Saving Animals from Extinction with a Trip to our Local Zoo

This post is brought to you by Stonyfield YoKids. All opinions are 100% my own.

One thing we love to do with our kids is going to the local zoo. Because it's an hour away, we make a whole day out of the experience. We begin our day with coffee and beignets from Café Du Monde and follow it with hours of fun in the New Orleans zoo.

We often ask one of the grandparents to come with us and spend the day, since each kid often enjoys the animal visit at their own pace. I always find it helpful, when you are outnumbered with kids, to have other adults around. And of course, grandparents always love to give the kids fun treats when mom isn't looking -and that's ok.

What I love about visiting the zoo, is that my kids learn about the different animals, their natural habitats, and their stories. When your kids are homeschooled, you have to make every outing a learning opportunity.

Like two years ago, during a trip to Madrid's National Natural Science Museum, when my kids learned about when animals are at risk of extinction and why they go extinct. They understood this lesson well thanks to the fossils, dinosaur reconstructions, and giant sea species exhibits.

Day to day, however, it's a bit more difficult for my kids to understand how species, like the African Penguin, can be at risk for extinction. When asked, my son said: but they have penguins at the aquarium? And don't they have them in the north pole? Clearly, this was another learning lesson in the works.

I also learned that Stonyfield YoKids, the yogurt brand my kids have grown up eating, is sponsoring AZA SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) program; where together, they are on a mission to save endangered species. This year-long effort will contribute funds towards field work but also to help kids learn about endangered species and conservation efforts first hand when visiting their local zoo, aquarium, and where research is happening.

While my family and I have been zoo and aquarium members for more than a decade, I was thrilled to learn that the yogurt we already love and enjoy has teamed up to help a very important cause.

What I love about visiting our local zoo and aquarium as a family, is that we get to create fond memories and spend the day together, unplugged from electronics and truly enjoying each other's company. This can be something difficult to do in our busy lifestyle; but it's nice to enter a paradise where the beautiful animals reside and leave our to-do lists behind.

With each visit, I'm able to talk to my kids about the animals and why it's important to understand that some of the species are endangered. And, with our help, we can support conservation efforts. Can you imagine a world without elephants or lions?

Talking to my kids about important causes like this one is important, in hopes of inspiring a lifelong appreciation for our planet and the importance of animal conservation.

With funny videos like "Can a cow save a penguin or a sea turtle or a cheetah?" my kids' imaginations and hearts were warmed and inspired to do something for the environment. You too, can talk to your kids about animal conservation and Stonyfield's efforts by checking out these resources.

Stonyfield YoKids, can you say the "organic yogurt brand for kids"