Thursday, June 4, 2009

Zoo Alphabet

This week's Picnic Table Talk at ABC & 123 is all about sharing alphabet activities, favorite alphabet books, or alphabet lists. I decided to share an alphabet list all about one of our favorite places to visit, the zoo! ER has been to three different ones: the Denver, Detroit, and Toledo Zoo. We will be adding a new one to that list soon when we visit her Uncle Jeff & Aunt Jody in Philadelphia later this month. Brad and I have also been to, in our opinion, one of the best zoos there is, the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

{I originally planned on posting a family alphabet but I just wasn't feeling it for some reason. So you might have gotten a link to in your Blogger Dashboard if you follow my blog or you may have gotten the first version of today's post if you subscribe to my feed in your email inbox. That link probably isn't working anymore, and I'm sorry for any confusion that may have caused.}

My intention is to eventually make a Zoo Alphabet book with ER, so it was nice to see which letters I have several animals for and which ones I still need, maybe we'll be able to fill in the gaps in Philly. I think personalized alphabet books are a wonderful way to bond with your child and relive memories together. They don't have to be elaborate, just sliding the pictures into a plastic album is fine, what matters is the time spend together. That's what I tell myself so I don't feel bad for not having a beautifully scrapped book to look at together☺ I hope you enjoy the pictures I've collected from several different trips to the zoo! Now its on to my zoo themed alphabet list!

A is for Animals, look here it's a wild child, LOL! ER in the Prairie Dog exhibit.
B is for Bear, like this Polar Bear in the Arctic Ring of Life exhibit. C is for Capybaras, the world's largest rodent.
D is for Denver the Zoo, the first one we took ER to with my Godbrother Matt and his wife Karen.E is for Elephant, we saw this one perform at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
F is for Family Fun, the zoo is a great place to spend the day outside in the sunshine, see the animals, create memories, and attend special events. We love ours and support it be being members. It's also for flamingos. G is for Gorillas
H is for Hippo "Shhhh...don't wake the hippo!" That's what ER said when we saw this one.
I is for Iguana, of which we've seen plenty but it's hard to take a good picture through glass!

J is for Jelly Fish, I do have a picture for this but it's a real photo - you know the old fashioned kind taken with film. My scanner isn't working so imagine it's here :)

K is for KangarooL is for Lion, this cub we saw in Denver.M is for MeerkatN is for Night Hawk, Nightingale, and Night Heron. I have a lot of bird pictures but since they are often all together in an aviary it's hard to figure out which one is which. One way I keep track of the animals I've seen and taken pictures of, is to take a picture of the animal followed by a picture of the information sign by the exhibit. With a digital camera it's easy to keep the information and stay organized but not waste film or development costs.

O is for Okapis, a relative of the giraffe even if it's appearance reminds you of a zebra. P is for Panda Bear, this is Hua Mei born at the San Diego Zoo.
Q is for Queensland Koala, we were told at the San Diego Zoo that we were lucky to see one actually alert and moving around during the day, as most of the time they are sleeping.R is for Rhinoceros, I know you don't usually think cute along with rhino but that's actually what we thought when we saw this baby rhinoceros at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Of course it probably only looked so little because it was next to it's mama! S is for Statues, there are always lots of animal statues at the zoo to climb around and play on. ER has always loved this one of a baby elephant, looks like they're in deep conversation! She is telling the baby, as she calls it, that she came to see her today, very cute.T is for TigerU is for Unforgettable Moments, this was only the second time we'd taken ER to the zoo. It was so much fun taking her around the zoo we grew up going to and have great memories of.V is for Vulture, again I've got a picture of a vulture but it's on film

W is for Wallaby, this one is a Parma Wallaby from Australia that likes to live in moist forests and is being threatened with habitat loss.
X is for X-Ray Fish and an X-citing Time! The first time ER saw the seals swimming in the Arctic Ring of Life Exhibit she was facinated, all she wanted to do was stand there and watch.
Y is for Your Favorite Zoo Book: Never Shout At the Zoo.

Z is for Zulu Suni, from Africa they are tiny deer like creatures. The largest one we saw was no larger than a small dog. For more great alphabet activities, books, and lists head over to my other blog ABC & 123: A Learning Cooperative! We've got lots of talented and creative bloggers linked up to today's post and we'd love it if you joined in. You can add a new post or one from the vault, either way be sure to enter this week's wonderful giveaway from Zooples & Co!

19 Friends Said:

Katie said...

What amazing shots of the animals. I have never seen/heard of an Okapis before, very interesting. We might have to plan a trip that way with our kids this summer.

Jenny said...

Great list! That will be a great Zoo Alphabet book!

Crystal said...

Great list and pictures. I love your idea to turn it into an ABC book.

Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog said...

What a great project and I love all the photos!

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice said...

That was a cute idea!!!! I liked it! So fun to read.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice said...

Oh! And I agree the San Diego Zoo and ESPECIALLY the Wild Animal park the THE BEST!!!!
We'll be headed down there when he hit the letter Z

The Wonder Years said...

Neat photos!

I'm thinking of creating a picture alphabet book with photos too, only I can't decide if I want to do animals or birds or flowers or pictures of what the kids do.

Anonymous said...

Great idea! It's nice that ER had a chance to visit three great zoos already. We are members of SF zoo, and it's one of our favorite field trips.

Mama King said...

Great post! Love the picture of ER and the statue. I have been trying to think of a good Alphabet activity to share. I may be late to the picnic!

Preschool Playbook said...

No fair!! This is way too good. I am having a lot of trouble with this one. I can't even get to A. I think my brain is dinosaured out. Hey maybe I should try a dinosaur alphabet.

Kim @ Life of a Modern Mom said...

This is so awesome Katie! Very cool idea, it will be so fun to have and look back on.

Diana said...

We have a zoo membership and I think that we may have to make a Zoo ABC book. Sometimes going so often, I forget how fun it is. This will give us a fun purpose next time we go. Thank you for the wonderful idea. I especially love your picture for S, so sweet.

Mommyof2girlz/StephD said...

Greta pics and heck yah SD Zoo is the best! I'm taking the girls there next week, the Okapis is my favorite to look at, their so cute :)

kristin said...

oh, how wonderful! i'm eager to read more. thank you!!!

Eva said...

wow this is great! I want to compile something like this with my daughter :)

ONe PiNK FiSH said...

Thanks for all the wonderful alphabet themed zoo pictures. You took great photos!

Heidi Boos said...

OK, Katie, you have inspired me to make my kids a Zoo Alphabet Book. I don't know when I will get to it, but I LOVE the idea! This was a fabulous post! I have never seen some of these animals before, like the Okapis. Huh!? I didn't think that sort of thing existed. Too fun!! Thanks for sharing!!

MaryAnne said...

wonderful post, I especially like the picture of the Okapi, I've always wanted to see one of those...

Mozi Esme said...

What a terrific list!

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