Queens Zoo

I lived in NYC most of my life, and have been a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the city zoos and aquarium, for years as well, but up until this month, I had never set foot in the Queens Zoo. (That probably has something to do with the fact that people from Brooklyn, like me, tend to view Queens as a strange planet. The street naming scheme, which includes avenues, streets, places and roads all bearing the same numerical designations, makes a Brooklynite cringe... Anyway...)

Well, I have to say, it was very much worth the trip. Queens Zoo is unique among the city's wildlife parks in its emphasis on the animals of North and South America. It was fascinating to watch mountain lions romping and engaging in playful hunt-like behavior, and the Andean bears were quite amusing. Mikro especially enjoyed the aviary, and the Pudu, the petite deer. (And yes, before we left, all three of us were under the strange compulsion to make a Bantha Pudu remark... Cross generational geekiness at its finest...)





























And speaking of Sci Fi references, there is of course, this nearby landmark, featured in Men in Black:

Critters & Cousins

We went to Central Park Zoo over the Thanksgiving holidays and saw the (relatively) new snow leopards. Mikro loved it, but cheerfully announced that "Even better than the zoo was getting to see my cousins!" with whom we had dinner after the zoo trip.

Mid May Update

Mid May was spent largely out of doors (when it wasn't raining!) We reorganized our storage shed, planted lots of fruits and veggies in the garden, had a blast homeschooling, raised ladybugs and painted lady butterflies, watched birds nesting, and took more field trips than a sane person would contemplate. Our homeschool nature class wound down for the summer, but book group is still going strong, and we have plenty of things on the schedule for the summer, including swim lessons virtually every day during July. Whew.

We've been to the zoos, and to zoo school.




We've done a series of eco art classes at Beczak Environmental Education Center:





Saw an art show about birds and bugs and flowers at the Central Park Arsenal Gallery.



Went to our local Shad Fest. Played at the park, and with friends in the neighborhood.

Last Zoo School Class-- Animals in Art: Patterns & Textures

At our last zoo school class in the Animals and Art sequence, we looked at patterns and textures. The kids got to meet three live animals: an Ornamental Box Turtle, a Polish Bantam Rooster, and a Guinea Pig. They learned how patterns help animals survive: Bright contrasting stripes on a coral snake warn that it is poisonous. Milksnakes and scarlet king snakes mimic the pattern to dissaude predators from eating them. Zebra stripes help the herd blend together, and may confuse predators into thinking they are looking at one massive animal. The Box Turtle's patterned scutes help him camouflage himself by blending into the forest floor.






After class, we wandered the zoo looking at animals' patterns and textures. Here are some that we noticed:

More Zoo School

We had two more classes at Zoo School at Prospect Park. One was mostly free play at the Zoo's terrific Discovery Center, where Mikro pretended to go camping, played veterinarian practicing on a stuffed animal "patient", and played a very cool frog life cycle board game made up by the zoo staff. We also got to meet a Flemish Giant Rabbit.



Yesterday's class was about texture. The kids felt various objects like sponges, sandpaper, seashells, feathers and fur, and described their texture. Then they tried to guess what the objects hidden in a pillow case were using only their sense of touch.



They met a bearded dragon and got to touch him and describe his texture.



Then they made a craft-- a turtle made from a paper bowl with head, tail and legs stapled on, which they decorated with all sorts of textured materials.

Zoo School

Our NYC homeschool group is taking a series of classes this month at "Zoo School" at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, NY.

At the first session, the kids learned about how animals use color to hide, to warn off predators that they are poisonous or bad tasting (or mimics), or to attract mates.











At our second class, we talked more about animals and color, met some live animals, and played a hot potato like game where the kids were given colored smocks and had to dance until the music stopped, then end up on a square of the same color as their smock in order to camouflage themselves. And they made peacock crowns as well.











After class, we saw the zoo's newest addition-- a brand new baby tamarind.