Where Advocacy, Special Needs Parenting, & Life Collide
Autistic Moments, Family Outings, & Blogger Buds
Or, We Got to Go to the Zoo! (& Autistic Moments Didn’t Rule – Completely!)
The Moody gang field-tripped to the Indianapolis Zoo this week and had a blast with the Zoo’s new Flights of Fancy Exhibit, and while we had a few autistic moments, I’m happy to say that the boys all had a neat takeaway experience.
Indianapolis Zoo Flights of Fancy Exhibit
This trip was part of a get-together planned by pal Jackie of WritRams and Prime Parents Club and eagerly anticipated by many of us in a local (and awesome!) group of bloggers. We spoke with a gracious Jon Glesing, who is the Director of Public Relations there at the Zoo, while he told us a bit about the exhibit.
While it was a great way to learn more about the Zoo’s new exhibit, I was impressed with Glesing’s interest in reaching out to families (including those with children who have special needs) to let them know how many different ways the zoo can entertain and dazzle their families. Hey, the man kept a straight face while Bobby asked him several questions and Logan lunged to and fro around the table, and didn’t bat an eye when Logan merrily tossed his shoe across the small courtyard where the exhibit is housed. (Jim and Andy, however were not amused *grin*)
Indianapolis Zoo Flights of Fancy Exhibit – Andy Feeds the Birds!
Glesing gave our small group of bloggers feed sticks for feeding the small birds in the first section of their Flights of Fancy exhibit.
Called Budgies, these were the cutest, most curious birds I’ve been around – or maybe they just have bottomless stomachs.
In any case, having a chance to feed the birds was an experience Andy, especially loved. But Logan was captivated by all the brightly-colored birds flying all over.
The experience was unnerving for Bobby, though, who couldn’t really see the small birds clearly and was a bit overwhelmed by the small enclosure and tons of little bird wings flapping.
Either that or he was trying to figure out how to ask the next person what their name was. 
Logan was very busy running up to random strangers to touch them (it really is his way of saying hello, but you try explaining that to countless people in a row … gotta love those autistic moments!)
Flights of Fancy Exhibit Offers More than Birds!
Indianapolis Zoo Flights of Fancy Exhibit – Bobby at the Dora Show
While it’s true that the amazing flamingos gracing the entrance and the curious and hungry little Budgies, along with the other feathered friends were amazing to take in, probably nothing surprised me as much as the Dora Show.
4-D.
Seriously, 4-D. Absolutely amazing. Even for a kids’ show! Where you normally have a traditional 3-D show and it’s pretty awesome with the in-your-face special effects, imagine that your other senses are brought along as well. Bubbles, a spray of water mist, smell of banana … all additional sensory fun added to this Dora show, sure to be a favorite with kids young and old.
Logan was enthralled, clapping in delight at the bubbles even as he tried to figure out where they came from. Bobby, on the other hand, was very overwhelmed by the experience.
(Autistic Moment Tip of the Week: If you have a sensory seeker this might be a great adventure for your kiddo, but if they tend to avoid sensory input or have a harder time channeling it, you might want to give this one a pass or prepare well ahead of time so there aren’t any surprises.)
By the time we navigated through the rest of the exhibit and then stopped for the Carousel, the natives were getting restless. My blogging buddies had scattered while everyone tried to attend to their family’s needs, but we converged at the small splash park they have at the Zoo.
It is the PERFECT spot for kids to cool down, calm down, and otherwise recharge. And it’s a great place for parents to do the same. I was sad I wasn’t able to talk with my blogging buddies Jackie, Sarah, & Veronica … I did get to have fun chasing Logan around the small water wonderland.
Jim and Bobby hid in the shade while Andy helped me corral Logan, who was more than happy to gleefully race from one spouting fountain of water to another, then giggle maniacally when a bucket of water tipped over on other kids nearby. Water, water … he loves it!
There’s so much more I could tell you about the Zoo – there’s a reason we have a membership there, after all – we love it and the boys do too. Since we often have to cut our family visits short because of heat, autistic moments, or just plain exhaustion, we don’t have to worry about it. We can always go back again. And again …
So I leave you with my favorite picture from the day … Logan and his water. Enjoy!
Indianapolis Zoo Water Fun with Logan
Disclaimer: We have our own Zoo membership, but we received our nifty feeding sticks and tickets to go see the Dora show from the amazing Mr. Glesing and the Indianapolis Zoo. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this sweet little post are my own. Seriously.
Katrina Moody
Graphic Designer, Wordpress Addict, Blogger at Kat's Media & More
I'm a special needs parent before just about everything else in life, but also a passionate advocate for my three boys and husband, who all have a bit of awesomeness about them. Awesomeness = Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, and more. It all adds up to some awesome kids and an amazing family.
@KatrinaMoody
Wife; Mom to 3 guys w/ARS, autism, epilepsy & awesomeness; Advocate. Writer, Graphic Designer, Wordpress addict, social media nut. Site: http://katsmedia.com &
@codente OR would I be better off doing a conditional statement instead (it's bulky as I wanted to use get_post_format) - 9 mins ago
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Sounds like a wonderful day! So exciting..
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Danica recently posted..The Tell-Tale Hair
Absolutely, Dani! We all had a blast, even though we weren’t able to fit more fun into the day – we certainly had a great deal of fun before we were pooped for the day!
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