Our first field trip of the year was to Henry Vilas Zoo, on a glorious late summer day. Ask your children if they got to see the 6-months-old Löwen (lions) or the Dachse (Badgers) at the news Wisconsin Heritage Exhibit!

Did you know that there is a connection between the Vilas family and the German language? Henry Vilas Zoo was named in honor of a son of Madisonians William and Anna Vilas, who donated the land to the city in 1904. William Vilas was a law professor at UW Madison. He later became a US Senator. In 1889 he supported the movement against a law in Wisconsin that required the use of English in schools (Bennett Law). Up to then, many schools in Wisconsin used German in the classroom as the main language of instruction. Backlash against the law was strong and it was repealed in 1891.

Thanks to everyone who chaperoned and volunteered!