It begins with the approach. Lake Wingra and the beautiful arboretum are on our left. I sing “We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo. How about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too. We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.” Aurora smiles and dances (as best as one can in a car-seat.)
Then it’s
“Bye-bye car,”
Touch the giraffe,
Pick out a new animal trading card,
Ride the carousel—“Wee! Wee! Up and down. Up and down.”
Ride the train—“A tunnel! A bear! A wallaby! A tunnel! A tunnel!”
Play on the playground,
Gibbons, wallaby, meerkats, panda,
Feed the goats,
Snacks by the giraffe,
Tiger, rhinoceroses, seals,
Snacks by the lions,
Ape house, bird house,
Polar bear, grizzly bear—“The bear is walking. Bear swimming? The bear is walking.”
Buffalo, badger, prairie dogs,
Surprises (today, Aurora listened to lions roar, stood nose to nose with an orangutan, and pet a Madagascar hissing cockroach),
Ride the turtle,
Stamp our hands,
Bees, fish, frogs,
“Paw prints. Paw prints. Aaaaah. More paw prints?”
Wave “Bye-bye zoo. Bye-bye.”
