It’s only a little after 8 pm but all the kids (except Arden) are already tucked up into bed. We had such a great time at the zoo, but it’s always a trip that’s guaranteed to tire us out. 
Niek surprised us by taking the day off work, so we could all go. Well, all except Rigby, who did his best to make us feel very guilty when we returned home.
We purchased the year-long family membership, which has got to be one of the best deals going for a large family like ours. Not only does it pay for itself in less than three visits, but the parking is also discounted and we are able to go to special zoo events that aren’t open to the general public. 
The sun was so fiercely bright today – it was gorgeous, but it really took us by surprise. I had carefully rubbed all the kids in with sunblock, which I reapplied liberally, and they all had their baseball caps, but Arden needed something a little different. We ducked out of the sun for awhile in the Oceanarium, which is a fabulous structure.
We didn’t do too much with the little bit of information we’d learned about sea turtles, tigers, and wolves but I wasn’t disappointed. This was also a research trip for me to see what I can focus on for future trips. Max was curious about the reconstruction of Darwin’s ship The Beagle, for example, and now we can do a bit of ‘big kid” exploration into this topic.
I really appreciate everyone’s supportive & enthusiastic comments about my attempts to make our summer holiday a learning experience as well as a fun time. I’m enjoying myself so much, and I can honestly say that the kids have fought with each other much less this week. In addition to learning things in a fun way, we’ve also cut way back on TV time – we’re watching less than half as much as we used to, and my hope is that Nicky in particular will begin to develop a slightly longer concentration span. It’s hard to believe that I didn’t even have a TV just a few years ago, and here I am needing to cut back on the time spent in front of it. It’s a sneaky time thief. Rather like this little box I’m currently sitting in front of! 
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