Traveling and roadschooling have become a big part of our homeschool. This past week we headed to Cleveland, Ohio and visited the Cleveland Metropark Zoo and Rainforest. It did not disappoint!
Exploring the Zoo
It’s rare that I’m able to go out with just one of my kiddos. I was able to get some time away with just my six year old and it was such a nice time away with just the two of us! He loves animals, so a trip to the zoo was the perfect place for us to go.
I was really impressed with how close you were able to get to the animals at this zoo! We visited with some zebras and giraffes when we first got there and my six year old was so excited.
They had a large deck built right next to the giraffe exhibit. The giraffes were able to walk right up to you. They had lettuce for sale to feed them, but it was just as much fun to watch them eat from their feed areas right on the deck. The mama giraffe was very social and stayed over by us most of the time we were there. It was fun to see the little giraffe, too!
Chinese Art at the Zoo
Something unexpected was a bunch of Chinese art all around the zoo. They currently have an Asian Lantern Festival going on at the zoo, so the entire grounds had different Chinese art and lanterns all over. We got to learn a bit about Chinese culture and what the different artistic animals represented while walking around the zoo. I love when parks like zoos incorporate special exhibits. It’s like wt
My son was head over heels for the dragons! They even explained what each dragon represented (Four dragons for the north, east, south, and west).
There was also a tunnel for each month of the calendar for the Chinese zodiac. The members of our family were represented by the dog, the dragon, the rat, and the tiger.
The Rainforest
One of the coolest parts of this zoo is the indoor rainforest! This building has two levels to see animals from the rainforest and learn about rainforest preservation. We just happened to be reading Where is the Rainforest the week before visiting, so it made it come full circle for my son.
I also noticed that you can add an app to your phone that will explain the different plants to you throughout the rainforest. So, botany studies would be amazing to take the time to do with this trip!
Roadschooling at the Zoo and Rainforest
Roadschooling always brings rich opportunities to learn about things away from your home and explore places that you normally don’t have the chance to visit. It open up a world of possibilities to gain an understanding of people and places outside of a book. Real life learning that kids have fun doing!
Where is the last place you were able to explore? Share your adventures in my online homeschool community or in the comments below!
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