As I entered into the gym this week, I noticed something familiar. The animals in the gym indicated that it was the Valentine Zoo! The Valentine Zoo is an event that happens in St. Philip annually for children in kindergarten, first, and second grade. The Valentine Zoo specializes in teaching children about reptiles, mammals, and amphibians with giving hands-on demonstrations. The children can even pet the animals, and hold them in their laps. To see what this year’s zoo would bring, I went to the gym to see if what I remember of the zoo has remained the same. Although some things have changed, most of the happy memories I treasure are still present in the attitude of the children today.

The first things I noticed when I walked into the zoo were obvious. I noticed that the children were first graders and incredibly entertained. They were so excited to hold the animals and pet them, although some of the children were too scared to do so. I also noticed that the children were very well informed about the creatures they were holding. They seemed to know a lot about the frogs, which are amphibians. (I learned this just by listening to the children’s responses.) They seemed to know a lot about the reptiles, which consists of snakes and lizards. They all especially enjoyed the only land mammal that I got to see, the Mini-Juliana Pig.

After observing the zoo this year, I realized that it has not had many big changes since the last time I went, which was six years ago. The children still enjoy going, they love holding the animals, and there are still the kids who are too frightened to touch the animals at all. The only difference that I saw was that Mr. Valentine was not there. Someone, however, has taken his place. The Valentine Zoo is a great place for children to learn about animals and have a great time doing it. I, as well as many of my classmates, miss the Valentine Zoo and wish that we could go as well.