I had the pleasure of my grandson’s company for the last two days. The grass was wet yesterday, and the air was cool, which limited our outside activity options. Being of a spontaneous nature, I said, “Gavin, let’s go to the zoo!” He did not seem too thrilled, but his Uncle Jonathon was game, so off we went.
The cheetahs walking up to the glass, the Kodiak bear catching a scent, and the baby elephant throwing a stick and chasing it down amazed the adults. The 3-year-old had a blast climbing decorative rocks, running around the playground, talking to the pictures of orangutans on the coming attraction posters, playing with the faucet sensor in the bathroom and splashing water, eating goldfish crackers, and weaving in and out of the posts holding up the sign at the elephant exhibit. He counted the giraffes and enjoyed them, but other than that, he did not seem too impressed with the actual zoo experience (aka animals).
Our last activity was a ride on the carousel, and he did squeal “weeeee” for about 10 seconds. After the ride stopped, Gavin stood on the back of his polar bear, but instead of coming into my open arms, he shimmied quickly up the pole. He rather enjoyed that, giggling as I tried to pull him down. The elderly carousel attendant was not too impressed with my grandson’s athletic prowess, but he waited patiently as I finally tickled Gavin loose of the pole. I smiled with a shrug at the crowd waiting to get on the ride as I carried the wriggling 3-year-old to the exit. All in all, it was a fun couple of hours at the zoo, regardless of age or preferred activity!
Better to Laugh 