Field trip to the Zoo Sanctuary

Last week, J's preschool planned a trip to the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary, a small zoo that we first visited last summer. What I love about this zoo is that the animals are all rescued from an even worse life outside of the zoo, and most of them are creatures that I sometimes get to see out in the wilderness in my own backyard while out running, riding or even walking with Jasmine. It's one of the benefits of living in the foothills. I've said this before, but I do prefer seeing the mountain lions up close and behind bars, at least for my sake. I feel bad for them but I know they've been rescued from a worse fate.

Back to the preschool. Little did any of us know that apparently it was zoo day for dozens of preschools. There were little people EVERYWHERE. Clinging to their parents. Running wild in the park. Climbing the fences. Any what else are children supposed to do with themselves? We tried, as parents and teachers, to get them interested in the animals but quite honestly, they would much rather chase their friends them stare at a bear.

Jasmine, like most kids her age, loves to climb. And with her long, lean legs, she's easily capable of reaching great heights.


Mama and J. She spent a lot of time in my arms on this trip, until we left the zoo and went to the playground. Then she went wild.
And this picture is Jasmine giving me her finest pout. Which she does with regularity, in between running, jumping, dancing and pulling me from place to place.
As my work partner remarked, this is the first of many, many field trips that will be taking place in our lives. I certainly have a newfound respect for teachers, who are around this kind of chaos daily at work, and then find a way to deftly create order. Honestly, how do they do it with PE no longer an integral part of the schools? I mean, kids need to run and chase and climb all day long, from what I can see. And Jasmine? Given the opportunity, she will skip right through her nap to keep it up. In fact, after the zoo, lunch and the playground, I took her to our friends, Steph and Reinhard, since I still had to go to work for a few hours, and rather than taking a much-needed nap, she refused to nap and went to the playground with Steph, not even willing to get in her stroller for one small minute.

Boundless energy.