Discovery at the Zoo

First Beginnings Preschool at the Zoo!

Dear Friends,
If you want to learn something new about the wonder and joy that comes from the amazing diversity of God's creation, take a trip to the zoo with a class of 15 preschoolers! That's what I did yesterday, as a chaperone for First Beginnings, our church's preschool. (My son Wes attends First Beginnings. He's the one on the far right in the picture.)

Yesterday, it was hot and sunny. Not a fantastic "zoo day," in that the animals were doing a lot of sitting still in the shade in order to stay cool. But for the kids, every new habitat we saw was a discovery.
- We discovered a little critter called a hyrax, with whom the kids were enamored. "Hi, Rax! Hi, Rax!" they called.
- We discovered that warthogs are actually beautiful creatures, if you look at them just right.
- We discovered that walking through a shady forest and catching sight of a jaguar peering at you from under a bush is a pretty scary thing!
- We discovered that hippos are "the most hugest" animals we ever saw.
- We discovered that a hungry sea lion can bark loud enough to make you cover your ears. Same with a nervous peacock!

And as I watched the kids discover things about God's amazing creation, I found that I was discovering, too. I was no longer chaperoning a bunch of kids, I was entering into their experience. I was peering into the animal habitats with eager eyes, primed and ready to discover something.

- We also discovered that, no matter how hot and tired and thirsty you get at the end of a morning, sitting in the shade and eating a sack lunch can really perk you up! (That discovery was made especially by the kids. For the teachers and chaperones, twenty minutes sitting and resting was not nearly long enough to be as effective.)

When you allow children to be teachers, you will be amazed at what you will discover!
Grace and Peace,
Andy B.