There is a zoo in Palo Alto?

Well actually we didn't get to see the zoo, it was closed, but we did have fun visiting the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. For the five and under set, the Junior Museum is a blast.

It is like the Exploratoreum, but on a less chaotic and more manageable scale. Don't get me wrong, if you are a school aged kid, or even an adult (we have gone as adults), the Exploratoreum rocks.  But preschoolers need a more low-key hands on experience, and this is what the Junior Museum had to offer.

We went for my company's family holiday party, so our first experience may be different. For one thing, the zoo is probably open. When you enter there is a donation robot. Xander could have spent the entire night standing there and lifting his arm. On the left there was an animal room, and to the right there were hands on science fun.

We went right first. The museum has an elaborate exhibit of levers, lifts, shoots and tennis balls. The boys could turn wheels, and drop balls in holes, and see where they went. The majority of our visit was focused there.

Then we managed to pull them away long enough to  go to the animal room. Caleb loved it. He got to pet a rat, a ferret, a turtle, a snake and a hedgehog.  He made several rounds of the room, and kept coming back throughout the evening.

The center of the room has a purple climbing structure, with a cave filled with stuffed animals. Caleb climbed to the top of the structure and slid down. Xander liked diving in the cave.

There was also a wall with circular disks, that you could drop down a flat panel.  It seemed dull, but Caleb and Xander both enjoyed it.

The boys had two solid hours of fun. We will definitely go back sometime during the day when the zoo is open.