Fish life!

People's views on having animals in captivity will vary and there will be those amongst you who will feel quite strongly against keeping animals in zoos and aquaria.  However, the learning opportunities at these places for a child are immense.  I am a firm believer in the power of 'seeing is believing' and have no doubt whatsoever that Baby learns more efficiently from meeting those things that we talk to him about from books or TV documentaries.  I think the images of animals are captivating and a good picture is great; seeing the animals move and do things on TV will keep him transfixed for hours (literally), but seeing them for real makes him think and talk about them forever.  He makes a link with them and they become important to him- they are part of his world.

We knew that from observing him when we visited city farms and, about six months ago, after watching Finding Nemo for the N-millionth time, we got an annual membership to the London Aquarium.  The effect is more than we could ever have hoped for.  Baby asks lots of questions and is interested and concerned about the fish and penguins that are kept in the Aquarium.  He identifies with them as fellow living creatures in a way that he did not when he saw them only in books and on TV.  The Aquarium is a fantastic place to visit, with lots to see and lots to do- face painting and touching starfish are his favourites.  Its not spectacularly big and can seem a bit dated in places but the essence of marine conservation is very well presented.  There is something for everyone.  The sharks exhibition is particularly well done and Baby both loves and loathes walking over the sharks at the entrance.  The queue can be quite long; having the membership means not having to queue.  Booking ahead will probably also save you time.  We consciously decided to focus on sea-life this year, so we also visited the Lisbon Oceanarium in Spring, which was absolutely fantastic.  The temporary turtle exhibit was breath-taking.

For his birthday this year, we got Baby a small fish tank for his room.  He loves looking at and feeding the fish, and expresses empathy when they are ill.  Next year we plan to take out memberships at London Zoo so that we can visit regularly and Baby can get to know the animals.  I have no doubt that he will love that.  Maybe it will be time for him to have something he can hold for a pet then.  

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