The Zoo, or Dobutsu-en

Monday mornings are Japanese lesson days. Today we had our lessons at the zoo.

Since the zoo is 1/2 hour away, the kids listened to the CD of "Flitty, Twitty, and Itty Bitty", the book that my friend Mary Ellen wrote. She narrates the CD too. The CD has a story about a dog family on it too. The girls just loved it and it kept them occupied the whole driving time.

Koi - carp fish
I decided to get a double stroller today. I knew we would want to go all the way around today for our lessons. We have a season pass and usually only do a part of the zoo. I knew Sophia would need an "ombu" (piggy back ride) before long so I opted for the stroller with all the gear I had along today.
It was acutally fun because on the hills I would let it go and the kids would sail! One time it went off the path and I had to scramble to keep it from hitting a sapling! Uma - horse
The uma says "hihiin"

I made and laminated cards that had a picture of the animal along with the Japanese word for the animal and the sound it makes. We practiced these words as we came to each animal. In the picture below you can see that Sophia is saying "hihiin".

Buta - pig
The buta says "buu-buu"

Ushi - cow
The ushi says "mo-" (like the American word to mow the lawn)

Hitsuji - sheep
The hitsuji says "me me"

The yagi had to be shoo-ed back to the pen.
Camel - rakuda
Time for a snack - animal crackers of course! As the girls would take out their crackers, we would try to sound out the Japanese word for that animal.
Which animal (dobutsu) should we see next?
Chinpanjii - chimp

The chinpanjii says kya, kya

Giraffe - kirin

Tora - tiger
The tora says gurururu (I think - the same as a lion)

Playground time! Undo-jo.



Ra ion - lion
The ra ion says gurururu
Kaba - hippo
I don't know how I missed taking a picture of Zo-san. Mr. Elephant. He is the one the children have known for a long time. We sing a song about Zo-san.

A stop at the gift store seems like a must. The kids wish Nana would spend all her money (okane) here!