Birthday

A couple weekends ago my nephew, Cade, celebrated his 8th birthday at the Lakeside Nature Center in KC. Before the festivities began, all the kids got to walk (ok, run) around the place and see different animals and reptiles living in their natural habitats. There were rabbits and turtles and birds- oh my!! Then the kids were corralled into a large open room where they created "nature art", color pictures of animals and chilled out for a bit. After a while it was time for the animal show! We saw a rabbit,an owl, and a snake (some of the kids were brave enough to touch it!). Then we moved on to cake & ice cream and presents. I had fun so I know my nephew did too!

The birthday boy.

My sister with her two boys, Cade & Reid

Cade loves Jacob! He wants to hold him and carry him all the time :o)

The Lakeside Nature Center is located conveniently near the Kansas City Zoo. There is an actual building (a pretty cool one!) where they have lots of different kinds of animal displays, both living and not. There are several critters residing at the nature center including fish, snakes, lizards, rabbits, a HUGE turtle in a big tank and a couple friendly squirrels in an enclosed habitat. There are several bird species as well- bald eagles and owls to name a few. They also have a nature trail you can walk along that winds through a wooded area where you can observe native animals living in nature.

The center also serves as a rehabilitation place for animals native to Missouri. Animals are brought in with injuries, treated and released back into their natural habitat. If for some reason an animal can not be re-released, it becomes a permanent resident of the nature center, where people can visit and learn more about that species.

You can explore the center on your own or sign up for a wildlife program where you get a more hands-on experience with lots of different kinds of animals.

(Can you tell I liked the squirrels?)