When was last time you took your kids to zoo? Do you remember how much fun they had, and do you remember how much you enjoyed watching their faces light up when they watched penguins being fed, or chimpanzees chasing each other around exhibit? Isn’t it time you packed up your family and headed to nearest zoo?

A day at zoo isn’t just a fun way for entire family to spend day, but also a great opportunity for you to teach your child about all sorts of stuff. There is of course obvious, like naming different animals with your preschooler or reading exhibit signs with your school-age child. Let’s take a look at some other teaching opportunities.

If you are taking a preschooler to zoo, talk to him about what sounds different animals make. Ask him what sound monkey makes and then ask him to listen to animal. Don’t forget to praise him for how closely he imitated a monkey’s call.

There are also plenty of opportunities in Zoo to talk about colors. What color is lion, how about flamingo? You can also count animals with your child. How many elephants can you see? Another idea is to talk to your preschooler about what a particular animal likes to eat. Some of his suggestions may be outright funny. My little cousin figured that flamingos only ate cotton candy, since they were so pink.