SNAKE!!!!!

Art does not like snakes.  Art loathes snakes.  Art will not go into the reptile section of any zoo/aquarium.  Zachary and Wyatt know this.  Zach and Wy therefore LOVE snakes.  They occasionally yell at Art "SNAKE!" just to get him to (pretend to) freak out and squeal.  However, Art loves his boys.  So much that he agreed to put aside his disdain for the slithery reptile to make his boys happy.

The Evanston Ecology Center hosts a few family campfires with various themes throughout the summer.  For a mere $4/ea, you can sit around a campfire, hear a story, sing some songs, make s'mores, and get a lesson about something nature-themed.  The theme on the night we chose: SNAKES!

The fun was a bit dampened (intended) by rain, but we did get the smores time in b/f moving under a pavilion to stay dry during the snake demonstration.  Foto evidence....

Trying to stay dry by the campfire

Art and the boys

First a lesson, then the snake skin is passed around - Wy did not love it

Zach was very interested in the skin

Telling us about the corn snake Kyle

Some kid squeezes Kyle the Corn snake and freaks the instructor out a bit

Showing us the snake

Helping Wyatt touch the snake

Mommy's turn!

Art kept very far away from the snake on the guise of taking pictures.  Then the instructor came over and asked if he wanted to touch the snake.  Art replied "do I HAVE to?", and she just held the snake out to him.  AND ART TOUCHED IT.  Not happily.  But he did NOT hate it after all.

Final thoughts:  A fun family outing for less than going out to dinner.  However, Wyatt is still too young for this (class reqd 2yr+, and Wyatt turned 2 yesterday), and Zach is just on the verge of too young.  Wy got bored after a bit and was tired (past bedtime).  It was a lot of info for Zachary to take in.  But we all enjoyed it.