Snooze At The Zoo

From cookie earnings, our troop decided they wanted to do the sleepover at the zoo. It was an experience they'll have forever, although I wish there was more they could have done. This event was planned by council and came out to $75 for each parent that wanted to attend with their daughters. Since I have Daisies, all of mine went except for one.

We started by driving through the south gate and down to the Discovery Center parking lot. We

checked in and were given red wristbands (that was our group color). My coleader and I met up with the other three moms and set up our sleeping bags. After a while a zookeeper spoke to us about what was gonna happen and what we could expect.

The first thing we did was a rotating activity. We spent the first fifteen minutes decorating paper mache. The zoo uses them to put treats in and give to the animals. It was pretty neat, but got messy fairly quickly. The girls got glue all over the place and for a table full of eight kids, we were only given three paintbrushes and one glue tray. One of my moms came up with a system where each would take a turn and pass it to the next. It turned out easier. The girls ended up using way too much glue and our paper mache caved in.

Next, we were onto the next room where the girls got to touch toys that the animals played with (sanitized and cleaned). They then moved onto the main room, for sleeping, and got close to copies of artifacts like a dolphin skull and skin of a wolf.

Our last activity was very, very messy. The zoo gave each of the girls a bowl and stick to mix weed balls. These consisted of butterfly feedings and wild flower seeds mixed with clay and dirt. They rolled them into balls and were told to throw them anywhere in nature (except the zoo property). The purpose was to help insects eat while, at the same, planting flowers.

After everyone was clean, the zoo took us on a hike. It was dark and we weren't allowed to use our flashlights because of the animals sleeping. We headed back after a hour or so. They played a movie and afterwards, shut off the lights and it was time to go to bed.... for some of them. A few kids stayed up and got a bit giggly, especially when they heard snoring or some fart. Kids will be kids though.


















The next morning, we were greeted by pouring rain - cats and dogs, as they say. A positive note was the hot breakfast; eggs, sausage, bacon, granola bars, french toast, fruit and cereal. The rain had stopped and we were taken on another hike. By the time we arrived back at the Discovery Center, it was time to leave.

Pros:

• Hot Breakfast
• Night Hike
• Fun Patches Included
• Tickets for a Safari Ride

Cons:

• Additional hiking through the day
• Sleeping on the floor
• Very little activities for the kids
• No rules were set in place

Overall, the sleepover was a great experience. I'm not sure if the girls would be up for doing it again, but they have the bragging rights!