“There are some people who begin the zoo at the beginning, called WAY IN, and walk as quickly as they can past every cage until they get to the one called WAY OUT. But the nicest people go straight to the animal they love the most, and stay there.” – A. A. Milne, in his introduction to Winnie-the-Pooh
At our zoo the elephants are the last exhibit. Literally they are at the end of the sidewalk and you have to turn around and walk uphill back past all the animals you just passed to get to the ‘WAY OUT’. My kiddos don’t care…they love to see the elephants! I dare say they are the animal they love the most, just like A. A. Milne described, and most of the time they are the first animal we head to see!
This particular day, we were treated with something extra special, that only a few people got to see (since most people had turned around and headed back before having to walk down the hill). Just as we approached the elephant area one of them was being led into the building, so we followed. The keepers were laying large canvases on the floor and setting out buckets of paint. A young boy and his mom were standing just outside the protective bars that you see in the pic above. One of the keepers handed the elephant a paint brush and the elephant created a masterpiece within minutes! Judging by the smile on the boy’s face, the painting must have been for him!
Upon arriving home Cutie Pie and I did a little research on painting elephants. We found some interesting videos on National Geographic and a wealth of information and still pictures, much to Cutie Pie’s delight! Ever since he’s been trying to make the sound of an elephant trumpeting, using whatever he can find as an elephant trunk and trying to stomp like an elephant. I also ‘caught’ him playing with his stuffed Horton the Elephant and he never plays with his stuffed animals! I love that this has renewed his interest in elephants!
0 Comments