Great week!

My posts are not always on one general idea.  There are times when the collective nature of our days blend into a great week.  This is one of those weeks.  So, looky here at some fun things we were up to.

We explore "dress up day" every Wednesday!  I played with a vintage app here when

photographing our little Fairy.

We are raising silkworms.  We have over 50 cocoons.  Did you know each moth can lay up to 1500 eggs. Anyone want some silkworm eggs? LOL

We had a "round up" day.  Check out our horses we made and corralled. 

We went bike riding.

We went rock climbing in Ortega Park.

We discovered caterpillars in Willow Glen Park.

We finished up last week's Mother's Day gift, made the letter Z out of Zippers, made a "rectangle" collage, and so much more.  The learning and fun never stops.  It's now time for summer plans and summer fieldtrips.  I can't wait to share more, from PattyKakesKidz to all of you.
Peace, love, and learning.

Oakland Zoo-where animals are loved.

A great fieldtrip to the Oakland Zoo with PattyKakesKidz.  The weather was just right for our trek through the hills that swirled endlessly among some beautiful animals.  Check out the fun we had below. 

 Tortoises are so large and so adorable.

Speaking of large, it was feeding time for the huge elephants.

 The zebras coats were so beautiful and striped.  

 If that alligator was real, I would hate to think what it would be eating right now.

 Walking on the back of a snake.

 Just a little sip of water while stretching down as far as you can.

 Beware the spitting camels.

 This tiger thought he couldn't be spotted, but I saw him tucked in the corner.

 Did someone say, "Train Ride?"

The view from the train.

The Oakland Hills

The day before, our group made chocolate covered strawberries and chips.  It was a little treat they prepped to take on this fieldtrip and they loved them.

 Hmmmm, I see you eyeballing that strawberry.

 And one big bite right about here!

Nummy, salty chips with sweet dark chocolate on the ends.

 The kids were done, but someone was still left savoring each bite of his tasty invention.

After our animal gazing, identifying, observing, train ride, lunch and more, it was time for a bit more hiking through the zoo.  

How about a little park fun?

Oooh, a salamander eyeball.

 A moth.

 Another moth.

 The back of a ladybug.

 A caterpillar. 

 The lillypad hop.

 A redeye tree frog climb.

 Just plain ol' playing "tag-you're it!"

 The spiderweb climb.

There are so many more pics from the bug house, the farm, the lions, the bats, the rabbits & otters and so much more..  Too many to post (over 300 pictures in all LOL)

The flower pose for me.

Phwew, what a long day the children exclaimed.  I think that's the hint to start heading home. 

 What does a Meerkat....

 a hyena.....

and a wort-hog have in common?

Hakuna Matata 

After a 6 hour fieldtrip and a wonderful day with these children, we headed home while some sang and some slept.  When we arrived home, we knew it was only a matter of time before our parents were to arrive.  So, after much discussion (and begging on behalf of the children) we did the only thing left to do; we watched the Lion King.

PattyKakesKidz encourages you all to get out there and explore your world too.  

Health and happiness to you all!

Simple Purple Pleasures

Occasionally the most fun is found in the simplest of ideas.  A little shaving cream and water colors mixed by the children and you've made for a fun learning experience. 

 I chose berry smelling shaving cream to go along with the color purple. The children engaged in all their senses and shared dialogue with each other 

as the morning passed.

 Scraping his fingers through the shaving cream was loads of fun.

 Rubbing back and forth made the foam even feel thicker.

 Adding a bit more paint to one made a darker purple.

 Feeling the cool foam between the fingers felt so wonderful.

This group experience was intriguing to say the least.

This week was filled with lots of Mother's Day card and gift making, hence the short blog above.  We had a wonderful week though and all I can hope for was that they had as much fun being here as I had sharing my time with them. Love and Happy Mother's Day from all of us here at PattyKakesKidz.