Today was the first day we tried to establish some "normal" routines. Normal for us means school in the morning and something else in the afternoon. Many days become what we call "school & pool"-days. Today we decided that we should check out the Cape May County Zoo since it is only a few minutes drive from where we are staying. The zoo is not large, but it is also free (no entry fee and no parking fee), and just perfect for a relaxed afternoon learning about different animals.
Right inside the entry, we were met by turkeys and peacocks.
I forgot to pack my long zoom lens so it was not possible to get nice close-ups of most animals but when we walked by a bush full of bees that I could get really close to I just had to take a picture.
They say that swans mate for life, and these two black swans only had eyes for each other.
This leopard walked back and forth just a few feet in front of us.
The giraffes were further away but still looked very majestic with their long stretched necks.
Feeding time for the zebras.
Walking around can make you really tired. Too tired to stand up. This is a lucky boy that has a big sister to lean on.
But it did not take many minutes for his strength to return. All it took was a few minutes rest and something new and interesting to look at - like the ring railed lemur just after the zebras.
I said we do school in the morning and something else in the afternoon. This is true but something else is often filled with learning opportunities. Like here when Emelie wanted to be our guide and read the map.
There was plenty to see at this small zoo, and not just animals but also many plants and trees. This bright red flower cought my eyes.
But we only had energy for a couple of hours. It is only a week since we changed time zone by 6 hours and the effects of jet lag are still very much present even if it's no longer hard to sleep at the right time. I love zoos and would have liked to stay much longer but it is important to us that we do things like this on a level that works for our children. We want them to be interested and leave feeling that they want more instead of being overtired and longing to leave.
Just outside of the zoo is a large playground and even though the kids were very tired they really wanted to play for a while. This they did but only for a few minutes which really shows how tired they are.
Back at the camper, we made dinner and then managed to squeeze in a short visit to the pool before bed time. So I guess this was one of those normal "school & pool"-days, we just visited a zoo in between the school-part and the pool-part!
Thanks for reading!