Animals Aglow Updated

Last week, Ladybug, Chickadee, and I went to the St. Louis Zoo for the second (annual?) Animals Aglow Lantern Festival!

Let’s start with the one thing that was mostly unchanged from 2024…the impressive dragon tunnel…it was just as cool as I remembered it, both in the daylight, and lit up at night!

Most everything else seemed different…there were many animal and flower lanterns, but different types and designs, which made it feel like a brand-new event:

One new display that I really enjoyed was the “9 Sons of the Dragon”…here’s a look at some of my favorites of the group:

They had a special new drink at Starbucks, too…the “Snakerdoodle,” in honor of the Year of the Snake:

Speaking of the Chinese Zodiac, another new display that I loved featured a representation of each of the 12 zodiac animals…I liked them so much, they’ll have their own post later! For now, here’s a little glimpse of them, including each of us with our year’s animal:

Everything about the zoo looks beautiful at night all lit up!

This iridescent dome looked spectacular in every light!

And here’s a look at the fantastic movement in the largest of the lanterns, which was almost 50 feet high!

We’re already hoping that the event returns next year with more new things to discover!

2024-25 School Year–Week Twenty-Nine

This was a fun week! Not only did we finally get to play tennis, but we also took a rare nighttime field trip to the St. Louis Zoo for the Animals Aglow Lantern Festival!

Of course, we did our regular work, too, although that is dwindling down, and our days are getting shorter. Ladybug began volume three of Jane Eyre…the end is in sight! She continued working on her term paper. In psychology she read about aggression, attraction, and altruism. Her final writing assignment was writing a “bad” thesis using subtle and blatant irony. She continued reading American Nations.

Chickadee completed all of the new material in her pre-algebra book with a final lesson on finding the area of regular polygons, and is now ready for the end-of-year review! Since she finished her history curriculum for the year, we’re focusing on topics that bridge the time around the California Gold Rush and the Civil War, including the Underground Railroad and the Oregon Trail. She began learning about the five senses in science. We started reading Amon’s Secret.

Three more weeks of school, and a lot of fun things in the mix between now and then!

Changing Light

I’ve already shared a look at the Animals Aglow lantern festival at the St. Louis Zoo; now I’m sharing one of my favorite details of any lantern festival…seeing how the lanterns change with the changing light!

I learned from the lantern festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden almost ten years ago that there’s a beauty in seeing the structures while the sun is still up, and then looking at them again in the dark, and it’s still true. You notice different details as the light changes, and each is beautiful in its own way!

Animals Aglow

It’s already been two weeks since we’ve been to the Animals Aglow Lantern Festival at the St. Louis Zoo, and it was such an amazing experience…I’m really excited to share some of the pictures I took of the amazing displays!

As the name suggests, most of the lanterns are, of course, animals. We walked two laps through the displays, and it was really cool to see them before the sun set, and then as it got really dark, as well.

There are also quite a few insects:

The centerpiece of the event is the dragon, which is a tunnel and also set off “smoke” periodically:

There was also a “Year of the Dragon” special at Starbucks while we were there, which had mango, dragonfruit (of course), and matcha foam…it was delicious!

There are a few other walk-through displays, as well…the flowers are especially cool!

And some botanical pieces in addition to the animals and insects:

There is also a really cool rain cloud that you can stand inside:

Another beautiful display is the butterfly tree, which had a ton of movement and shifting colors:

I loved the lanterns that are on the water:

The best example of this, in my opinion, is the swans by the south entrance…the reflections are outstanding!

This was a really fun event, and I’m glad we had the opportunity to see it!

Chickadee Thursday

Last night, we went to the “Animals Aglow” lantern festival at the St. Louis Zoo…it was so much fun! Chickadee really loved all the interactive exhibits and photo spots.

Wordless Wednesday

The Lantern Festival: Magic Reimagined

It’s almost impossible to describe how beautiful and amazing the lanterns at the Missouri Botanical Garden Lantern Festival are. They’re so detailed and colorful, massive yet delicate, and some of them include changing colors, movement, water, steam, or fire features, plus music playing in the background. It’s an amazing experience to walk through and see them, and you really should go do so. Just in case you can’t make it, though, I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves, so you can get a glimpse of each beautiful creation.

Phoenix Reborn

Sun Yatsen Gate

Full Bloom Peonies

Porcelain Elephants: Toward a Better Time

Wetland Wonders

Lotus Girl and the Dragon King

Soaring Dragon Horse

Crane Paradise

Chrysanthemum Pathway

Dandelions and Pandas

Cherry Tree Arches

Double Ninth Festival

Construction of the Great Wall

Flower Fairies

Lantern Way

Porcelain Stupas Pagoda

Birdland

Joyous Greeting

Giant Penjing

Year of the Sheep

Peacock Vase

Now you have an idea of what kind of amazing things you can expect to see at the Lantern Festival. But pictures are no substitute for seeing and experiencing the whole thing for yourself, so please visit the Missouri Botanical Garden one evening this summer!

It’s Almost Lantern Festival Time!

Today, the children and I visited the Missouri Botanical Garden for the last time before we go back for the Lantern Festival. To my untrained eye, it looks like almost of the displays are done. We also discovered that a few of the lanterns are also fountains, and one even breathes smoke!