Picnic Time for Teddy Bears in the Bronx

One thing about New York is that there’s always too much to do. Another thing is that the Bronx Zoo is always insanely busy on holiday weekends, so it's often best to try to go somewhere else. Those two things said, however, it seems that this weekend will be an ideal time to take the kids up there: it’s the annual Teddy Bear Picnic at the bear enclosures.

The zoo’s three bears--two grizzlies and a polar bear--will be hosting a bash for their little human fans all weekend long. Activities will include songs, stories, appearances by the zoo’s bear mascot, and zookeeper sessions with the actual animals. Usually when I’ve been to see them the bears there have been pretty much asleep, so getting them up on their feet (as I've seen the big cat trainers do with the tiger) will be a welcome change. Finally and most importantly, kids should bring their own teddy bears for a check up at the bear clinic; Build-a-Bear’s got nothing on this set-up.

To more fully enrich the experience, try watching a Yogi Bear cartoon on YouTube, an episode of Little Bear, an old Zaboomafoo episode or even a David Attenborough segment (I think kids are generally up to watching the Discovery Channel and the BBC Natural History Unit). Alternatively pick up a classic bear book: Corduroy, the Berenstain Bears, Paddington, or any of a host of others. There are also a host of wonderful zoo books, from Dr. Seuss's If I Ran the Zoo to one of my all-time favorites, Robert Lopshire's Put Me in the Zoo.

I’m picking up Loretta from Utah on Saturday and we keep the Sabbath on Sunday so about all we’ll have time to do before going Monday is listen to the song “Picnic Time for Teddy Bears," but I think that alone, along with bringing her teddy bear, will make the trip more special than most times we go.

All the event's scheduling details are available on the zoo website.