For parents with small children, Covid-19 has made life both harder and easier. Gone are the pressures of playdates and scheduling naps around outings. But for many, those have been replaced by long, lonely days at home. Mom and Dad are frazzled, the kids have cabin fever, and everyone is in need of a break from the monotony.

One of the ways I’ve tried to make things a little easier for my family is with “virtual field trips”. The trip to the art museum and the virtual summer vacation were both a big hit, so this time I sent them on a virtual trip to the zoo.

Once again, I looked for items that would do more than provide a few moments of fun and then add to the clutter. Here’s what I included:
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Because books are never considered clutter by my librarian daughter-in-law, I got three fun ones. The View at the Zoo is a delightful tale with a fun twist. Both kids loved searching for the monkey throughout the book. Search the Zoo, Find the Animals is more than a search and find book—it’s filled with animal facts geared towards young children. For older kids, I’d recommend Zoology for Kids, which is filled with information and hands on activities.  I also sent Eric Carle’s 1,2,3 to the Zoo.