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.

Just a little Spring Gardening.

Before we begin, you must see how a typical morning looks like while kids are out enjoying their morning.

We began our morning discussing what plants have grown, what needs to be harvested, and what needs to be newly planted.  Here is our morning gardening this week.

The harvesting of Kohlrabi.  Mmmm, the kids loved eating too once lunch came.

 Once we removed Kohlrabi and half of our broccoli, we turned our dirt over and added some additional organic dirt with nutrients.

 This was not an easy task.  But the children worked hard in their garden.

 Here you can see 1/2 full grown garden and 1/2 garden being prepped for new plants.

 Mmmm, broccoli .

 Ooooh, this cauliflower still needs to grow some more.  Maybe in a week or two we can harvest.

 Nummy, the celery is almost ready to crunch into.

 Look at the red swiss chard in the background.  The kids already harvested 1/2 and loved eating it.

 I'm going to place my tomato plant right here.

Time to water our plants.

 Look at the difference between the winter garden and the newly planted spring garden.

 We'll have more posts on gardening soon.  Keep reading our blogs and maybe share a thing or two about "your" gardens with PattyKakesKidz

I'm 5 Years Old

Our little ones are growing up way too fast.  Check out this little one as she celebrates her 5th birthday with her friends at PattyKakesKidz

First the cake mix.

 Next we line the cupcake holders then she puts a cup and a half of water into the mix.

 Add some oil.

 Add three egg whites.

 Time for some mixing with our friends.  Take turns.

 Time to frost and decorate with our friends.

 And the little strawberry goes right.........here.

The biggest smile as her friends are singing ♪♪Happy Birthday to Youuuuuu♪

 Tim to blow out your candle but don't forget; make a wish!

 Applauds for our 5 year old girl!

Time to eat our masterpieces.

Yes!  Gracie is 5 years old.  Happy Birthday my dear.  Hope your day was as special as you are.
Our version of Strawberry Shortcake