son loves animals. All of them, even the ones that scare me such as snakes and lizards. He always asks me what does ......... say? Like a cow says moo, a sheep says baaa, a duck says quack, its always what do they say and not what noise do they make. Since obviously they must be talking to him right?!?

The little Dr. Dolittle I have can spot an animal anywhere even though he wont seem to see his book or juice right next to him since he tells me Mommy you get it. He makes me laugh on a daily basis! But what we cant seem to figure out is what does a Squirrel say?? This afternoon a spunky little squirrel was perched in our front tree making wild noises at us. A squeak and growl like sound that I have not heard before. I was a bit alarmed that we may have been in "his" territory. We were looking at the fruit on our front tree and I think its his daily snack. He got so loud I went back inside! Yes I know hes a tiny squirrel but I did not want to get leaped on for taking his fruit.

With all his bobbing and tail flipping I still could not pick one sound I could replicate to tell my son what a Squirrel says. 

Do you know what a Squirrel says? :)

I almost did not see the little squirrel in the tree until it started making noises. Can you see him?