Tina Keegan, JMZ Exhibits Director, can tell you that a lot more is happening in this photo besides a good laugh between her daughter, Juniper, and Zookeeper Lee.

The day after this photo was taken, Tina says that, “We were eating fruit with our breakfast, and Juniper started telling me about how the fruit bats ate their fruit. She said they squish all the juice into their mouth and then spit out the rest of the fruit (the pulp). I love this story because she was using her powerful observational skills and then later thinking about it and comparing it to how she eats fruit. And she taught mama something that I didn’t know!”

This is an example of how learning continues after a child leaves the Junior Museum & Zoo. But according to Zookeeper Lee, it’s also an example of how a personalized interaction makes a lasting impression. “This is the difference between showing animals and artifacts on the floor as opposed to up on a table. I love to teach my classes on the ground – at the height of the children. To me, that connection feels key. You are down there at their level and you become much more accessible.”

What lasting connections has your child made at the Junior Museum & Zoo?