A Shady Afternoon
We enjoyed a long walk at a shady park during the heat wave this week. It was tough coaxing the kids away from the playground, but the walk became an adventure, with something new to see around every corner and the search for “clues”–although it was never quite clear what the “mystery” was. 
Animal Reports!
Our September meeting brought forth a beautiful day for the park. This month we listened to some of the kids give animal reports. We enjoyed listening and learning about Sphynx cats, Eastern Screech Owls, dogs, lizards, butterflies, and Giant Pandas. After that the kids ran and played on the playground enjoying the wonderful weather.
Hot day at the park
It was sweltering at the park this week! But, the kids still enjoyed tennis and plenty of playground time with their friends while the parents shuffled benches around trying to find a shady spot. Whew!
Parroting the parrot
It was a wet, sloshy morning at the zoo–hooray for the reptile house! The train was out of commission for the day, but clouds cleared after lunch and we were able to visit most of the animals. The favorite of the day by far was the parrot. The kids “talked” back and forth with him for the longest time, seeing who could squawk the loudest. (The parrot won )
Tie Dye!
This month’s 4-H project was a huge mess and totally fun! Kids and parents all ended up with multi-colored hands and a spiral-dyed t-shirt. One thing we learned after getting the shirts home and washing them next day is that you really, really have to saturate the bundled shirt with the dye to get full color. Most of our shirts ended up with lots of white, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. We’ll have to try this one again sometime!
Fun at the Riverfront
Summer doesn’t mean an end to park days–just a change of scenery. This week was the splash pad! The kids loved running and splashing in the water, and the parents appreciated the shady terrace. What a great location overlooking the Alabama River. Looking forward to more splasing this summer!
Colorful Cabbage
We did some colorful experimenting with food for this month’s 4-H meeting. After creating a pH indicator from red cabbage, we used it to dye some cotton, then used more common kitchen items to “paint” the fabric…changing the pH and creating patterns of different colors. Good, messy, educational fun. 
4-H Birthday Bash
With all the May and June birthdays in our group, we decided to have a party! The kids had a blast playing with their friends, and devouring the four-leaf cupcake-cake. Everyone went home happy, with a green tongue and a sugar rush.
Dancing Raisins
We had fun with carbon dioxide this month. The kids enjoys watching raisins dance in carbonated drinks and comparing it with the carbonation created by baking soda and vinegar.
New Playground!
The kids had a blast playing on the new zoo playground. We had to beg and cajole them to take a glimpse at the animals. But, they did enjoy the baby elephant and the baby siamang ape once we finally convinced them. Looking forward to another zoo trip soon!